Relative čo After všetko and niečo

Level 3

Urobím všetko, čo môžem. (I'll do everything I can.) Je tu niečo, čo nevieš. (There's something here you don't know.)

How It Works

Which words take čo

  • všetko, čo (everything that)
  • niečo, čo (something that)
  • nič, čo (nothing that)
  • to, čo (what, the thing that)

The case forms of čo

  • Nominative and accusative: čo
  • Genitive: čoho
  • Dative: čomu
  • Locative: o čom
  • Instrumental: čím

The case comes from the role of čo in its own clause, just as with ktorý: Je to niečo, na čo sa teším. (It's something I'm looking forward to.) Here tešiť sa na needs the accusative, which is čo.

Negatives

With nič, the verb of the main clause is negative too: Nič, čo povieš, ma neprekvapí. (Nothing you say will surprise me.) See Nobody, Nothing and Never.

Commas

Put a comma before čo, and after the clause if the sentence continues.

Related uses

Sentences that start with to, čo or ten, kto are covered in Whoever and Whatever. After ordinary nouns, standard Slovak uses ktorý. Čo there is informal, see Colloquial čo for ktorý.

Examples (6)

  1. Urobím všetko, čo môžem.

    I'll do everything I can.

    Word by Word: I-will-do everything, what I-can.

    After všetko, use čo.

  2. Je tu niečo, čo nevieš.

    There's something here you don't know.

    Čo is the object of nevieš.

  3. To je všetko, čo potrebujem.

    That's all I need.

    A very common phrase.

  4. Nič, čo povieš, ma neprekvapí.

    Nothing you say will surprise me.

    Nič goes with a negative verb: neprekvapí.

  5. Je to niečo, na čo sa veľmi teším.

    It's something I'm really looking forward to.

    Tešiť sa na takes the accusative, and the preposition comes before čo.

  6. Povedz mi niečo, o čom neviem.

    Tell me something I don't know about.

    Vedieť o takes the locative: o čom.

Common Mistakes

  • Using ktorý after všetko or niečo.

    Urobím všetko, ktoré môžem.
    Urobím všetko, čo môžem.

    Všetko, niečo, nič and to are followed by čo, not ktorý.

  • Using the wrong case after a preposition.

    Je to niečo, na čom sa teším.
    Je to niečo, na čo sa teším.

    The verb tešiť sa na needs the accusative, and the accusative of čo is čo. Na čom is locative and belongs to other verbs.

How It Connects

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

Relative čo After všetko and niečoLevel 3

Learn This First

Before Relative čo After všetko and niečo, learn Relative Pronoun ktorý and Someone, Something, Somewhere. Relative čo is an alternative to ktorý after certain words. It follows words like niečo and všetko.

Words in This Pattern

niečoničvšetok