niekto / niečo / niekde

Someone, Something, Somewhere

Level 2

Niekto volal. Chceš niečo? Je to niekde tu. Máš nejaké otázky?

How It Works

Put nie- in front of a question word, and you get a word for someone or something you do not name:

  • kto → niekto (someone)
  • čo → niečo (something)
  • kde → niekde (somewhere)
  • kam → niekam (to somewhere)
  • kedy → niekedy (sometimes, at some time)
  • koľko → niekoľko (several, a few)
  • aký → nejaký (some, any, some kind of)

Watch the spelling: niekto, niečo and niekde have ie, but nejaký has only e.

Cases. Niekto and niečo change just like kto and čo: Hľadám niekoho. (I am looking for someone.) Hovoril s niekým. (He was talking to someone.) Nejaký changes like pekný: Máš nejakú otázku? (Do you have a question?)

In the past tense, niekto takes a masculine verb and niečo a neuter one: Niekto volal. (Someone called.) Niečo sa stalo. (Something happened.)

Any in questions. English often says any in questions, and Slovak uses the nie- words there: Chceš niečo? (Do you want anything?) Máte nejaké otázky? (Do you have any questions?)

After niečo, an adjective takes the neuter form: niečo nové (something new), niečo dobré (something good).

In negative sentences, use the ni- words instead: Nikoho nepoznám. (I do not know anybody.)

Examples (6)

  1. Niekto volal.

    Someone called.

    Niekto takes a masculine past verb.

  2. Chceš niečo na pitie?

    Do you want something to drink?

    In questions, niečo covers something and anything.

  3. Moje kľúče sú niekde tu.

    My keys are somewhere here.

  4. Máte nejaké otázky?

    Do you have any questions?

    Nejaký is spelled with ne- and agrees with otázky.

  5. Hľadám niekoho, kto hovorí po anglicky.

    I'm looking for someone who speaks English.

    Niekto is the object of hľadám, so it becomes niekoho.

  6. Stalo sa niečo?

    Has something happened?

    Niečo takes a neuter past verb: stalo sa.

Common Mistakes

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

    Hľadám niekto.
    Hľadám niekoho.

    Niekto changes like kto. As the object of hľadať, it must be niekoho.

  • Spelling nejaký with ie.

    Máš niejaký plán?
    Máš nejaký plán?

    Niekto, niečo and niekde have ie, but nejaký is written with e only.

  • Using niekto with a negative verb when you mean that nobody came.

    Niekto neprišiel.
    Nikto neprišiel.

    Niekto neprišiel means someone did not come. To say nobody came, use nikto.

How It Connects

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

niekto / niečo / niekdeLevel 2Someone, Something, Somewhere

Learn This First

Before Someone, Something, Somewhere, learn Where, When, How and Why. niekto, niečo and niekde are formed from question words.

Words in This Pattern

niektoniečoniekdenejakýnie-