Amounts and the Genitive

Level 2

Mnogo, malo and nekoliko combine with genitive forms: mnogo vremena, malo vode and nekoliko knjiga.

How It Works

Nekoliko knjiga means several books, with genitive plural knjiga. Malo vode means a little water, with genitive singular vode. The noun’s meaning and the kind of quantity matter.

Adjectives belong to the same genitive phrase: mnogo dobrih knjiga and malo hladne vode. Do not keep a dictionary-form adjective while changing only the noun.

Quantity words are not interchangeable. Nekoliko normally counts a small unspecified number of separate items. Mnogo describes a large quantity; malo a small one. Predicate agreement with an entire quantity phrase is a further topic.

Examples (4)

  1. Imam nekoliko knjiga.

    I have several books.

    Knjiga is genitive plural.

  2. Trebam malo vode.

    I need a little water.

    Vode is genitive singular.

  3. Nemamo mnogo vremena.

    We do not have much time.

    Vremena names an amount of time.

  4. Čitam mnogo dobrih knjiga.

    I read many good books.

    Dobrih and knjiga both belong to the genitive plural phrase.

How It Connects

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Amounts and the GenitiveLevel 2

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An amount expression selects a genitive complement rather than a plain counted noun.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

mnogomalo