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Module 2 · Lesson 12 of 12 free lessons

Specifying negative answer: "This is not ... but ..."

a — but

To provide specifics on your negative answer, saying "No, it is not something. It is not something, but something else", say Нет, это не something. Э́то, не something, а something else."

Note that the order of statements is irrelevant, so the answer "It is not a farmer but an actress" is completely equal to "This is an actress, not a farmer".

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— Э́то зе́бра?

— Нет, э́то не зе́бра. Э́то, не зе́бра, а кенгуру́.

Is this a zebra? — No, it is not a zebra. It is not a zebra, but a kangaroo.

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— Э́то актри́са?

— Нет, э́то не актри́са. Э́то фе́рмер, а не актри́са.

Is this an actress? — No, this is not an actress. This is a farmer, not an actress.

Give negative answers with specifics as shown in the examples. Click on the image to check yourself. You will see and hear both variants of correct answers.