Breakdown of O njemu ne znam ništa.
ne
no, not
znati
to know
ništa
nothing
o
about / on (dependent on)
njemu
to him / about him (emphatic)
Questions & Answers about O njemu ne znam ništa.
Why do we use njemu here instead of the short form mu?
The word njemu is the full (emphatic) form of "him" in the Locative case. In Croatian, you must use the full form of a pronoun when it comes directly after a preposition like o (about). The short forms can never be used after prepositions.
What dictates the case of njemu in this sentence?
The preposition o (about). When o is used to mean talking, thinking, or knowing about someone or something, it always requires the Locative case. Therefore, the pronoun on (he) becomes njemu.
Why does the sentence use a double negative (ne znam ništa)?
Unlike English, Croatian requires double negatives. Whenever you use a negative word like ništa (nothing), the verb must also be negative (ne znam). Literally, the sentence translates to "About him I don't know nothing."
Can I change the word order to Ne znam ništa o njemu?
Yes, absolutely! Ne znam ništa o njemu is a very common and natural word order. Moving O njemu (About him) to the beginning of the sentence just adds a little emphasis to it, like saying "As for him, I know nothing."
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