Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ничего́ | ničevó |
| неплохо́й | neploxój |
| недурно́й | nedurnój |
In Russian, the word ничего́ is used idiomatically as a response to a question about how something is or the quality of a situation to mean "not bad" or "alright".
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, ничего́ means "nothing".
Which one should you use?
ничего́ is often used as an adverbial response to describe how something is, whereas неплохо́й is an adjective used to describe a specific noun.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The use of ничего́ to mean "not bad" is common in colloquial, everyday speech. For more formal situations where you want to say something is "worthy" or "decent", you can use Достойно. In informal settings, you might also hear Нормально to mean "okay" or "alright" or Так себе to mean "so-so" or "just okay".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective неплохо́й must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies: неплоха́я (feminine), неплохо́е (neuter) and неплохи́е (plural).
How do you pronounce it?
ničevó
Did you know?
- If you say ничего́ себе! as an exclamation, the meaning shifts entirely from 'not bad' to a expression of shock or amazement, similar to 'wow!' or 'no way!'
- Russian has a unique linguistic tendency toward 'understatement' where неплохо́й (not bad) is frequently used to describe something that is actually excellent, as overt praise can sometimes feel insincere.
- While ничего́ means 'not bad' as a response, it can also mean 'it is nothing' or 'no worries' when used as a response to an apology, similar to the English phrase 'don't mention it'.
Examples in context
- Фильм был ничего́.Film byl nichego.The movie was not bad.
- Этот суп ничего́.Etot sup nichego.This soup is not bad.
- Твой проект ничего́.Tvoy proyekt nichego.Your project is not bad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “not bad” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
