Breakdown of Minimalizam znači da nemam ništa što je nepotrebno.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
nemati
to not have
značiti
to mean
ništa
nothing
da
that (conjunction)
što
which, that (relative pronoun)
minimalizam
minimalism
nepotreban
unnecessary
Questions & Answers about Minimalizam znači da nemam ništa što je nepotrebno.
Why do we use što for "that" here instead of koji?
In this sentence, "that" refers back to the indefinite pronoun ništa (nothing). Whenever a relative pronoun refers to a word like sve (everything), nešto (something), or ništa (nothing), Croatian uses što, never koji.
The English translation says "I have nothing", but the Croatian says nemam ništa. Isn't that a double negative?
Yes, and it is required! Croatian strictly uses double negation. Whenever you use a negative word like ništa (nothing) or nitko (nobody), the verb must also be negative. So, "I have nothing" translates literally as "I don't have nothing" (nemam ništa).
Why does the adjective nepotrebno end in -o?
It describes the pronoun ništa. In Croatian, abstract indefinite pronouns like ništa (nothing), nešto (something), and sve (everything) are treated as grammatically neuter. Because of this, any adjective describing them must take the neuter singular ending, which is -o here.
Could I drop the word da and just say Minimalizam znači nemam ništa?
No, you cannot. In English, we often drop the word "that" (saying "Minimalism means I have nothing" instead of "Minimalism means that I have nothing"). In Croatian, you must always keep the conjunction da to connect the two parts of the sentence.
Learn Minimalizam znači da nemam ništa što je nepotrebno and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free