Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ne vidim ništa kroz prozor. - I can’t see anything through the window.

Croatian uses negative concord: when the verb is negated with ne, any indefinite like “nothing/nobody/nowhere” also appears in its negative form. So ne + ništa is required and standard.

Correct: Ne vidim ništa.
Incorrect in standard Croatian: “Ne vidim išta.” Use išta (“anything”) mainly in questions/conditionals: Vidiš li išta?, Ako išta vidiš…

Can I change the word order, like Ništa ne vidim kroz prozor or Kroz prozor ne vidim ništa?

Yes. All are grammatical, with different focus:

Ne vidim ništa kroz prozor. Neutral.
Ništa ne vidim kroz prozor. Emphasizes “nothing.”
Kroz prozor ne vidim ništa. Emphasizes the “through the window” part (i.e., via that route I see nothing).
Ništa kroz prozor ne vidim. Strong focus on “nothing through the window.”

What case is prozor here, and why doesn’t it change form?

It’s accusative singular because kroz (“through”) governs the accusative. For masculine inanimate nouns like prozor, nominative and accusative singular look the same:

Nominative: prozor
Accusative: prozor But in the plural the accusative changes: kroz prozore (“through the windows”).

What case is ništa, and does it decline?

Here ništa is the direct object in the accusative (its base form). It does decline in other cases:

Genitive: ničega (e.g., bez ničega = without anything)
Dative/Locative: ničemu (e.g., o ničemu = about nothing)
Instrumental: ničim (often with “ni s čim” = with nothing)

Why kroz and not something like iz or s(a)?

kroz prozor = “through the window” (line of sight or passage through the opening/glass).
s/sa prozora = “from the window (as a vantage point).” Example: S prozora ne vidim ništa = From the window, I can’t see anything.
iz prozora is unusual for vision; iz means “out of/from inside.” You might say gledam iz prozora to mean “I’m looking out from inside the window,” but for what you can see, kroz or s/sa prozora are used.

Does kroz always take the accusative?

Yes. kroz invariably governs the accusative:

kroz park
kroz tunel
kroz prozor

Are there articles in Croatian? How do I know if it’s “a window” or “the window”?

Croatian has no articles. prozor can mean either “a window” or “the window.” Context decides:

If you already know which window, English will use “the,” but Croatian keeps prozor.

What’s the difference between vidjeti and gledati?

vidjeti = to see (perception, often unintentional): Ne vidim ništa.
gledati = to look/watch (intentional action): Gledam kroz prozor = I’m looking through the window. You can combine them: Ne mogu vidjeti ništa iako gledam kroz prozor.

Is there a difference between Ne vidim ništa and Ne mogu vidjeti ništa?

Yes, nuance:

Ne vidim ništa = Right now, I don’t see anything (a factual state).
Ne mogu vidjeti ništa = I can’t see anything (emphasizes inability/impediment: it’s too dark, the window is dirty, etc.).

How do I conjugate vidjeti in the present?

Present tense:

ja vidim
ti vidiš
on/ona/ono vidi
mi vidimo
vi vidite
oni/one/ona vide

Past: vidio/vidjela sam. Future: vidjet ću. For habitual “see,” Croatian often uses the imperfective viđati: Često ga viđam.

Can I drop kroz prozor and just say Ne vidim ništa?

Absolutely. Ne vidim ništa is complete on its own. Adding kroz prozor specifies the route/medium: you don’t see anything through the window.

How do I ask “Do you see anything through the window?” in Croatian?

Use išta in questions:

Vidiš li išta kroz prozor?
Neutral word order alternative: Da li vidiš išta kroz prozor?

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

ništa has š (sh sound): NEE-shta.
r in prozor is tapped/trilled.
In fast speech, final consonants may devoice before voiceless ones across word boundaries; you might hear kroz prozor with the z sounding more like s before p (i.e., “kros prozor”). Careful speech keeps the z.
Stress is typically on the first syllable of each word: NE vi-dim NI-šta KROZ PRO-zor.

Is spelling nista without the accent okay?

No. It must be ništa (with š). On phones, long-press “s” to get š. On computers, enable a Croatian/Bosnian/Serbian or international keyboard layout to type š.