Questions & Answers about U sobi nema nikakvih čistih plahti.
Why do we need nikakvih here if nema already means 'there are no'?
It adds emphasis. While nema čistih plahti simply means 'there are no clean sheets', adding nikakvih changes it to 'there are no clean sheets of any kind' or 'there are absolutely no clean sheets'.
Why are nikakvih, čistih, and plahti all in the genitive plural?
The word nema (meaning 'there isn't' or 'there aren't') always requires the thing that is missing to be in the genitive case. Since we are talking about multiple sheets, the noun and both of its adjectives must take the genitive plural endings.
Nema is negative and nikakvih is negative. Does Croatian use double negatives?
Yes! Unlike English, Croatian strictly requires double negation. If you use a negative word like nikakav (no kind of), the verb in the sentence must also be negative, which is why we use nema. It literally translates to 'there aren't no clean sheets'.
If I wanted to ask 'Are there any kind of clean sheets?', which adjective would I use instead of nikakvih?
You would use ikakvih, which is the genitive plural of ikakav (any kind of). The question would be Ima li ikakvih čistih plahti? You use ikakav for questions and conditionals, and nikakav for negative statements.