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Is this a TRIPLE negative?


posts: 9
minigolfer
  Feb 18, 08, 10:49  #1

I know Polish uses double negatives. Is this a triple negative? How would you translate the following sentence into English accurately?

"Nie ma niczego na żadnym ze stołów."

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z_darius
  Feb 18, 08, 10:51  #2

There is nothing on any of the tables.

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minigolfer
  Feb 18, 08, 11:15  #3

Thanks for the fast help, Darius! That's what I figured it meant. Would the most literal translation be: "Not having nothing on any of the tables."? Is that the logical idea?

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osiol GOLD MEMBER
  Feb 18, 08, 11:34  #4

I asked about double negatives before.
In English, spoken by a trained and experienced practitioner, one negative can be negated back into a postitive by another negative.
This ain't no case in Polish, or most languages, including most English.
The two negatives work with, not against eachother.

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Michal
  Feb 18, 08, 11:46  #5

minigolfer wrote:
"Nie ma niczego na żadnym ze stołów."

Nie ma nic, na żadnych stołach.

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Bartolome
  Feb 18, 08, 11:52  #6

minigolfer wrote:

"Nie ma niczego na żadnym ze stołów."

Literally it would be 'There is not nothing on none of the tables', IMHO.
And iI don't think it's a 'triple negative'. There's one 'double negative': 'Nie ma niczego' and one 'single negative': 'na zadnym ze stolów' IMHO 2.

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Michal
  Feb 18, 08, 14:22  #7

Africans has a double negative. As for example nie rook nie meaning No smoking.

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minigolfer
  Feb 18, 08, 15:35  #8

Thanks everyone for your help! You are all a great resource for someone learning Polish. Thank you again!

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Ryszard
Edited by: Ryszard  Feb 19, 08, 13:44  #9

Michal wrote:
Nie ma nic, na żadnych stołach.

Excuse me, this is polish forum not a russian one, thank you

minigolfer wrote:
You are all a great resource for someone learning Polish.

Not all, not all...

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