askush / asgjë

Negative Pronouns: 'Askush'

Level 2

Albanian uses negative concord, meaning negative pronouns like askush (no one) and asgjë (nothing) must be used with a negative particle like nuk or s'.

How It Works

Negative pronouns in Albanian are used for total negation. In Standard Albanian, these pronouns must be paired with a negative word (nuk, s', mos, or pa before a participle), a rule known as double negation.

1. Askush (No one / Nobody)
This pronoun is used only for people. It declines based on its role in the sentence, similar to the question word kush:

  • Nominative: askush (subject)
  • Accusative: askënd (direct object)
  • Dative/Genitive/Ablative: askujt (to/of/from no one)

2. Asgjë (Nothing)
This pronoun is used for objects or abstract concepts. While often used in its base form, it does decline in oblique cases:

  • Nominative/Accusative: asgjë
  • Dative/Genitive/Ablative: asgjëje

3. Syntactic Rules
These pronouns are always paired with the negative particles nuk or s' in indicative sentences. If the sentence is in the subjunctive mood or is an imperative, the particle mos is used instead.

Examples (5)

  1. Askush nuk erdhi në festë.

    No one came to the party.

    Word by Word: No-one not came to party.

    Notice the use of 'nuk' even though 'askush' is already negative.

  2. Nuk bleva asgjë sot.

    I didn't buy anything today.

    Word by Word: Not I-bought nothing today.

    'Asgjë' functions as 'nothing', but in English we translate it as 'anything' to avoid a double negative.

  3. S'e pashë askënd.

    I didn't see anyone.

    Word by Word: Not-him I-saw no-one.

    Here, 'askënd' is the accusative form of 'askush' because it is the direct object. The clitic 'e' is used to match the singular object.

  4. Mos i trego askujt!

    Don't tell anyone!

    Word by Word: Don't to-him tell no-one!

    In an imperative sentence, 'mos' is used for negation, and 'askujt' is the dative form (to no one).

  5. Asgjë nuk është e pamundur.

    Nothing is impossible.

    Word by Word: Nothing not is the impossible.

    Even when 'asgjë' is the subject at the start of the sentence, 'nuk' is still required.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the negative particle 'nuk' or 's''.

    Askush erdhi.
    Askush nuk erdhi.

    In Albanian, negative pronouns cannot negate a verb on their own; the verb must also be explicitly negated.

  • Using the wrong case for 'askush'.

    S'i fola askush.
    S'i fola askujt.

    The verb 'flas' (to speak) requires the dative case. You must use 'askujt' instead of the nominative 'askush'.

  • Using 'jo' to negate the verb.

    Askush jo erdhi.
    Askush nuk erdhi.

    'Jo' is used for 'no' or to negate nouns/adjectives. Verbs must be negated with 'nuk' or 's''.

How It Connects

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askush / asgjëLevel 2Negative Pronouns: 'Askush'

Learn This First

To learn negative pronouns like 'askush' (no one) and 'asgjë' (nothing), you must first understand how to form basic negative sentences in Albanian using 'nuk'. Crucially, Albanian uses double negation (e.g., 'Nuk erdhi askush' - literally 'Not came no one'). Additionally, since these pronouns are derived from question words like 'kush' (who) and 'gjë' (thing) and function as nouns in a sentence, familiarity with interrogatives and basic case usage is necessary.

Words in This Pattern

askush