nekas / neviens / nekur / nekad
Nobody, Nothing and Never
Latvian says no twice: Es neko nezinu. (I don't know anything.) Neviens nenāca. (Nobody came.)
How It Works
The four words.
- nekas: nothing. Nekas nenotika. (Nothing happened.)
- neviens / neviena: nobody, not a single one. Neviens nezina. (Nobody knows.)
- nekur: nowhere. Es nekur neeju. (I'm not going anywhere.)
- nekad: never. Viņa nekad neēd gaļu. (She never eats meat.)
Two negatives. In English one negative is enough: I know nothing or I don't know anything. In Latvian both the negative word and the verb are negative: Es neko nezinu. See negating a verb.
Case forms. Nekas changes like kas: nekas (subject), neko (object), nekā (of nothing), nekam (to nothing). Neviens changes like an adjective and agrees in gender: Es nevienu neredzu. (I don't see anybody.) Neviena no viņām nenāca. (None of the women came.) Nekur and nekad never change.
Short answers. Without a verb, the negative word stands alone: Kas tur ir? — Nekas. (What's there? — Nothing.) Kurš zvanīja? — Neviens. (Who called? — Nobody.)
Nekas! as comfort. On its own, Nekas! also means never mind or that's all right: Atvainojiet! — Nekas, nekas. (Sorry! — That's all right.)
More negative words. Nekāds means no kind of, and nemaz means not at all.
Examples (6)
- Es neko nezinu.
I don't know anything.
Word by Word: I nothing not-know.
- Neviens nenāca.
Nobody came.
Word by Word: Nobody not-came.
- Es nekad nesmēķēju.
I never smoke.
Word by Word: I never not-smoke.
- Svētdien es nekur neeju.
On Sunday I'm not going anywhere.
Word by Word: On-Sunday I nowhere not-go.
- Es šeit nevienu nepazīstu.
I don't know anybody here.
Word by Word: I here nobody not-know.
Nevienu is the object form of neviens.
- Kas tur ir? — Nekas.
What's there? — Nothing.
In a short answer without a verb, nekas stands alone.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the verb positive.
Es neko zinu.Es neko nezinu.In Latvian the verb is negative too. Put ne- on the verb: nezinu.
Using the subject form nekas as the object.
Es nekas nezinu.Es neko nezinu.Nekas is the subject form. As the object, it becomes neko, just as kas becomes ko.
Translating not … anything word for word.
Es nezinu kaut ko.Es neko nezinu.Kaut ko means something, so this says there is something you don't know. For not … anything, use neko with the negated verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Negative words use double negation.
- ne- + VerbNegating a Verb with Ne-
The verb is negated with ne- too.
Level 1 - ko / kam / kāCase Forms of Kas
Nekas follows kas: neko, nekā and nekam; neviens follows a different, adjective-like pattern.
Level 2 - Adjective Agreement
Neviens and neviena agree in gender and change case like an adjective, as in nevienu.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- nekādsNo Kind of: Nekāds
Another negative word: no kind of.
Level 3 - nemazNot at All: Nemaz
Not at all, which also goes with a negated verb.
Level 3 - vairs / vēl neNo Longer and Not Yet
Other words that go with a negated verb.
Level 2 - kāds / kaut kasSomeone and Something
The positive words: someone and something.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice nekas / neviens / nekur / nekad in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Latvian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
