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[nursedianaklim.livejournal.com]

Potentially a stupid question, but I'm still a novice.

I know that double/multiple negatives are allowed in Russian, but are they mandatory? For instance, if I wanted to say, "Nobody calls me anymore," would I have to say, "Nobody never doesn't call me," in order to be understood? Or at least to avoid having the natives laugh in my face?

Comments

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

Those are both double negatives -- никто...не

[kaerf.livejournal.com]

Double negations are mandatory in Russian. So you can't say "Никто мне звонит" - you have to say "Никто мне не звонит" (никто - не).

[febb.livejournal.com]

There are different rules in russian language :)
The most important thing is the sence not the logic double or single negations, but rather in generly the sense of the fraze. If the fraze express one nenegative, subsequent negatives are only underline emotionally the first.

[max-first.livejournal.com]

The rule is the word "никто"(nobody), can be used only in negative statements in Russian.
That's why you cannot translate "noboby calls me" as "никто мне звонит", but you should say "никто мне НЕ звонит"

[alex-mashin.livejournal.com]

The first is double negative; the second is triple, and it's superfluous,though possible.

[orange-melon.livejournal.com]

True.

There are also some other words like никогда, ничто etc., that are used only with negative form of the verb.
Examples: Я никогда НЕ был в Австралии. - I've never been to Australia.
Я ничего НЕ знаю об этом. - I don't know anything about it.

[alon_68]

Yes, that's only allowed form.
"Никто мне звонит" is simply incorrect, approximately like to say "he know" in English.