ima / nema

There Is and There Is Not

Level 1

Ima says that something exists, and nema says that it is missing. They do not change for singular or plural.

How It Works

Two short words do a lot of work in Bosnian. Ima says something is there, and nema says it is not.

They are not the same as imam (I have). They are the third person singular of imati and nemati, used for "there is".

  • Ima kafe. There is coffee.
  • Nema kafe. There is no coffee.
  • Ima ljudi. There are people.

The verb does not change with the number of things. After nema the noun is nearly always in the genitive (kafa, kafe; problem, problema). After ima you will hear the genitive for an amount or a mass (ima kafe, ima ćevapa), and the nominative when you point at one specific thing.

To ask, use Da li ima: Da li ima hljeba? Is there any bread? A short answer is Ima or Nema.

Examples (5)

  1. Ima kafe.

    There is coffee.

    Kafe is the genitive of kafa.

  2. Nema problema.

    No problem.

    Problema is the genitive after nema.

  3. Da li ima hljeba?

    Is there any bread?

    Ima stays the same in a question.

  4. Ovdje ima ćevapa.

    There are ćevapi here.

    Ima works for a plural thing too.

  5. Večeras nema struje.

    There is no electricity tonight.

    Struje is the genitive of struja.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the noun in the nominative after nema.

    Nema kafa.
    Nema kafe.

    The thing that is missing goes into the genitive.

  • Using nemam where you mean there is none.

    Nemam kafe u kafani.
    Nema kafe u kafani.

    Nemam means I do not have. Nema says there is none.

How It Connects

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

ima / nemaLevel 1There Is and There Is Not

Learn This First

Ima and nema use imati.

Words in This Pattern

imatinemati