Breakdown of Nie mam absolutnie niczego w mojej kieszeni.
mieć
to have
nie
no / not
mój
my
w
in / on (a day)
Questions & Answers about Nie mam absolutnie niczego w mojej kieszeni.
Why do we use niczego here instead of just nic?
The verb mieć (to have) normally takes the Accusative case, but when a verb is negated, its direct object switches to the Genitive case. Niczego is the Genitive form of nic (nothing).
Are we using a double negative with nie mam and niczego?
Yes! Polish requires double negation. If you use a negative pronoun like niczego (nothing) or nikogo (nobody), you must also negate the verb with nie. Literally, this sentence says 'I don't have absolutely nothing'.
I often hear people say nie mam nic. Is that wrong?
It is completely correct! While the strict grammar rule requires the Genitive niczego after a negated verb, in everyday Polish, the shorter form nic is frequently used as an exception. Both are natural and correct.
Why is the pronoun mojej (my) in the feminine form if kieszeni doesn't end in '-a'?
Kieszeń (pocket) is one of those tricky nouns that is feminine despite ending in a consonant. Because it follows the preposition w (in) to show a location, both the noun and the pronoun take the Locative case, becoming mojej kieszeni.