нет / нету

Standard Нет Versus Colloquial Нету

Level 4Sounds Like net — razgovornoe netu

Use нет for all formal and neutral situations. Use нету only in informal speech to add emphasis or a 'folksy' tone. Both require the object to be in the Genitive case.

How It Works

In Russian, the distinction between нет and нету is one of register (style) rather than basic meaning. Both function as negative existential predicates.

  • нет: The literary norm (литературная норма). It is used in books, news, business, and formal speech. It is always correct.
  • нету: A colloquial variant (разговорное). It is very common in daily conversation and informal digital chats. It often sounds more emphatic or final.

Grammatical Rules:
1. Case: Both words strictly require the Genitive case for the noun being negated.
2. Function: Нету is strictly existential. You can say 'У меня нету времени' (I have no time), but you cannot answer a question like 'Are you a student?' with 'Нету.' In that case, you must use the particle нет.
3. Etymology: Нету comes from the Old Russian 'не есть ту' (is not here), where 'ту' acted as a reinforcing particle. This is why it still feels more 'emphatic' to native speakers today.

Examples (4)

  1. У нас нет возможности проверить эти данные.

    We have no opportunity to verify this data.

    Word by Word: At us no opportunity to-verify these data.

    This is the standard, neutral way to express absence, appropriate for any context.

  2. Сил моих больше нету это терпеть!

    I simply have no more strength to endure this!

    Word by Word: Strengths of-mine more no-there this to-endure!

    Here, 'нету' is used colloquially to add emotional weight and emphasis to the statement.

  3. Денег совсем нету, придётся экономить.

    There's absolutely no money left; we'll have to save.

    Word by Word: Money completely no-there, will-have-to to-save.

    A very common informal usage of 'нету' in everyday conversation about resources.

  4. — У тебя есть ручка? — Нету.

    — Do you have a pen? — No (I don't).

    Word by Word: — At you is pen? — No-there.

    In spoken Russian, 'нету' is frequently used as a short answer to questions about possession.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'нету' in formal writing.

    В данном отчёте нету ошибок.
    В данном отчёте нет ошибок.

    'Нету' is colloquial. In a business report or essay, use 'нет'.

  • Using 'нету' as a general negative particle.

    — Ты пойдёшь в кино? — Нету.
    — Ты пойдёшь в кино? — Нет.

    You cannot use 'нету' to say 'No' to a verb-based question. It only negates the existence or possession of things.

  • Using the Nominative case after 'нету'.

    У меня нету время.
    У меня нету времени.

    Even though 'нету' is informal, it still follows the grammatical rule of requiring the Genitive case.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

нет / нетуLevel 4Standard Нет Versus Colloquial Нету

Learn This First

To understand the colloquial form 'нету', a learner must first be familiar with the standard existential negation 'нет' and its requirement for the genitive case. The pattern 'нету' is simply a non-standard, informal variation of the standard 'нет' used to indicate the absence of something.

Words in This Pattern

нету