о нет
[o nʲet]word by word
The Russian phrase for "oh no" is о нет.
о нет is an exclamation used to express a sudden realization of a mistake, receiving bad news or encountering an unwanted situation.
Meaning: exclamation of alarm (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the interjection о (oh) and the negation нет (no).
Did you know?
- While о нет works in books, a Russian speaker in a real crisis is much more likely to shout блин or even stronger profanities to express the same shock.
- The word нет is actually a contraction of three distinct words meaning 'not', 'is' and 'there'.
- To express a more dramatic 'oh no' regarding a disaster, Russians often use господи, which translates to 'Lord'.
Examples in context
- О нет, это он!Oh no, it's him!This sentence shows how to use о нет when identifying a person.Tatoeba #4581244 by Selena777, translation #4381905 by Hybrid
- О нет! Снова он!Oh no! It's him again!This sentence shows how to use о нет when reacting to someone's repeated appearance.Tatoeba #12196926 by al42and, translation #12196796 by Adelpa
- О нет, опять она.Oh no, it's her again.This sentence shows how to use о нет when reacting to a woman appearing again.Tatoeba #8000854 by marafon, translation #4381906 by Hybrid
- О, нет! Я забыл свой билет на поезд.Oh no! I forgot my train ticket.
- О Боже! Как это могло случиться?Oh God! How could this happen?
- Блин, телефон снова разрядился. Как это всегда происходит?Darn, my phone died again. How does this always happen?
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sergey realized he left his keys inside the house.
- Анастасия AnastasiaТы что-то забыл?Ty chto-to zabyl?Did you forget something?
- Сергей SergeyО нет, мои ключи в квартире!O net, moi klyuchi v kvartire!Oh no, my keys are in the apartment!
- Анастасия AnastasiaТы точно их не взял?Ty tochno ikh ne vzyal?Are you sure you didn't take them?
- Сергей SergeyДа, я оставил их на столе.Da, ya ostavil ikh na stole.Yes, I left them on the table.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “oh no” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (о, нет) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries нет, о, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
