kur nu vēl

Let Alone: Kur Nu Vēl

Level 6

Kur nu vēl means let alone. First say what is not possible, then add something even harder: Es nevaru nopirkt vienu, kur nu vēl divus. (I cannot buy one, let alone two.)

How It Works

1. Let alone. Say what does not happen, then add something even less likely:

  • Es nevaru nopirkt vienu, kur nu vēl divus. (I cannot buy one, let alone two.)
  • Viņš netiek galā ar vienu bērnu, kur nu vēl ar trim. (He cannot cope with one child, let alone three.)

2. The same form. The added word takes the same case as the word it matches:

  • Tur nav pat veikala, kur nu vēl kafejnīcas. (There is not even a shop there, let alone a café.) Both are genitive after nav.
  • Viņa nav bijusi pat Rīgā, kur nu vēl Parīzē. (She has not even been to Riga, let alone Paris.) Both are locative.

3. Pat in the first part. The first part often has pat (even): nav pat veikala.

4. An exclamation. With a comparative, Kur nu vēl ...! says something could not be more so: Kur nu vēl labāk! (It could not be any better!)

5. Variants. You will also hear kur nu and kur tad vēl. In formal writing, nemaz nerunājot par (not to mention) does a similar job.

Examples (5)

  1. Es nevaru nopirkt vienu, kur nu vēl divus.

    I cannot buy one, let alone two.

    Word by Word: I cannot buy one, where now still two.

  2. Viņš netiek galā ar vienu bērnu, kur nu vēl ar trim.

    He cannot cope with one child, let alone three.

  3. Tur nav pat veikala, kur nu vēl kafejnīcas.

    There is not even a shop there, let alone a café.

    Kafejnīcas is genitive, like veikala, because both depend on nav.

  4. Viņa nav bijusi pat Rīgā, kur nu vēl Parīzē.

    She has not even been to Riga, let alone Paris.

  5. Kur nu vēl labāk!

    It could not be any better!

    With a comparative, kur nu vēl makes an exclamation.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the added word in the nominative.

    Tur nav pat veikala, kur nu vēl kafejnīca.
    Tur nav pat veikala, kur nu vēl kafejnīcas.

    The added word copies the case of the word it matches. After nav, both are genitive.

  • Using kur nu vēl after a positive statement to mean and even.

    Es varu nopirkt vienu, kur nu vēl divus.
    Es varu nopirkt vienu vai pat divus.

    Kur nu vēl belongs after a negative statement: the second thing is even less likely. To add a bigger positive case, use pat: vienu vai pat divus.

How It Connects

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

kur nu vēlLevel 6Let Alone: Kur Nu Vēl

Learn This First

Kur nu vēl means let alone.