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Я не стану тебя слушаться.

As I understand it, when "не" directly qualifies the verb "стать", the phrase expresses a determined refusal to do something: "not going to do / not about to do".

{vs}: Мы с тобой обручились, но это не значит, что я стану тебя слушаться.

But what about when "не" qualifies the verb "значит" in the main clause, as shown above? Is a strong negation still perceived? Or is it more like a lighter-in-tone, partial negation:

..., but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to ...?

2 Answers 2

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As a native speaker, I would say that не значит here leaves a certain degree of uncertainty, suggesting an intention not to obey (depending on the actual conditions) rather than strict refusal to obey.

As a comment aside, I find the use of стать, стану slightly outdated in your examples. In your first example, it would be slightly more natural to hear a simpler

Я не буду тебя слушаться.

In the second example, the outdated verb обручиться also hints that the phrase refers to the language before the 1917 revolution, rather than to its modern state.

As a non-linguist, I would guess that it is more common nowadays to come across стать with the meaning to become rather than the refusal you are talking about:

Мне никогда не стать таким знаменитым, как Александр Столетов.

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  • Hi. How does "Я не собираюсь ..." compare to "Я не стану ..."? Mar 27, 2018 at 1:06
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    @Alone-zee They differ by the degree of certainty. Я не собираюсь can be translated as I am not going to, while я не стану is rather I won't.
    – Dr_Zaszuś
    Mar 30, 2018 at 8:52
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Это не значит, = It doesn't mean что я стану тебя слушаться. = that I will start doing whatever you tell me.

Слушаться means listen and do as told. It's what parents often demand of their children: Слушайся папу! = Listen to your dad! (and do what he tells you)

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