nekāds

No Kind of: Nekāds

Level 3

Nekāds (no kind of, not any) goes before a noun and agrees with it: nekāds, nekāda, nekādi, nekādas. The verb stays negative as well: Man nav nekādu problēmu (I have no problems at all).

How It Works

1. Two negatives are normal. English says I don't see any reason. Latvian negates both the verb and the word: Es neredzu nekādu iemeslu. Nekāds is often the Latvian for English any in a negative sentence.

2. Endings. Nekāds declines like the question word kāds: nekāds, nekāda, nekādi, nekādas; genitive nekāda, nekādas, plural nekādu; accusative nekādu, plural nekādus, nekādas; locative nekādā.

3. Which case?

  • There is no / I have no: genitive. Man nav nekādas idejas (I have no idea at all). Šodien nav nekādu jaunumu (There is no news at all today).
  • An object: accusative. Viņš nepieļāva nekādu kļūdu (He did not make any mistakes). In older or bookish Latvian you may also see the genitive here: neredzu nekāda iemesla. The accusative is the usual choice today.
  • Something is not something: nominative. Tas nav nekāds noslēpums (That is no secret). Tas nav nekāds joks (That is no joke).

4. Useful phrases. nekādā gadījumā (under no circumstances) and nekādā ziņā (in no way): Nekādā gadījumā neatver šīs durvis! (Do not open this door under any circumstances!) The adverb nekādi means in no way: Es nekādi nevarēju atcerēties viņa vārdu (I just could not remember his name).

5. Nekāds or neviens? Neviens counts: not a single one, nobody. Nekāds is about kind or quality: no ... of any sort. Compare Te nav neviena cilvēka (There is not a single person here) with Tas nav nekāds joks (That is no joke at all).

Examples (5)

  1. Man nav nekādu problēmu.

    I have no problems at all.

    After nav meaning there is no, the noun and nekāds are genitive plural.

  2. Es neredzu nekādu iemeslu uztraukties.

    I do not see any reason to worry.

    Iemeslu is the object, so nekāds is accusative: nekādu. The verb is negated too.

  3. Tas nav nekāds noslēpums.

    That is no secret.

    Here nav means is not, so noslēpums and nekāds stay in the nominative.

  4. Šodien nav nekādu jaunumu.

    There is no news at all today.

    Jaunumi (news) is plural, so the genitive plural is jaunumu.

  5. Nekādā gadījumā neatver šīs durvis!

    Do not open this door under any circumstances!

    Nekādā gadījumā is a set phrase in the locative. The command is negated as well.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a positive verb with nekāds, as in English "I have no problems".

    Man ir nekādu problēmu.
    Man nav nekādu problēmu.

    Nekāds needs a negated verb in the same clause, so ir becomes nav.

  • Leaving nekāds and its noun in the nominative when they are the object.

    Es neredzu nekāds iemesls.
    Es neredzu nekādu iemeslu.

    Iemesls is the object of neredzu, so both words take the accusative: nekādu iemeslu.

How It Connects

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

nekādsLevel 3No Kind of: Nekāds

Learn This First

Nekāds is the negative of kāds.

Words in This Pattern

nekādsnekādu