nokkur / neinn
Any in Questions and Negatives
Áttu nokkra peninga? (Do you have any money?) Nei, ég á ekki neina peninga. (No, I don't have any money.)
How It Works
nokkur in questions. In a question, nokkur means any: Er nokkur heima? (Is anyone home?) Áttu nokkra peninga? In a plain statement, its plural means some or a few: Ég á nokkrar bækur á íslensku. The neuter nokkuð means anything: Viltu nokkuð meira? (Would you like anything more?)
neinn after a negative. neinn also means any, but it needs a negative word before it, such as ekki or aldrei: Ég sá ekki neinn (I didn't see anyone). Hann sagði ekki neitt (He didn't say anything). Ég hef aldrei séð neitt svona (I have never seen anything like this).
Not a double negative. In English, I didn't see nobody is nonstandard. Icelandic ekki neinn is correct, because neinn is not negative by itself. It simply means any. So ekki neinn and enginn say the same thing. What you must not do is join two negative words: ekki engan is wrong.
Forms. neinn declines like einn (one): neinn, neinn, neinum, neins; feminine nein, neina, neinni, neinnar; neuter neitt, neitt, neinu, neins. nokkur has masculine nokkurn, nokkrum, nokkurs, feminine nokkra, nokkurri, nokkurrar, and neuter nokkurt (with a noun) or nokkuð (alone). Plural: nokkrir, nokkrar, nokkur.
Extra strong. ekki nokkur means not a single one: Það var ekki nokkur maður á götunni (There wasn't a single person on the street).
Examples (6)
- Er nokkur heima?
Is anyone home?
Word by Word: Is anyone home?
- Áttu nokkra peninga?
Do you have any money?
Word by Word: Own-you any moneys?
peningar is plural and the object of eiga, so nokkur becomes nokkra.
- Ég sá ekki neinn í garðinum.
I didn't see anyone in the garden.
Word by Word: I saw not anyone in the-garden.
- Hann sagði ekki neitt allt kvöldið.
He didn't say anything all evening.
Word by Word: He said not anything all the-evening.
neitt is the neuter: anything.
- Ég hef aldrei séð neitt svona.
I have never seen anything like this.
Word by Word: I have never seen anything so.
- Ég á nokkrar bækur á íslensku.
I have a few books in Icelandic.
Word by Word: I own some books in Icelandic.
In a statement, the plural of nokkur means some or a few.
Common Mistakes
Using neinn without a negative word.
Ég sá neinn í búðinni.Ég sá einhvern í búðinni.neinn needs a negative word before it. In a positive statement, say einhver (someone).
Joining two negative words.
Ég sá ekki engan.Ég sá ekki neinn.enginn is already negative, so it cannot follow ekki. Say ekki neinn or simply engan: Ég sá engan.
Leaving nokkur in the nominative.
Áttu nokkrir peningar?Áttu nokkra peninga?peninga is the object of eiga, so it is accusative, and nokkur agrees with it: nokkra.
How It Connects
Learn This First
nokkur builds on einhver.
Related Patterns
- enginn / ekkertNo, Nobody and Nothing
ekki neinn means the same as enginn: Ég sá engan.
Level 2 - ekkiNot (Ekki)
The negative word that most often comes before neinn.
Level 1 - alltaf / oft / aldreiFrequency Words
aldrei is negative too, so neinn can follow it.
Level 2 - alls staðar / hvergiEverywhere and Nowhere
Place words built the same way: nokkurs staðar (anywhere), ekki neins staðar (nowhere).
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice nokkur / neinn in Bubblegum
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