Breakdown of Nie mam niczego na koncie ani w kieszeni.
mieć
to have
nie
no / not
w
in / on (a day)
na
on, at / to (motion toward) / for (a meal) / for (waiting for)
nic
nothing
ani
neither / nor
kieszeń
pocket
konto
account
Questions & Answers about Nie mam niczego na koncie ani w kieszeni.
Why does this sentence use niczego instead of the basic word nic?
The verb mieć (to have) usually takes the Accusative case for its object, but here the verb is negated (nie mam). In Polish, whenever a direct object is negated, it must change to the Genitive case. Niczego is the Genitive form of the negative pronoun nic (nothing).
Wait, doesn't nie mam niczego literally mean 'I do not have nothing'?
Yes, it does! Polish requires double negation. If you use a negative pronoun like niczego (nothing) or nikogo (nobody), you still must put nie before the verb.
Why use ani here instead of albo or lub?
Because the sentence is negative. In positive sentences, you would use albo or lub for 'or'. But in negative sentences, Polish uses ani, which translates to 'nor' or 'neither'.
How did konto (account) become koncie? Where did the 'i' come from?
The preposition na for locations requires the Locative case. For the neuter noun konto, the Locative ending is -e. However, adding -e forces the preceding consonant t to soften into ci, resulting in the spelling koncie.
Why does w kieszeni (in the pocket) end in -i? Isn't kieszeń feminine?
Yes, kieszeń is feminine, but it belongs to a special group of feminine nouns that end in a consonant instead of -a. For most of these consonant-ending feminine nouns, the Locative case simply adds an -i to the end, making it kieszeni.
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