никој / ништо / никогаш + не

Double Negation

Level 2Sounds Like nikoǰ; ništo; nikogaš + ne

In Macedonian, two negatives do not cancel out. Words like никој (nobody) and ништо (nothing) need не before the verb: Никој не дојде. (Nobody came.)

How It Works

English says I know nothing or I don't know anything. Macedonian says both halves: Не знам ништо, literally I don't know nothing. This is standard, correct Macedonian.

The negative words:

  • никој — nobody (object form никого, to nobody никому)
  • ништо — nothing
  • никаде — nowhere
  • никогаш — never
  • ниеден, ниедна, ниедно — not a single, no

Where не goes: directly before the verb, as always (see не + глагол). The negative word can come before or after:

  • Никој не дојде. — Nobody came.
  • Не видов никого. — I didn't see anyone.
  • Никогаш не доцнам. — I'm never late.

With нема: нема already contains the negation, so no extra не is needed: Нема никој дома. (There's nobody home.) See има; нема за постоење.

Short answers: with no verb, the negative word stands alone: Што купи? — Ништо.

For the positive words someone and something, see некој; нешто; некаде; некогаш.

Examples (6)

  1. Никој не дојде.

    Nobody came.

    Word by Word: Nobody not came.

  2. Не знам ништо.

    I don't know anything.

    Word by Word: Not I-know nothing.

  3. Никогаш не пијам кафе навечер.

    I never drink coffee in the evening.

    Word by Word: Never not I-drink coffee in-the-evening.

  4. Денес не одам никаде.

    I'm not going anywhere today.

    Word by Word: Today not I-go nowhere.

  5. Нема никој дома.

    There's nobody home.

    Word by Word: There-is-not nobody at-home.

    Нема is already negative, so it needs no не.

  6. Не видов никого.

    I didn't see anyone.

    Word by Word: Not I-saw nobody.

    Никого is the object form of никој.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out не because the sentence already has a negative word.

    Никој дојде.
    Никој не дојде.

    In Macedonian the negative word and не go together. Without не the sentence is incomplete.

  • Leaving out не after никогаш.

    Никогаш пијам кафе.
    Никогаш не пијам кафе.

    Никогаш works like the other negative words: the verb still needs не.

How It Connects

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никој / ништо / никогаш + неLevel 2Double Negation

Learn This First

Double negation combines не and question words.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

никаде