Breakdown of Istražujemo napad u hotelu, ali još ne vidimo nikoga.
hotel
hotel
ne
no, not
ali
but (strong contrast)
još
yet, still / another, one more
Questions & Answers about Istražujemo napad u hotelu, ali još ne vidimo nikoga.
Why is the word nikoga used here instead of nitko?
Nikoga is the accusative case of the negative pronoun nitko (nobody). The verb vidjeti (to see) needs a direct object in the accusative case to show what or who is being seen. Since we are saying we don't see "anybody", nitko changes to its accusative form, nikoga.
The English translation says "we do not see anyone", but nikoga means "nobody". Why use a negative pronoun here?
Croatian requires double negation. When you have a negative verb like ne vidimo (we do not see), any indefinite pronouns in the same clause must also be negative. So, you literally have to say "we do not see nobody" (ne vidimo nikoga).
Why didn't napad (attack) change its ending, since it is also a direct object?
Napad is a masculine inanimate noun, meaning it is a concept or a thing, not a living being. In the accusative case, masculine inanimate nouns look exactly the same as they do in the dictionary (the nominative case). On the other hand, the pronoun nitko refers to a living person, so it takes the animate accusative ending, becoming nikoga.
Does još always mean "yet" when used with a negative verb?