Word
Nema na čemu, to je moj posao.
Meaning
You're welcome, that is my job.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Nema na čemu, to je moj posao.
Literally translated, what does Nema na čemu mean?
It literally translates to "There is not on what" or "There is nothing on which [to thank me]". Nema means "there is not", na means "on", and čemu is a form of the word for "what" (što). Croatian uses this phrase exactly how English uses "You're welcome" or "Don't mention it".
Why does the word nema mean "there is no"? I thought it meant "he, she, or it doesn't have".
You are right that nema is the negative form of ima (he/she/it has). However, in Croatian, ima is also frequently used to say "there is" or "there are". Therefore, its negative form nema translates to "there is no" or "there isn't any".
Why do we use to (neuter) here instead of a masculine or feminine word for "that"?
Why is moj posao masculine if posao ends in an "o"? Don't nouns ending in "o" usually mean they are neuter?