Genitive After Negation

Level 6

In older and literary Slovak, a negated verb can take the genitive instead of the accusative or the nominative. It makes the negation stronger: not even one, none at all.

How It Works

Genitive instead of the accusative. After a negated verb, the object can go into the genitive to deny it completely:

  • Nepovedal ani slova. (He didn't say a single word.)
  • Neuverili mi ani slova. (They didn't believe a word I said.)
  • Vrana vrane oka nevykole. (A proverb: one crow won't peck out another crow's eye.)

Genitive instead of the subject. With verbs of being, remaining and coming, such as byť, ostať, prísť, the subject can go into the genitive. The verb is then neuter singular:

  • Nebolo tam ani živej duše. (There wasn't a living soul there.)
  • Neostalo po nich ani stopy. (Not a trace of them remained.)

This is the same construction as niet + genitive: Niet tu nikoho.

Today's usage. The Slovak academic morphology describes this genitive as emphatic, and with a specific, ordinary object it sounds old-fashioned. The accusative is normal: Nemám čas. Nevidel som tvoju sestru. The accusative is also correct with ani: Nepovedal ani slovo. The genitive stays common in ani phrases, proverbs and idioms such as nemať ani potuchy (to have no idea at all). Compare the double negation of nikto, nič, nikdy.

Examples (6)

  1. Nebolo tam ani živej duše.

    There wasn't a living soul there.

    Word by Word: Not-was there not-even of-living soul.

    Živej duše is genitive, so the verb is neuter singular nebolo.

  2. Celý večer nepovedal ani slova.

    He didn't say a single word all evening.

    Word by Word: Whole evening he-not-said not-even of-word.

  3. Neuverili mi ani slova.

    They didn't believe a single word I said.

    Word by Word: They-not-believed me not-even of-word.

    A sentence by Tatarka quoted in the academic morphology.

  4. Nemám o tom ani potuchy.

    I have no idea about it at all.

    Word by Word: I-not-have about it not-even of-inkling.

  5. Po zlodejoch neostalo ani stopy.

    Not a trace of the thieves remained.

    Word by Word: After thieves not-remained not-even of-trace.

  6. Vrana vrane oka nevykole.

    Dog does not eat dog.

    Word by Word: Crow to-crow of-eye not-pecks-out.

    A proverb: the genitive oka follows the negated verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a plural verb when the subject is in the genitive.

    Neboli tam ani živej duše.
    Nebolo tam ani živej duše.

    When the subject is in the genitive, the verb is always neuter singular: nebolo.

  • Mixing the genitive verb form with a nominative noun.

    Nebolo tam ani živá duša.
    Nebolo tam ani živej duše.

    Nebolo needs the genitive živej duše. With the nominative, the verb agrees with the feminine noun: Nebola tam ani živá duša.

How It Connects

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

Genitive After NegationLevel 6

Learn This First

Before Genitive After Negation, learn Nobody, Nothing and Never and Genitive Singular Endings. Genitive after negation is used with negated verbs. The object is in the genitive.

Words in This Pattern