не́ о чем vs ни о чём

ne o chem vs ni o chyom — nothing to talk/think about vs about nothing

What it really means

Не́ о чем is the stressed не- form meaning that there is no topic, object, or matter available for an intended thought or conversation. It commonly takes an infinitive: нам не́ о чем говорить means “we have nothing to talk about.” The preposition is written separately and no extra не is required.

Ни о чём means “about nothing” in a negative-concord clause: мы ни о чём не договорились, “we agreed about nothing.” The preposition remains between ни and the pronoun. Use не́ о чем for a missing subject of discussion or thought; use ни о чём when denying an actual discussion, agreement, or thought about any matter.

Examples in natural speech

Нам не́ о чем спорить.
There is nothing for us to argue about.
Ему не́ о чем беспокоиться.
He has nothing to worry about.
Мы ни о чём не договорились.
We agreed on nothing.
Она ни о чём не спрашивала.
She asked about nothing.
Я ни о чём не жалею.
I regret nothing.

Common mistakes

Do not fuse the phrase into неочем or move не after the preposition. Не́ о чем говорить means there is no topic to discuss; ни о чём не говорили means nobody discussed anything. Keep не́ о чем with an infinitive and ни о чём with negative concord.

Memory tip

Не́ о чем leaves no topic to open; ни о чём closes every topic in a real event.

Frequently asked questions

Is не́ о чем always followed by an infinitive?

It very often is—не́ о чем говорить, думать, or спорить—but context can leave the infinitive understood.

Why is ни о чём written as three words?

The preposition о stays separate, and ни precedes the declined pronoun: ни о чём.

Does о require a special form here?

Yes. The pronoun takes the prepositional form чём: не́ о чем and ни о чём.

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