neki / nekoliko

Some and a Few

Level 3

Neki, neka, neko agree with the noun; nekoliko means "a few" and takes the genitive plural.

How It Works

Use neki for an unknown or unnamed one: "some" or "a certain".

GenderFormExample
masculinenekineki čovjek
femininenekaneka žena
neuternekoneko selo
pluralneki, neke, nekaneke žene

Watch out: neko also stands alone as a pronoun meaning "somebody" (Neko zvoni.). With a neuter noun it is an adjective, neko selo.

Nekoliko means "several" or "a few" and never changes. The noun after it is in the genitive plural: nekoliko prijatelja, nekoliko kuća.

Compare with mnogo (many) and malo (few): they also take the genitive, mnogo prijatelja.

Examples (4)

  1. Neka žena pita za put.

    A woman asks for directions.

    Neka agrees with the feminine žena.

  2. Prošli smo kroz neko malo selo.

    We passed through some little village.

    Neko agrees with the neuter selo.

  3. Imam nekoliko pitanja.

    I have a few questions.

    Nekoliko takes the genitive plural.

  4. U avliji je nekoliko mačaka.

    There are a few cats in the yard.

    Mačaka is the genitive plural.

Common Mistakes

  • Learners leave the noun after nekoliko in the nominative plural.

    nekoliko prijatelji
    nekoliko prijatelja

    Nekoliko needs the genitive plural.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

neki / nekolikoLevel 3Some and a Few

Learn This First

Neki and nekoliko mean some.

Words in This Pattern

nekinekoliko