nikto / nič / nikdy

Nobody, Nothing and Never

Level 2

Nikto neprišiel, nič nevidím, nikdy tam nechodím: the verb is negative too.

How It Works

  • kto → nikto (nobody)
  • čo → nič (nothing)
  • kde → nikde (nowhere)
  • kam → nikam (to nowhere)
  • kedy → nikdy (never)
  • aký → nijaký (no, not any). Žiadny means the same, and both are standard.

The verb is negative too. In English, one negative is enough: Nobody came. In Slovak, the verb also gets ne-: Nikto neprišiel. Leaving out ne- is a mistake.

You can use several ni- words together, and the meaning stays simply negative: Nikdy nikomu nič nehovorím. (I never tell anybody anything.)

Cases. Nikto and nič change like kto and čo: nikoho, nikomu, nikom, nikým and ničoho, ničomu, ničom, ničím. Nikoho nepoznám. (I do not know anybody.) Nemyslím na nič. (I am not thinking about anything.) A preposition goes in front: s nikým (with nobody), o ničom (about nothing). Žiadny and nijaký change like pekný: Nemám žiadne peniaze. (I do not have any money.)

With byť, use nie je or nie sú: Nikto tu nie je. (Nobody is here.)

A one-word answer needs no verb: Kto tam bol? — Nikto. (Who was there? — Nobody.)

Examples (6)

  1. Nikto neprišiel.

    Nobody came.

    Nikto goes with the negative verb neprišiel.

  2. Nič nevidím.

    I can't see anything.

    Nič and nevidím are both negative.

  3. Nikdy tam nechodím.

    I never go there.

  4. Nemám žiadne peniaze.

    I don't have any money.

    Žiadny agrees with peniaze, like an adjective.

  5. Nikoho tu nepoznám.

    I don't know anybody here.

    Nikto is the object of poznať, so it becomes nikoho.

  6. Nikdy nikomu nič nehovorím.

    I never tell anybody anything.

    Several ni- words and a negative verb still give one negative meaning.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving ne- off the verb.

    Nikto prišiel.
    Nikto neprišiel.

    A ni- word always needs a negative verb in Slovak.

  • Using a positive verb with nikdy.

    Nikdy tam chodím.
    Nikdy tam nechodím.

    Nikdy also needs ne- on the verb.

  • Leaving nikto in the nominative when it is an object.

    Nevidím nikto.
    Nevidím nikoho.

    Nikto changes like kto. As an object, it becomes nikoho.

How It Connects

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nikto / nič / nikdyLevel 2Nobody, Nothing and Never

Learn This First

Before Nobody, Nothing and Never, learn Someone, Something, Somewhere and Negating Verbs With ne-. nikto and nič mirror niekto and niečo. Slovak keeps ne- on the verb with these words.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

niktoničnikdenikdyžiadnynijakýne-