kā nekā
After All: Kā Nekā
Kā nekā means after all. It brings in a fact everyone knows that explains the rest: Kā nekā, viņš ir tavs brālis. (After all, he is your brother.)
How It Works
1. After all. Kā nekā introduces a known fact that makes the other part reasonable:
- Palīdzi viņam, kā nekā jūs esat draugi. (Help him; you are friends, after all.)
- Nav brīnums, ka ir auksti – kā nekā ir janvāris. (No wonder it is cold: it is January, after all.)
2. Not a small thing. Before a number, it stresses that the amount is quite large: Tas nav maz – kā nekā desmit gadi! (That is not little: ten years, after all!)
3. Somehow. In relaxed speech and older texts, kā nekā can also mean somehow or one way or another: Gan jau kā nekā tiksim galā. (We will manage somehow.) See gan jau.
4. Commas. Dictionary examples usually have no comma after kā nekā: Kā nekā ir 21. gadsimts. (It is the 21st century, after all.) You will also see one, as in Kā nekā, viņš ir tavs brālis.
Not than. The nekā here has nothing to do with nekā meaning than. Only the whole phrase kā nekā means after all.
Examples (5)
- Kā nekā, viņš ir tavs brālis.
After all, he is your brother.
Word by Word: How nothing, he is your brother.
- Palīdzi viņam, kā nekā jūs esat draugi.
Help him; you are friends, after all.
- Nav brīnums, ka ir auksti – kā nekā ir janvāris.
No wonder it is cold: it is January, after all.
- Tas nav maz – kā nekā desmit gadi!
That is not little: ten years, after all!
- Gan jau kā nekā tiksim galā.
We will manage somehow.
Here kā nekā has its other meaning: somehow, one way or another.
Common Mistakes
Dropping kā.
Nekā, viņš ir tavs brālis.Kā nekā, viņš ir tavs brālis.Nekā alone means than. Only the whole phrase kā nekā means after all.
Using kā nekā for however.
Lija, kā nekā mēs gājām pastaigāties.Lija, tomēr mēs gājām pastaigāties.The intended meaning is it was raining, but we went anyway. That contrast needs tomēr. Kā nekā gives a reason, not a contrast.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Kā nekā means after all.
Related Patterns
- taču / ganTaču and Gan
Taču inside a clause also reminds the listener of a known fact.
Level 4 - gan jauIt Will Be Fine: Gan Jau
Gan jau kā nekā means it will work out somehow.
Level 5 - joBecause: Jo
Jo (because) gives a reason inside the same sentence; kā nekā presents it as something known.
Level 2 - kā jauAs Expected: Kā Jau
Kā jau (as expected) is another fixed kā phrase that appeals to what is known.
Level 5 - nekā / par in ComparisonsThan: Nekā and Par
Nekā on its own means than.
Level 3
Practice kā nekā in Bubblegum
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