3

Which of these sentences is the correct one?

I still not speak Russian

I still don't speak Russian?

Even though normally I know that verbs that describe usual or routine things get the structure of present simple, in this case(?) I have doubt that when using "still" it is like a "modal verb", but I'm not sure.

Improve this question
2
  • Still is not a modal verb. It is an adverb. "Don't" is a modal verb in this sentence and "speak" is the actual verb. "Still" describes "don't speak" to clarify that you are, at the present and also to some point in the past, not able to speak Russian.
    – Crazy Eyes
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 19:52
  • No, don't is not a modal verb. It's an auxiliary, though, which is what's important here.
    – user230
    Commented Oct 23, 2015 at 23:57

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
6

Negative phrases are most commonly formed with the auxiliary verb "do" in the negative: "do not <verb>". Since 'speak' is the verb that you want to use, it needs to be preceded by "do not" (or "don't"), regardless of the other qualifiers like "still".

I still don't speak Russian.

(BTW, while it likely means you are unable to speak Russian, it can also mean that you are unwilling to speak it)

There are cases when a verb can be followed by "not" to make a negative, but those are few. For instance, "know" can be followed by "not":

I know not what to do.

but it's mostly artistic, bookish way of saying "I don't know..."

Improve this answer
7
  • 1
    I know not is a quote from Shakespeare. Don't get confused, it isn't in anyway in modern use
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 0:02
  • 1
    It is not necessarily just from Shakespeare. "I shot an arrow into the air, it fell to earth, I knew not where..."
    – Victor Bazarov
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 11:58
  • Maybe I'm confusing my writers. Either way, anyone that uses it is probably referencing literary work
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 15:35
  • Though this answer is not incorrect, it's potentially misleading, imho. A quick glance through your answer made me think that you recommend saying "I know not what to do" rather than "I don't know what to do".
    – Damkerng T.
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 16:29
  • 1
    @VictorBazarov I +1! :-)
    – Damkerng T.
    Commented Oct 1, 2015 at 17:37

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .