ekkert

Ekkert is an Icelandic word that functions as a pronoun and a determiner meaning "nothing" or "not anything." It is used to express the absence of existence, quantity, or quality and appears in a variety of syntactic roles, from standing alone as a pronoun to modifying a noun in compound phrases.

In everyday Icelandic, ekki is the general negation particle, but ekkert is used to convey the sense of nullity or absence. For example, ég hef ekkert translates to “I have nothing,” where ekkert acts as the object pronoun indicating the lack of possession. It can also precede or accompany nouns in phrases such as ekkert vandamál, meaning “no problem,” or ekkert fólk, meaning “no people” or “nobody” depending on context. In sentences like ég sé ekkert þar, ekkert refers to “nothing” seen in a location, illustrating its use as a predicative or adverbial element.

Grammatically, ekkert is the neuter form used in contexts where a neutral or non-specific absence is described. It can appear with copular verbs or as a determiner in front of nouns in fixed expressions. The word is common in spoken and written Icelandic and is often used in questions and negative constructions to emphasize absence, as in hefurðu ekkert svar? (“do you have no answer?”).

Ekkert is cognate with related terms in other Nordic languages that express negation and absence. See also: ekki (negation particle), enginn (no one/none), erikið (not applicable in standard Icelandic).