некој / нешто / некаде / некогаш

Someone Something and Somewhere

Level 2Sounds Like nekoǰ; nešto; nekade; nekogaš

Add не- to a question word to make a some- word: кој → некој (someone), што → нешто (something), каде → некаде (somewhere), кога → некогаш (once, sometime).

How It Works

Most of these words are the question words (see кој; што; каде; кога; како; зошто; колку) with не- in front:

  • некој — someone: Некој те бара. (Someone is looking for you.)
  • нешто — something: Сакам нешто да ти кажам.
  • некаде — somewhere: Ги оставив клучевите некаде.
  • некогаш — once, at some time, or sometimes: Некогаш живеев во Охрид. (I once lived in Ohrid.)
  • некако — somehow

Некој as an adjective: before a noun it means some or a certain and agrees in gender and number: некој човек, некоја книга, некое село, некои луѓе. When it stands for a person as the object, its form is некого: Чекам некого. (I'm waiting for someone.)

In questions these words mean anyone or anything: Дали некој зборува англиски? (Does anyone speak English?)

In negative sentences use the ни- words instead: Не знам ништо. (I don't know anything.) See никој; ништо; никогаш + не.

Someone else, something else: add друг: некој друг, нешто друго (see уште еден; друг).

Examples (6)

  1. Некој те бара.

    Someone is looking for you.

    Word by Word: Someone you seeks.

  2. Сакам нешто да ти кажам.

    I want to tell you something.

    Word by Word: I-want something that to-you I-tell.

  3. Ги оставив клучевите некаде.

    I left my keys somewhere.

    Word by Word: Them I-left the-keys somewhere.

  4. Некогаш живеев во Охрид.

    I once lived in Ohrid.

    Word by Word: Once I-lived in Ohrid.

  5. Дали некој зборува англиски?

    Does anyone speak English?

    Word by Word: Whether someone speaks English?

    In questions, некој means anyone.

  6. Ајде да одиме некаде за викенд.

    Let's go somewhere for the weekend.

    Word by Word: Come-on that we-go somewhere for weekend.

Common Mistakes

  • Using никој where you mean someone.

    Никој те бара.
    Некој те бара.

    Никој means nobody and needs не. For someone, use некој.

  • Using нешто in a negative sentence to mean anything.

    Не знам нешто.
    Не знам ништо.

    To say I don't know anything, use ништо. Не знам нешто means there is one particular thing you don't know.

  • Leaving некој in the masculine before a feminine noun.

    Читам некој книга.
    Читам некоја книга.

    Before a noun, некој agrees like an adjective: некој човек, некоја книга, некое село.

How It Connects

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

некој / нешто / некаде / некогашLevel 2Someone Something and Somewhere

Learn This First

Indefinite words follow the negative words.

Words in This Pattern

некаде