не́когда vs никогда́
nekogda vs nikogda — no time to vs never
Register: neutral
What it really means
Не́когда, with stress on не, means “there is no time” or “someone has no time to do something.” It is an existential absence form and usually precedes an infinitive: мне не́когда разговаривать means “I have no time to talk.” This is different from unstressed некогда́ in the literary sense “once/formerly.”
Никогда́ means “never,” denying every relevant time. It normally appears with negative concord: я никогда́ не опаздываю means “I am never late.” Thus не́когда says that time is unavailable now, while никогда́ says that an event does not happen at any time.
Examples in natural speech
Мне не́когда отвечать на письма.
I have no time to answer emails.
Ему не́когда отдыхать.
He has no time to rest.
Я никогда́ не забуду этот день.
I will never forget this day.
Она никогда́ не пьёт кофе вечером.
She never drinks coffee in the evening.
Мы никогда́ не встречались раньше.
We had never met before.
Common mistakes
Do not confuse stressed не́когда (“no time”) with никогда́ (“never”), and do not confuse either with literary некогда́ (“once”). Не́когда + infinitive normally needs no extra не; никогда́ normally does.
Memory tip
Не́когда looks at the clock and finds no time; никогда́ scans all time and finds no occasion.
Frequently asked questions
Why does не́когда have no negative verb?
The word itself says that time is unavailable: мне не́когда читать.
Is никогда́ always used with не?
In a normal finite clause, yes: никогда́ не видел. It can answer a question by itself: Никогда́.
What does unstressed некогда́ mean?
It is a literary or formal word meaning “once” or “formerly,” as in некогда́ здесь стоял театр.
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