Niko ne zna gde je moj ključ.

to be

Breakdown of Niko ne zna gde je moj ključ.

• ne: not
• gde: where
• moj: my

Questions & Answers about Niko ne zna gde je moj ključ.

Why are both niko and ne negative here? Isn’t that a double negative?

In Serbian, this is the normal pattern. Serbian uses negative concord, which means that if you use a negative word like niko (nobody), the verb is also negative: ne zna (does not know).

So:

• Niko ne zna = Nobody knows
• Not Niko zna

This is different from standard English, where nobody knows usually has only one negative word.

What does niko mean exactly?

Niko means nobody or no one.

It is the negative form corresponding to neko (someone).

Compare:

• Neko zna. = Someone knows.
• Niko ne zna. = No one knows.

What is the base form of zna?

The base form is znati, meaning to know.

Zna is the 3rd person singular present tense form, so it means:

• he/she/it knows

In this sentence, it matches niko, which is grammatically singular:

• Niko ne zna = Nobody knows