něco and cosi

Discussion in 'Čeština (Czech)' started by Roy776, Sep 10, 2012.

  1. Roy776

    Roy776 Senior Member

    Kraków, Poland
    German & AmE
    Zdravím všechny,

    could somebody please tell me if there is some kind of difference between the words, wether it be register or meaning? As I speak Polish pretty well already, I know how to use the word coś (which seems to correspond to Czech něco), but today I've learned that there's also the word cosi, which I had never seen before. I know a song of Ewa Farna where she sings "Mám chuť ukázat něco víc." (Mam ochotę pokazać coś więcej.) A friend of mine said he wouldn't use něco there and would prefer cosi. So, is there any difference between them?

    Díky předem
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2012
  2. vianie Senior Member

  3. Roy776

    Roy776 Senior Member

    Kraków, Poland
    German & AmE
    Okay, thanks for the link, but could you please provide some example sentences? The way I see it - or rather, understand it - there is a difference between něco and cosi. Are there sentence where one can be used but not the other?

  4. marsi.ku Junior Member

    "Něco" names somehting unknown, undefined or indifferent. It can also express a quantity. However "cosi" is more abstract and it can determine something as undefined or something for what you can't find a name.
    These two words are quite synonymous but there's a little difference: "cosi" is more literary and you can't use it to express a quantity.
    As synonyms, you can use it in sentences like "Něco/cosi ho trápí", "Je cosi (něco) shnilého ve státě dánském". But remember that "cosi" remains literary or more abstract.
    In common Czech "něco" is used more than "cosi" and if you'd say it for example in the sentce "kup mi cosi k jídlu", it sounds very strange and normally it's "kup mi něco k jídlu".

    In this sentence "něco víc" is better than "cosi víc" because it express a quantity.
    Is it clearer now?
  5. Roy776

    Roy776 Senior Member

    Kraków, Poland
    German & AmE
    Yup, thanks. That pretty much cleared it up :)
  6. Tchesko

    Tchesko Senior Member

    Paris 12
    Just for the benefit of German-speaking readers:
    něco = etwas
    cosi = irgendetwas, irgendwas (e.g. "Říkal, že je cosi s motorem" = "Er hat gesagt, dass irgendetwas mit dem Motor nicht stimmt" = "He said there was something wrong with the engine"; něco could also be used here and the meaning would be much the same).

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