hocikto / ktokoľvek

Anyone at All

Level 4

Add hoci- to the front or -koľvek to the end of a question word to mean "any ... at all": hocikto / ktokoľvek (anyone), hocičo / čokoľvek (anything), hocikde / kdekoľvek (anywhere), hocikedy / kedykoľvek (any time).

How It Works

Two ways to build them. Start with a question word from kto and čo or kde, kedy and ako and add hoci- or -koľvek. Both are written as one word:

  • hocikto / ktokoľvek — anyone at all
  • hocičo / čokoľvek — anything at all
  • hocikde / kdekoľvek — anywhere; hocikam / kamkoľvek — to anywhere
  • hocikedy / kedykoľvek — any time
  • hocijaký / akýkoľvek — any kind of; hociktorý / ktorýkoľvek — any one of them
  • hocijako / akokoľvek — in any way

Which one to pick. The two sets mean the same. The hoci- forms are more common in everyday speech; the -koľvek forms sound a bit more neutral or written.

Case endings go inside. Only the question-word part changes: hocikto → hocikoho, hocikomu; ktokoľvek → kohokoľvek, komukoľvek; akýkoľvek → akéhokoľvek, akúkoľvek.

Not the same as niekto or nikto. Niekto is "someone" (a person exists, you just do not say who), while hocikto stresses that any person would do; see niekto and niečo. In a negative sentence, "not ... anyone" is nikto with a negative verb: Nevidel som nikoho (see double negation). With a negative verb, hocikto means "not just anyone": Nepožičiam to hocikomu (I won't lend it to just anyone).

In clauses. These words also start clauses meaning "whoever, whatever, wherever": Čokoľvek sa stane, som s tebou. For "no matter how", see nech ... akokoľvek.

Examples (6)

  1. Opýtaj sa hocikoho, každý ti poradí.

    Ask anyone; everyone will give you advice.

    Word by Word: Ask yourself anyone(gen.), everyone you will-advise.

  2. Môžeš mi zavolať kedykoľvek.

    You can call me any time.

    Word by Word: You-can me call any-time.

  3. Toto zvládne hocikto.

    Anyone can manage this.

    Word by Word: This will-manage anyone.

  4. Vyber si ktorúkoľvek knihu.

    Choose any book you like.

    Word by Word: Choose yourself any(acc. f.) book.

    Ktorýkoľvek agrees with kniha: ktorúkoľvek knihu.

  5. Čokoľvek sa stane, som s tebou.

    Whatever happens, I am with you.

    Word by Word: Whatever happens, I-am with you.

  6. Nepožičiam to hocikomu.

    I won't lend it to just anyone.

    Word by Word: Not-I-will-lend it to-anyone.

    With a negative verb, hocikto means "just anyone".

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the word in the nominative after a verb that needs another case.

    Opýtaj sa ktokoľvek.
    Opýtaj sa kohokoľvek.

    Opýtať sa takes the genitive, so the kto part changes: kohokoľvek, hocikoho.

  • Using -koľvek for a plain "not anyone".

    Nevidel som kohokoľvek.
    Nevidel som nikoho.

    To say you saw no one, Slovak uses nikto with the negative verb. Nevidel som kohokoľvek sounds like "I didn't see just anybody", which is not what you meant.

  • Writing hoci- as a separate word.

    To vie hoci kto.
    To vie hocikto.

    Hoci- is part of the word: hocikto, hocičo, hocikde. On its own, hoci is the conjunction "although".

How It Connects

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

hocikto / ktokoľvekLevel 4Anyone at All

Learn This First

Before Anyone at All, learn Someone, Something, Somewhere. hocikto and ktokoľvek are built like niekto.

Words in This Pattern

hociktoktokoľvekhocičočokoľvekkdekoľvek