LingoflyNiko ništa ne zna: negation that has to repeat itself
Serbian negation looks simple, and that is exactly why its small rules slip past unnoticed. For example: “Нико (niko) ништа (ništa) није (nije) видео (video) и (i) нико (niko) не (ne) зна (zna) шта (šta) се (se) десило” (desilo) — Nobody saw anything, and nobody knows what happened. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Serbian negation looks simple, and that is exactly why its small rules slip past unnoticed.
First, negation multiplies. Niko ništa ne zna, Nikad nikome nisam rekao. Every negative word drags ne along with the verb, and dropping it is impossible. English forbids that, so the habit has to be built.
Second, ni- is written as one word, but a preposition breaks it apart. Nikome, yet ni od koga, ni s kim, ni o čemu. The preposition climbs inside the word, and the parts then stand separately.
Third, biti, imati and hteti fuse the ne. Not "ne sam" but nisam. Not "ne ima" but nema. Not "ne ću" but neću. Every other verb writes it apart.
Table
| positive | negative | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| neko | niko | niko ne zna | nobody knows |
| nešto | ništa | ništa ne vidimo | we see nothing |
| ikad | nikad | nikad nisam bio | I have never been |
| jedan | nijedan | nijedan nije došao | not a single one came |
| sam | nisam | nisam siguran | I am not sure |
| ima | nema | nema dokaza | there is no proof |
| hoću | neću | neću da idem | I refuse to go |
| i ja | ni ja | ni ja ne idem | I am not going either |
By example
- Нема доказа, па нећемо доносити судNema dokaza, pa nećemo donositi sudThere is no proof, so we will not pass judgment
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Why niko ništa ne zna has two negations?
First, negation multiplies. Niko ništa ne zna, Nikad nikome nisam rekao. Every negative word drags ne along with the verb, and dropping it is impossible. English forbids that, so the habit has to be built.
Nisam or ne sam: how it is written?
Third, biti, imati and hteti fuse the ne. Not "ne sam" but nisam. Not "ne ima" but nema. Not "ne ću" but neću. Every other verb writes it apart.
Ni ja vs i ja?
Second, ni- is written as one word, but a preposition breaks it apart. Nikome, yet ni od koga, ni s kim, ni o čemu. The preposition climbs inside the word, and the parts then stand separately.
When nema and when nije?
Third, biti, imati and hteti fuse the ne. Not "ne sam" but nisam. Not "ne ima" but nema. Not "ne ću" but neću. Every other verb writes it apart.
What does it look like in a Serbian example sentence?
“Нико (niko) ништа (ništa) није (nije) видео (video) и (i) нико (niko) не (ne) зна (zna) шта (šta) се (se) десило” (desilo) (Niko ništa nije video i niko ne zna šta se desilo) — Nobody saw anything, and nobody knows what happened. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.