Vinko Grubišić

CROATIAN
GRAMMAR
VINKO GRUBISić l CROATIAN GRAMMAR
 Copyright© 2007 Hrvatska sveučilišna naklada

Reviewers
prof dr. sc. Josip Silić
prof dr. sc. Sibe/an Fon-ester
prof dr. sc. Marko Samardžija

Editor·in·Chief
Anita Šikić

Cover design
Dubravka Zg/avnik Horvat

Layout
Stjepan Ocvirk

CIP zapis dostupan u računalnom katalogu Nacionalne i sveučilišne knjižnice u Zagrebu pod
brojem 63294 1 .

ISBN 978-95 3 - 1 69- 1 48-2

 Vinko Grubišić

CROATIAN
GRAMMAR

,. HRVATSKA SVEUČILIŠNA NAKLADA

HRVATSKE ISELJENIČKE ŠKOLE
AMERIKE l KANADE

Zagreb, 2007.
 Contents

Foreword .
PHONETICS . ll
Phonemes and Graphemes . ll
Phonetic Changes 22
Accents . JJ

MORPHOLOGY 41
Nouns 43
Gender . 44
Cases 47
Masculine Nouns 49
Neuter Nouns 61
Feminine Nouns . 65
Pronouns 73
Adjectives 89
Numerals 98
Verbs . .. . .. . .. .. 108
Tenses and Moods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Verbal Adverbs . . . . . . . 124
Past Verbal Adverbs . . . ..126
Past Tense .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Compound Tenses and Moods . . 127

Verbal Aspect . 143

 Prepositions . 157
Adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Particles . 169
Exclamations . . . . . . . . . 170
Conjunctions . 17 1

WORD FORMATION 173

Nouns . . . . . . . 175
Adjectives 183
Fonnation ofAdverbs 186
Verb Fonnation . . .. . . . 188

SYNTAX . 193
Function of Cases . 193
Usage ofTenses . .. . . ... . 198
Statements, Phrases & Clauses . . . .. .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 l
Dependent Clauses . 207
Adverbial Detennination Clauses . .. . . . . . 208
Direct and Indirect Speech . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 14
Word Order . 2 16
Agreement . . . 2 17

APPENDICES . . . . . 223
Punctuation . . 223
Foreign Names . . . . .. . . . .228
Verbs with Varying Degrees of Difficulties . . . .. . . . . 233

Bibliography . . . . . .. . .. . . ... . . .. . . . . 245

Index 247
Foreword
Croats are a Mediterranean, Central-European, Slavic people whose language and
culture reflect the geopolitical position of Croatia.
The first Croatian ecclesiastical and secular documents were written mainly in
Glagolitic and Cyrillic letters from the tenth centui)' onwards. The Tablet of Baška,
engraved in Glagolitic characters around l 100 AD, reveals an already well-devel­
oped language while The Tablet of Humac, chiseled in Croatian Cyrillic letters dur­
ing the same period or even earlier, shares many traits with the Glagolitic script.
During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, from the fifteenth to the seventeenth
centuries, the Roman script gained ground and became the predominant Croatian
alphabet throughout all of Croatia.
There are three Croatian dialects, čakavian, kajkavian and štokavian, the names of
which are derived from the interrogative pronoun what in each: ča, kaj and što re­
spectively. Although valuable literary works were written in all three dialects, the
štokavian dialect of the great Dubrovnik Renaissance literature, spoken by most of
the Croatian population, has been the basis for the Croatian standard language since
the eighteenth century.
In Croatian literary works (in the Glagolitic, Cyrillic or Roman script) since the
eleventh century, the Croatian language has been referred to by its Croatian national
name, but also occasionally by various regional denotations: Dalmatian, Slavonian,
Slavic, Bosnian, etc. ln works written in Latin or in Italian by Croatian and non­
Croatian scholars, that same language was often called Illyrian, Dalmatian or Slavic,
no surprise since the tenns Illyrian and Dalmatian predate the arrival ofCroats to the
shares of the Adriatic Sea and thus came to be synonyms for Croatian.
Confusion between the Croatian and Serbian languages began in the nineteenth cen­
tury and went into high gear late in the last century, when unitaristic forces within the
Yugoslav government attempted to create a lingua communis for all of Yugoslavia.
The first such attempt in Royal Yugoslavia involved an amalgamation of Slovenian,
Croatian and Serbian ("Serbocroatoslovene"), while later attempts focused on the
merging of only Croatian and Serbian. Despite pressure from the central ist Yugoslav
government, Croats continued to cultivate, and indeed still do, their language in ac­
cordance with its natural development.
While conscious of the need for the continued nurturing of the Croatian language,
the present Croatian Constitution nevertheless grants protection for the use of other
languages in Croatia: "The Croatian language and the Latin script shall be in official
use in the Republic of Croatia. In individual local units, another language and the
Cyrillic or other script may, along with the Croatian language and Latin script, be
introduced into official use under conditions specified by law." (The Constitution of
the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb, 199 1. Paragraph 12, p. 14. )
From the time of the publication of Bartol Kašić's lnstitutionum linguae lllyricae libri
duo in 1604 to the present day, many Croatian grammar have been used in schools,
some written in Latin, Italian and German, and the majority written in Croatian.
This grammar is geared to English-speaking students studying Croatian. The author
has devoted particular attention to areas presenting special difficulty for English
speakers. This is the first Croatian grammar containing verbs of varying degrees of
difficulty. The most important comment on the mechanics of writing can be found
in the appendices.
The author is very grateful to Slavko Granić, Judith Psenak, Dr. Sibelan Forrester,
Prof. Anto Knežević and Prof. Josip Silić for their corrections and revisions.
The first edition of Croatian Grammar having been out of print for some time, this
second edition responds to the increasing demand for a new edition of a contempo­
rary Croatian grammar. This revised edition includes relevant changes and a few
additional details.
The author would like to extend his thanks to Kathy Schmidt for her valuable sugges­
tions and her computer work, and to Katia Grubišić, who patiently read and re-read
the manuscript and made numerous corrections. Last but not least, appreciation goes
once again to Dr. Josip Silić, whose corrections and suggestions have been invalu­
able. Naturally, any remaining mistakes or oversight are those of the author alone.
This book will hopefully help students of all ages and backgrounds improve their
knowledge of the Croatian language.

Vinko Grubišić
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
December 2006
 Abbreviations
= aorist
A. = accusative
D. = dati ve

Fem. = feminine
G. = genitive
/. = instrumental
inf = infinitive
inter. = interrogative

L. = locative

mase. = masculine
N. = nominative
neut. = neuter
p. = person
pl. "" plural
sing. = singular
V == vocative

The numbers in brackets are related to the numbered parts of this grammar.
 PHONETICS

PHONEMES AND GRAPHEMES

l. The Croatian language, like other Slavic languages, is composed ofdiscourse.

discursive statements, and statements of words. The basic building blocks of
a language are words. Understanding the fonnation and composition of these
words is essential when learning a language.
Studenti razgovaraju. (The students are talking.)
Daleko smo od grada. (We are far from the city.)
Ž ivimo u kući. (We live in a house.)

2. Words are composed of syllables.

Stu-den-ti raz-go-va-ra-ju.
Da-le-ko smo od gra-da.
Ž i-vi-mo u ku-ći.

3. A syllable can consist of one, two, three or more than three phonemes, but can
contain only one vowel.

ti- (t+l)
Stu- (S+t+u)
prst (p+r+s+t)

4. When represented in written form, a phoneme is called a grapheme.

All the graphemes together are called the alphabet.

5. The Croatian alphabet bas thirty grapbemes. The order of the letters is similar to
the order of the English alphabet, except that Croatian bas some extra letters and

q, x, w andy are written in some foreign words lilre Quebec, Xeoes, New York,
eliminares a few letten< found in the English alphabet. However, the graphemes

and Washington, even though these letters are not part of the Croatian alphabet.

ll
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

6. There are S vowels and 25 consonants in the Croatian alphabet. The phoneme
''r.. can be considered a vowel or a consonant

a) The vowels are:

a, e, i, o, u + r

b, e, l, ć, d, dž. đ,f, g, h, j, k, l, lj, m, n, nj, p, r, s, š, t, v, z, ž

b) The consonants are:

7. Consonants cannot form syllables on their own, but only when they are fol­
lowed or pi<Ceded by vowels: sad (now), ku-<!a (house), prl-ja-te-ijl-ea (fe­
male ftiend, girl ftienđ).

8. Some words in Croatian can consist of only one consonant.

s njim (with him)
k meni (to me)
preda nj (in front of him)
These words (s = with, k = to, and nj [the Accusative of"on"]) have no syllabic
value; they are pronounced as part of the word next to them.

9. Croatian graphemes

Name Name
Letter Pronounced as Letter Pronounced as
of letter of letter
l. A a a father 10. F f ef ftt, father
2. B b be bell ll. G g ge get, good
3. e e ce 12. H h
č
cars, its ha hot
4. č če 13. l
ć
cheap i I she, cheese
5. ć će ·rune 14. J j je boy, yes
6. D d de dollar 15. K k ke cat, kin
7. Dž dž dže jug 16. L l el look, lot
8. Đ đ de *during 17. Lj lj elj mil/ion
9. E e e bet 18. M m em man

• An asterisk indicates that the pronunciation of the lener is similar to the English word, but not
exactly the same.

12
 PHONETICS

Name Name
Letter Pronounced as Letter Pronounced as
of letter of letter
19. N n en not 25. š š eš shed
20. Nj nj enj onion, news 26. T t te two, top
2 1. o 27. u u
ve
for
v
o o u room
22. p p pe spot 28. v vote
*bread (a rolling "r"
23. R r er 29. z z ze zeal
such as in "drrrin g")
24. s s es pass 30. ž ž že le isure

10. Croatian cursive letters.

A df L _r l
B 23 Lj -4 q
e e M dl<!
č č N eN
ć ć Nj dVj nj
D 2:1 d o <9
Đ !Đ J p <P i'
DŽ: 2:\ž dž R J?
E E s �
F 9 f š �
G g 9 T 'J
H dl � u 'll
!] v <ll
:J i z z
K ']( k ž: 'Ž

13
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

ll. The position of the tongue (front to back) during pronunciation creates a "vo­

�
calic triangle."

Front Back
����::::::::-�::::::::--::::::::::::::--:::::::�:--::::::::::����
Mid e o Mid
- - - -- - - --------- ------- - ------------ -
- - - -- - - - ------
Low a & r
- - ---- - --
Low
- - --

Here are some examples of words and where they would fit on the "vocal ic triangle."

Front Back

High zanimanje gubiti High

Mid pedeset govorimo Mid

Low majka Hrvat Low

zanimanje (occupation) gubiti (to lose)

pedeset (fifty) govorimo (we speak)
majka (mother) Hrvat (Croat)

12. In Croatian there are no diphthongs.

auto (car) = a-u-to

Europa (Europe) = E-u-ro-pa
samouk (self-taught) = sa-mo-uk

13. Very rarely do two of the same vowels or consonants appear together.
bistrook (clear-sighted)
samoodređenje (self-determination)

14
 poodmaknut (fairly distant)
preelokventan (too eloquent)
zoologija (zoology)
Sreli smo Jošuu. (We met Joshua.)
najjadniji (the most miserable)
poddržavni (subjugated to the state)
preddruidski (pre-Druidian)
nuzzarada (extra earnings)
Although these letters are next to each other, they are pronounced separately.

14. Unlike in English, there are no silent letters in Croatian. Almost every letter is
pronounced as it is written: one grapheme = one phoneme.
osamnaest (eighteen) pšenica (wheat) hodanje (walking)

l S. Each vowel can be either short or long. The difference is in the length of pro­
nonciation, not the shape of the speak:er's mouth:
Vowel Short ( - ) Long ( - )
a: a sdd (now) sat (watch, clock)
e: e ivo (here) pit (five)
i:T nikad (never) zid (wall)
0:6 vOda (water) mOda (fashion)
U.:ii Učenik (student) pat (way)
r: r vft (garden) bi'z (fast)

16. Consonants can only be pronounced with the help of vowels and cannot be
pronounced on their own. They are neither long nor short, but the vowels
forming syllables with them can be either sbort or long.
križanje (crossing)
hodati (to walk)
s bratom (with brother)
k selu (towards the village)

that of the equivalent English consonants: b, d, f, k, l, m, n, p, t, v and:.

17. The pronunciation of the following consonants is approximately the same as

brat (brother) dati (to give)

boriti se (to fight) grad (city, town)

15
Vinko Grubi�il!:, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

frakcija (fraction) luk (onion)

fotografija (photo) slab (weak)
mudar (wise) danas (today)
med (honey) dno (bottom)
put (road) tikva (pumpkin)
prijateljstvo ( friendship) dobiti (to get, to gain)
vezati (to connect, to tie) zvati (to call)
vuk (wolf) zujanje (buzzing)

18. The most significant difference between Croatian and Bnglish consonants is
tbat Croatian CODSOllllllts are usually pronounced as they are -·

always pronounced as "s" (in loss) and never as "z" (in "resolution"). The
only exception is the preposition "s": s bratom (with the brother), s državom
(with the state).
pronounced as the "g" in "good" and never as the "g" in "gentle."
always pronounced as the sound "y" in "boy," never as "j" in "jump."
a compound sound of "t + s." C is pronounced like the "ts" in "its," or
"cats."
a compound sound of"t + §" and is commonly called the "hard č." It is pro­
nounced as the "ch" in "church."
a compound of "t + j." It is popularly called the "soft ć" and its pronuncia­
tion approaches that of the "t" and the "y" in the words "get you" when said
quickly.
dž a compound of"d + ž" and is always pronounced as the "j" in 'ftmgle.''
a compound of "d + j" and its pronunciation approaches that of the "d" and
the "y" in the words "did you" when said quickly.
pronounced as the "h" in "hot."
k pronounced as the "k" in "k ilo."
a compound of"l + j" and pronounced as the "-lli-" in "million."
nj a compound of"n + j" and is pronounced as the "-ni-" in "onion."
§ pronounced as the "sh" in "English."
ž pronounced as the "s" in "pleasure" or "leisure."

16
 PHONETICS

19. The phoneme ·-r· can be a vowel or a consonant. The '"r'' is used as a vowel
when it is placed between two consonants. when it is followed by a consonant
but has nothing preceding it, or when it is preceded by a consonant but has
nothing following it.

� cons. + r + cons. (vrt = garden)

R=vowel
� Ocons. + r + cons. (11 = cape)
+ r + O (on satr to = he crushed it)

Tbe ''r"' is used as a consonant when it is preceded by a consonant and fol­

lowed by a vowel, preceded by a vowel and followed by a consonant, or
placed between two vowels.
� cons. + r + vowel (kraj = end)
R = cons.
� vowel
vowel
+ r + cons. (orkan = tornado)
+ r + vowel (zora = dawn)

The sound of the consonant "r" in Croatian is quite different from the English
"r." In Croatian, the "r" is rolled and sounds like the rolling of the "r" in "drr­
ring, dming."
20. Special attention must be paid to the following Croatian phonemes: č : ć : dž:
đ and the group of phonemes ije :je : i: e
Ć (t + š) : ć (t + j). The phoneme "č" is usually called "hard" while the "ć" is
called "soft," but each has its phonetically distinct features, although many na­
tive speakers of Croatian do not differentiate these two phonemes.

positioos in a word: bvao (oail), zna&a (medal), rije<!' (word), ćud (nature,
Like any other phoneme in Croatian. the "č" and "ć" can be found in any

temper), kuća (house), čekić (hammer).

There are a few words of which the only distinctive feature is the use of"č" or
"ć." However, in some instances the accents of these words differ as well.

č: ć:
brijači (barbers) brijaći (shaving)
čar (channfulness) ćar (profit)
kročenje (marching) kroćenje (taming)
mučenje (torturing) mućenje (making muddy)
posječen (cut off) posjećen (visited)
spavačica (sleeping woman) spavaćica (nightgown)

17
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

ul!i (study, imp.) ući (to enter)

vračanje (witchcraft) vraćanje (retum)
žul!i (with bile) žući (yellower)

21. The phonemes "dž" (a compound of d + ž) and "d" (a compound of d + j) are

also sometimes called the "hard dž" and the "soft đ." Nevertheless they are two
different phonemes.
"Dž" often derives from "l!" through phonetic change. (See # 27)
jednačiti (equalize) jednadžba (equation)
lul!iti (to analyze) ludžba (analysis)
ul!iti (to study) udžbenik (school manual, textbook)
ID addition to words formed mainly with the radical and suffixal morpheme
--lučiti (to analyze), ladfb<l (analyze); svjedočiti (to witness), svjedodlba
(certificate}-<ome foreign words (mostly of Turkish and of English origin)
coatain di---<lbuolja (mosque), bodfa (Moslem priest), dfelat (bangman,
executioner), meaadler (manager), dtez Gazz), dfemper Gumper), etc.
"Đ" is not as frequent in radica! as in derivative morphemes. The following are
some examples of d in radica! morphemes.
anđeo (angel) đurđica (lily of the valley)
đak (student) lađa (navy)
đakon (deacon) Anđelka (Angel)
đavao (devil) riđ (reddish-brown)
Often, "đ" can be found in the comparative forms of adjectives or in the pas­
sive participle ofverbs ending in -diti, -djeti.
mlad (young) comparative: mladi (younger)
lud (crazy) comparative: ludi (crazier)
voditi (to lead) participle: vođen (led)
vidjeti (to see) passive: viđen (seen) (See # 45)

22. The old Croatian and Old Slavic morphoneme "jat" ("i'') is reflected in the
standard Croatian language as: "ije" : "je" : "e" : "i" : O.

mlijeko vidjela je sretan vidio je prodr'o je

(milk) (she saw) (happy) (he saw) (he got through)

18
 PHONETICS

nijem njemoća preskup volio sam umr'o je

(mute) (muteness) (too expensive) (l liked) (he died)

a) When the phonem.e ..jat" is long, it is usually pronounced and written as

''-ije-," but when its derived fonns are shortened, it loses the first part, "i,"
and becomes "je."

bijeg (flight) bježati (to run away)

bijel (white) bjelina (whiteness)
mlijeko (milk) m!iekar (milkman)
svijetliti (to light) svjetlost (light)
razdijeljen (divided) razdjeljeniji (more divided)
riječ (word) rječit (talkative)
sijed (grey) sjedokos (greye-haired)
cvija (flower) cvjaić (little flower)
dijeliti (to divide) odjel (division)
lijep (beautiful) !iepši (more beautiful)

b) However, there are some useful rules that can be used to clarify when ''jat"
should be written as "ije" and when as "je."
Imperfective verbs derived from their perfective pairs take "je."
dodijeliti* (to attribute) dodjeljivati
pobijediti (to win) pobjeđivati
proslijediti (to follow) pros!ieđivati
rascijepiti (to cut in two pieces) rascjepljivati
riješiti (to solve) rješavati

In some words the long "jat" can be written as "je."

djedo (grandfather) djelce (opuscule, minor work)
rječnik (dictionary) zasjedati (to be in session)

e) Sometimes "je" can be a long syllable.

cvija (flower) cvjetnjak (flower garden)
riječ (word) rječnik (vocabulary, dictionary)
vijest (news) vjesnik (herald)
• Today, some linguists suggest 'ie" instead of"ije" in such words as bieg, biel, mlieko, svietliti.

19
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Some rules are very useful in detennining how words with "je" should be
written.

d) When the short "jat" is preceded by two consonants of which the last one
is an 'T," then ·�at" is followed by a short "e" or "je."
vrijeme (time, weather) vremena or vrjemena (time, weather: pl.)
grijeh (sin) pogreška or pogrješka (mistake)
uvrijediti (to hurt) uvreda or uvrjeda (insult)
vrijediti (to be valuable) vrednovati or vrjednovati (to evaluate)

e) There� some verbs with the inflXal morphemes '1'' and "je," where "jaf'
is the only distinctive feature.
bije!ieti (to become white)
crvenjeti (to become red)
crnjeti (to become black)
plavjeti (to become blue)
žutjeti (to become yellow)
sivjeti (to become grey)
zelenjeti (to become green)
oživjeti (to become alive)
bijeliti (to make white)
crveniti (to make red)
crniti (to make black)
plaviti (to make blue)
žutiti (to make yellow)
siviti (to make grey)
zeleniti (to make green)
oživiti (to make alive)

t) The "jat" that precedes a stressed syllable is always written and pro­
nounced "je": ljepota (beauty), b!iedoća (paleness), vježbaonlca (gym­
nastic ball), lz"l/enjlvatl (to alternate).

g) "Jat" is "·je· in words with short (mostly short rising) accents on "je"
when the word ends in one of the following suffixes.

-ač: mjenjač brzine (gear box), rasvjetjivač (enlightener)

-ača: cvjetača (caulitlower), snabdjevača (supplier, fern.)
-ad: bjtl-gunčad (fugitives), zvjerad (beasts)
-ar: cvjećar (tlorist), svjećar (candlemaker, candle seller)
-ara: pješčara (sand desert), zvjezdara (observatory)
-ast: bjeličast (whitish), djetinjast (childish)
-ba: s!iedba (following), primjedba (remark, observation)
-čić: korjenčić (little root), mjelčić (little wineskin, little goatskin)
-ić: djetić (apprentice), pjetlić (cockerel)

20
 PHONETICS

-ilo: svepno (blindness), svjetlilo (light)

-iljka: cjOOiljka (filter), svjetiljka (lamp)
-ina: svjetina (crowd), sjedina (grey hair)
-ište: djfoli!lte (intersection point), iz!ie4:!ili§te (healing place)
-it: rjfot:it (talkative), vjfokovit (age-long)
-iv: izVfot:iv (curable), primjfonljiv (applicable)
-telj: djelitelj (divider), iz!ifo4:!itelj (healer)
-ulja: m!ifokulja (good milk-cow), cvjetulja (flourishing plant)
-uša: cvjetuša (blossoming plant), ljfopula (pretty girl)

23. There are some possible cases of confusion between the two pbonemes "d" +

pboneme "nj." The confusion lies in the fact that the letters ''d"and "ž" or
''ž" and the pboneme "dž," as well as between the phonemes "n + j" and the

"n" and 'T' are placed next to each other but are not the letters "dž" and "nj."
Instead, the letters are pronounced separately.

nadživjeti (nad-živjeti) to outlive, to live longer than

podžupan (pod-župan) deputy prefect
predživot (pred-život) previous life
konjugacija (kon-jugacija) conjugation
injekcija (in-jekcija ) injection
izvanjezi4:!ni (izvan-jezični) extralinguistic
Since these letters are only combined in compound words with prefixes ending
in -d or -n, the words are easy to recognize.

24. Consonant:S in Croatian can be grouped into various classes but three classifi­
cations are the most important:

21
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

[š
n

-"'
� �
-g
� � �:;;:
..
� � �
o ;,;: '!J
f !l
n -' -'
b d g Voiced
Explosives
p t k Voiceless
z ž Voiced
Fricatives
s f š h Voiceless

Affricates �
e
�
č, ć
Voiced
Voiceless

Sonants j, lj l
m v n n
Vibrants r

25. a) Classification relating to voiced and voice/ess consonants.

b) Classification relating to the organs that are used in producing the phonemes.
e) Classification relating to the softness or hardness of the pronunciation of
the consonants.

26. Voiced and voiceless consonants.

Voiced Consonants
Voiceless Consonants

PHONETIC CHANGES

27. If two or more consonants of different voicing are together, then the first one
bas to be changed into its voiced or voiceless pair, in order to be the same as
the second (voiced or voiceless) consonant.

22
 PHONETICS

b-p rob (slave, m) ropstvo (slavery)

p-b top (canon, gun) tobdžija (gunner)
d-t rijedak (rare, m) rijetka (rare, f)
t-d svat (wedding guest) svadba (wedding party)
g-k drugi (second) druk č ij i (different)
k-g svaki (every, f) svagdašnj i (everyday)
đ-ć riđa (brown, f) rićk a (red-haired animal)
č - dž jedna�iti (to equalize) jednadžba (equation)
s-z glas (voice) glazba (music)
ž-š muž (man, husband) muški (masculine, m)
š-ž duša (soul) zadužbina (pious endowment)

The phonemes ''v'' and "f' are exempt from this phonetic change: ovca (sheep),
novci (monies), lovci (hunters).

28. If two words are pronounced together, the assimilation ofvoiced or voiceless
consonants occurs only in the spoken and not in the written forms.
wrinen spoken
bez stida (without shame) bestida
dok god (as long as) dog: od
s Bogom (with God) zbogom
iz te kuće (from that house) iste kuće
brat ga je sreo (his brother met him) bradgaje sreo

29. Both voiced or voiceless phonemes can be followed by lj, m, n, ll}, and).

pljuvati (to spit) žljezdast (gland-like)

smoći (to be able) izmiješali (to mix)
snaga (power) znanje (knowledge)
snježan (snowy) vožnja (driving)
sjaj (shining) izjava (statement)

30. There are a number of cases in which the assimilation ofvoiced and voiceless
consonants does not occur.
a) In some words ending in -ski, -stvo.
grad-ski g rads ki (urban)

23
Vinko Grubi!ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

brat-ski bratski (brotherly)

brat-stvo bratstvo (brotherhood)

b) ln some compound words, prefixes ending in -d- precede the letters "-s-,"
or "-š-." For example: odšišati (to cut hair), podštampati (to print galleys),
predstaviti (to introduce), nadstojnik (headmaster).
e) The same is true in loaned words from another language, such as Habsbur­
govac (Habsburger), vašingtonski (belonging to Washington).

31. Palatal graphemes all ha ve some extra signs: l, t, df, d,j, lj, nj, J, f.

ključ (key) pandža (paw) kraj (end, region)

knjižica (booklet) đavao (devil) miš (mouse)
dječačić (little boy) kralj (king) puž (snai!)

32. When the consonants s and z are followed by non-dentals, they change.

s- š nositi (to carry) + nošnja (costume)

Dental "s" + palatal "nj" = palatal "š" + patata! "nj"

z- ž mrziti (to hate) : mržnja (hatred)

Dental "z" + palatal "nj" = palatal "ž" + palatal "nj"

As we can see from these examples, palatals cannot be used immediately be­
fore or after non-palatals. However, there are many exceptions in which the
non-palatals -s- and -z- are followed by the palatals -nj- and -lj-.

posljedni (the last one) razljutiti se (to get mad)

nasljednik (inheritor) snježan (snowy)
iz/jubiti (to kiss)

33. The consonant "n" does not change when followed by the labials "b" or "p"
in some words in which the composing parts of the word can be clearly distin­
guished.
vanbračni (extramarital)
Hasanpašić (a proper name)
zelenbilje (green plants)

24
 PHONETICS

34. The reduction of consonants.

d + d- d • odduljiti (od + duljiti) = oduljiti (to drag out)

d+t - t • odtrijezniti se (od + trijezniti se) = otrijezniti se (to sober up)
s + s- s • russki (Rus + ski) = ruski (Russian/)
s+t- s • aoristni (aorist + ni) = aorisni (of the ao rist tense)
t+c- e • otc a (ot-/ale + ea) = oca (Genitive of"father")
t+č- č • otče (ot-/ale + če) = oče (Vocative of"father")
t+n- n • mjestni (mjest-O+ ni) = mjesni (local)
z+s - s • izsoliti (iz + soliti) = isol iti (to salt)

35. When two or more words are pronounced together, there is a difference be­
tween how the words are written and how they are pronounced.

wrinen spoken
od crkve (from a church) o crkve
od domovine (from homeland) o domovine
od tog dana (from that day on) otog dana
pet centimetara (five centimetres) pe centimetara
opet često (again often) ope �esto
kroz sobu (through a room) kro sobu

36. In some cases, the reduction of consonants is preceded by their assimilation.

• izfariti (iz + žariti: • ižžariti) = ižariti (irradiate)
• čitalacstvo (čitalac + (s)tvo: • čitalašstvo) = čitalaštvo
(audience)
ć + s-ć • mladićsk.i (mladić + ski) = mladićk.i andmladićsk.i (youthful)

37. When an adjective begins with "j-" the superlative form of the adjective will
have a double "j." This is because the prefix "naj" is added to adjectives in
order to put them into a superlative form.
jadan (miserable) najjadniji (the most miserable)
jeftin (cheap) najje ftiniji (the cheapest)
jak (strong) najja či (the stongest)

25
Vinko GrubiSić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

38. The fleeting a.

Some words contain the so-called fleeting a. The fleeting a is a case in which
an a is included in one word but then disappears when the same word is put
into a different form.
a) Nouns
Mase. N. sing. momak (young man) N. pl. momci
G. sing. momka G. pl. momaka
Neu t. N. sing. jedro (sail) N. pL jedra
G. sing. jedra G. pl. jedara
Fern. N. sing. djevojka (girl) N. pl. djevojke
G. sing. djevojke G. pL djevojaka
In masculine nouns, the fleeting a appears in the Nominative singular and in
the Genitive plural. In neuter and feminine nouns it appears only in the Geni­
live plural.

b) Adjectives, pronouns and numerals

jadan (miserable)
jedan (one)
nekakav (some sort of)

Mase Neut. Fern.

Sing. jadan jadno jadna
PL jadni jadna jadne
Sing. jedan jedno jedna
PL jedni jedna jedne
Sing. nekakav nekakvo nekakva
PL nekakvi nekakva nekakve
Only the Nominative singular (and the Accusative, when it is the same as the
Nominative) of the masculine forms of some adjectives, pronouns and numer­
als can contain the fleeting a.

e) Verbs
moći (to be able to)
reći (to say)

26
 Active past participle:
Mase. Neu t. Fern.
Sing. mogao rekao moglo reklo mogla rekla
Pl. mogli rekli mogla rekla mogle rekle

Masculine forms of the active past participle can have the fleeting a.

Only a short a can be a fleeting a.

junak (hero) : junaka stupac (pillar) : stupca
jednak l jednaka l jednako (identical) kratak l kratka l kratko (short)
musti (to milk): muzao l muzla l muzla doći (to come) : došao l došla l došlo

39. The facultative vowels a, u, and e.

a) In adjectives
G.masc. dobrog dobroga (of the good . . . )
D. / L. mase. dobrom dobromu or dobrome (to the good .. )
I. mase. and neut. s njim s njime (with him)
čim (N. "što'') čime (with what)

and "ž": sa sobom (with oneself), sa :ebrom. (with a zebra), sa &m.unom

b) The preposition "s" (with, from) is "sa" ifthe word starts with "s,""z,""!''

(with Simon), sa lupom (with a parish).

Also "sa" and can always be used to facilitate pronunciation when a word
starts with a difficult consonant group: "sa mnom" (with me), "saplelom"
(with a bee), sa psom (with a dog) ...
The preposition "ka" instead of"k" (to, towards) can be used if the follow­
ing word starts with "k" or "g": Idemo ka krdu. (We are going towards the
crowd).
Idemo ka gradu (We are going towards the city). But: Idemo k selu. (We are
going towards the village).

e) In adverbs
sad- sada (now)
tad - tada (then)
nikad - nikada (never)
kad - kada (when)

27
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

40. Changing -l- to -o- at the end of the syllables.

N. sing. G. sing. G. pl.

kosi/ac (harvester) kos ioca kos ilaca
(ko-si-lac) (*ko-sil-ca) (ko-si-la-ca)
nosi/ac (carrier) nosioca nosilaca
(no-si-lac) (* no-sil-ea) (no-si-la-ca)
rukovodi/ac (leader) rukovodioca rukovodilaca
(ru-ko-vo-di-lac) (*ru-ko-vo-dil-ea) (ru-ko-vo-di-la-ca)

Active past participle

Mase. nosio Fern. nosi/a Neut. nosi/o (sing.).
(no-si-o) (no-si-la) (no-si-lo)
Mase. nosin Fern. nosi/e Neut. nosi/a (pl.)
(no-si-li) (no-si-le) (no-si-la)

In some words, l does not change into o.

molba (request) Je/ka (proper name)
(mol-ba) Mi/ka (proper name)
žalba (complaint) Vi/ko (proper name)
(žal-ba) si/ni (powerful)
okolni (surrounding) malko (a linle bit)
(o-kol-ni) so/ (salt)

There are also some double forms.

odje/ odio (department)
cije/ cio (whole, entire)
bije/ bio (white)
po/noć ponoć /*poonoć/ (midnight)
palma paoma (palm tree)

41. I n addition to the assimilation of consonants that conform to their voiced or

voiceless features and assimilation that conforms to the human organs produc­
ing the consonants, there are a few more phonetic changes.
The vel""' lc, g and h, when followed by e in th•V<K:ative form ofmaaculino
noUDS and in some verbal forms, change into ć, ž,I:·When followed by l, the

28
 PHONETICS

velars change into e, z and s. When the results are palatals, this assimilation
is called palataliution; when the results are sibilants (e, z, s), it is called sibi­
larization.
Palatalization k + -e = če g + -e =-že h + -e = -še
Sibilarization k + -i = -ci g + -i =- -zi h + -i = -si
Palatalization and sibilarization occur in the following cases.
a) Nouns: Palatalization occurs only in the Vocative of masculine nouns,
while sibilarization occurs in various plural cases . In feminine nouns, sibi­
larization occurs in the singular of the Dative and Locative forms.

N. sing. V. sing. D. sing. N. pl. D. pl.

Mase. vojnik (soldier) voj niče vojnici vojnicima
Fern. djevojka (girl) djevojci
Mase. suprug (husband) supruže supruzi supruzima
siromah siromaše siromasi siromasima

b) Verbs
Infinitive Present Imperative
peći * pek-ti (to bake) ja pečem; oni pelru peci. ..
reći * rek-ti (to say) ja rečem ; oni relru reci...

e) In some words borrowed from other languages, both palatalization and

sibilarization occur.

N. sing. V. sing. N. pl.

demagog ( demagogue) demagože demagozi
ćopek (dog - Turcism) ćopeče ćopeci
monah (monk) monaše monasi
Viking (Viking) Vikinže Vikinzi

There are many exceptions to this phonetic change.

N. sing. junak (hero) N. sing. djevojka (girl)
N. pl. junaci N. l A. fV. pl. djevojke
V. sing. juna�e G. sing. djevojke
A. pl. junake D. l L. sing. djevojci
D. I L. pl. junacima

29
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

From a historical point of view, palatalization is more recent than the ending
-e in the masculine plural, as well as the -e in the Genitive singular, Nomina­

tive/Accusative and Vocative plural, which explains these exceptions.

Other exceptions include words that contain (-)ki- or (-)gi-.
grbati se (to move) okidati (to puli the trigger)
Turkinja (Turkish lady) boginja (goddess)
uginuti (to die) prekidati (to interrupt)
gimnastika (gymnastics) skinuti (to take off, to remove)
veliki (big, big ones) daleki (distant, distant ones)
dugi (long, long ones) mnogi (many)

Exceptions also include possessive adjectives ending in -in.

bakin (grandmother's)
sekin (sister's)
tetkin (aunt's)
Kostarikin (ofCostarica)
Volgin (belonging to the Volga river, Volga's)
mazgin (mule's)
zagonetkin (belonging to a puzzle)

As well, in two-syllable words ending in -cka, -čka, -ska, -tka,-zga, the velars
do not usually change.
N. sing. D. sing.
kocka (cube) kocki
točka (dot) točki (and točcr)
daska (plank) dask i (and dasc1)
patka (duck) patki
bijuzga (slush) bljuzgi

Nor do the velars change in some proper names.

N. sing. D. sing.
Darka Dark i
Ljupka Ljupki
Olga Olgi
Požega Požegi
Volga Volgi
Osječanka Osječanki
Splićanka Splićanki

JO
 PHONETICS

Double forms exist in some feminine nouns ending in -tka.

N. D.
bitka (battle) bitki and bici
pri povij etka (story) pripovijetki and pripovijeci
zagonetka (puzzle) zagonetki and zagoneci

42. Sometimes, h changes into š in all forms of the present tense and of the impera­
tive.

Infinitive Prese nt Imperative

puhati (to blow) ja pille m; oni pillu pill i .. .
kihati (to sneeze) ja kišem; oni kišu kiši .. .
mahati (to wave) ja mašem; oni mašu maši

43. As with palatalization, ·Cat the end of masculine oouns changes into -č in the
Vocative case.
N. sing. V. sing.
stric (uncle) striče
zec (rabbit) zeče
ranilac (early riser) rani oče
mislilac (thinker) mislioče
kradljivac (thief) kradljivče

44. 1\vo nouns ending in -z change that -z in the Vocative singular into "-ž-".
N. vitez (knight) V. sing. viteže
N. knez (duke, pri nce) V. sing. kneže
But . .
N. mamlaz (jerk) V. sing. mamlaze
N. nalaz (finding) V. sing. nalaze
N. kukuruz (com) V. sing. kukuruze

45. When some coosonants are followed by ·�:· they sofbm, are changed into
palatals.

b + j = b/j: riba(fish) rib-a + j i = riblji (of fish)

e +j =č baciti (to throw) bac-iti + jen = bal:en (thrown)

31
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

č + j�č orčj razvlačiti (to stretch) razvlac + jen = razvlačen (stretched)

riječ (word) riječ+ ju = riječju (with a word)
mačka (cat) mač+ji = mačji (of a cat, feline)
ć +j = ć vruć (warm) vruć + ji = vrući (warmer)
d+j = đ glad (hunger) glad + ju = glađu (with hunger)
đ+ j � đ žeđ (thirst) žeđ + ju = žeđu (with thirst)
g +j = ž strog (strict) strog + j i = stroži (stricter)
h +j � š tih (silent) tih + j i = tiši (more silent)
k+j = č jak (strong) jak + j i = jači (stronger)
l + j �lj sol (salt) sol + ju = so/ju (with salt)
m + j = m/j uzimati (to take) uzim+ jem = uzimljem (l take)
n + j = nj braniti (to defend) bran + jen = branjen (defended)
nj +j = nj krnj (incomplete) krnj + ji = krnji (more incomplete)
p + j �pij kupiti (to buy) kup + jen = kup/jen (bought)
r + j = r ortj smiriti (to calm down) smir + jen = smiren (calmed down)
stvar (thing) stvar + ju = stvarju (with a thing)
s+j =š nositi (to carry) nos + jen = nošen (carried)
š + j = š or šj vršiti (to make) vri + jen = vršen (made)
raskoš (luxury) raskoš+ju = raskošju
t+ j = ć žut (yellow) žut + j i = žući (more yellow)
v + j = v/j živ (vivid) živ + ji = živ/ji (more vivid)
z+j =ž brz (fast) brz + j i = brži (faster)
ž + j = f.i laž (lie) laž + ju = lafju (with a lie)

As we can see from this chart, when palatals or the consonant "r" are followed
by the palatal consonant "j" they either do not change (riječju, stvarju, lažju)
or the "j" disappears (vrući, razvlačen, vršen). Between the lahia! consonants
"b," "m," "p," "v" and the consonant "j," an "l" is inserted: izgubiti (to lose) l
izgub/jen (lost); slomiti"( to break) l slom/jen (broken); kupiti (to buy) l kup/jen;
staviti (to put) J stav/jen (put).

When the grapbeme "-j-" is a part of"jaf', then "-j-" doea notclumge: bjdatl
(to run away), cjeUna (entirely), djeoa (children), sjena (shadow), tjerati (to
chase), vjera (faith), illvjetl (to live). The consonsnt 'T' remains unchanged
in comparative fonns ending in "-ll", "-je" and "-ja": pasji (of a dog, dog­
like), kozji (of a goa� goat-like).

32
 PHONETICS

This softening of consonants occurs mainly in the following cases.

a) the formation of nouns.
vesel (happy) + je = veselje (happiness)
mol-iti (to pray) + je = moljenje (praying)
grm (bush) + je = grmlje (bushes)

b) the Instrumental of feminine nouns ending in a consonant:

sol (salt) solju
krv (blood) krvlju etc. (See # 1 1 4- 1 1 5)

e) passive participles
nositi (to carry) nošen
mrvi ti (to crumble) mrvljen (crumbled) (See # 237-238)

d) the comparatives ofmonosyllabic adjectives

lud (crazy) luđi
žut (yellow) žući (See # 1 5 8 )

ACCENTS

46. There are four kinds of accents in Croatian.

fa l l i n g

\\ n

\ l

rising

33
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

a) Short falling

rlba (fish), s3d (now), lstina (truth), r3zbacan (dispersed)

�L--=-ab ---' 'a

b) Long falling
m3jka (mother), sit (watch), siini!anje (sun bath), tijni�tvo (secretariat)

'aa

e) Short rising
m&gla (fog), domOvina (native country), visOko (high), neprijatelj (enemy)

a
l a'

d) Long rising
rUka (hand, ann), interesirati se (to be interested in), prodlivanje (sell­
ing), prodavaOnica (store)

a'a

47. There are some basic rules concerning the distribution of accents in Croatian.

a) In general, there can be only one accent in a word, and it must be on the
stressed syllable.
sliv (whole) Imati (to have)
tajnOvit (mysterious) jugoistok (south-east)
nadod8vanje (addition) najudaljeniji (the most distant)

34
 PHONETICS

b) Monosyllabic words can have only falling accents.

jik (strong) j3d (misery)
On (he) pod (floor)
mir (peace) miš (mouse)
vUk (wolt) kUd (where)

e) Bi-syllabic words containing "jat" in which the norm is not very stable, i.e.
either the first or second part of'1at," can be accentogenous.
bijeg (flight, escape) (also: ··bijeg")
brijeg (hill) (also: "'brijeg")
grijeh (sin) (also: "grijeh'")
vijek (century) (also: ·'vijek")

d) Two-syllable words can have any of the four stresses on the first syllable,
but the last syllable cannot be stressed.
3Ii (but) pOtok (creek) mili (little) zminje (knowledge)

e) Some polysyllabic foreign words which have not yet been completely in­
corporated into the Croatian accentual system can have their last syllable
stressed.
asistent (assistant) (also: asistent)
oportunist (opportunist) (also: ·'oportU.nist")
foaje (foyer) (also: "foil.j e")

f) Some exclamations ("oba", "ehe", "uhu", "ah1i", "hoho" etc.) can have the
accent o:n the last syllable.

g) Words of three or more syllables can bave any accent on the initial syl­
lable. However, only rising accents can be on one of the middle syllables,
and the last or ending syllable cannot be stressed.
Očitovati (to manifest)
pOslati (to send)
mijčinstvo (motherhood)
dogOtoviti (to finish)
svetinja (holy object)
dozivanje (calling)

35
Vinko Grubi§ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

h) In Croatian, there can be no long vowels preceding stressed syllables.

mlnčrliiOgija (mineralogy)
nčpr6dUktivnost (unproductivity)
TniUgUr8cija (inauguration)

words that precede them (enclities) or with the words that follow them (proclitics).
48. There are a few acceotless words which fmm. an accentual unit either with the

49. Enclitics are:

a) present forms of the helping verbs "biti" (to be) and "htjeti" (will).
biti: sam,si,je,smo, ste,su
htjeti: ću,i·eš,će,ćemo,ćete, će (See # 190- 19 1 )

b ) the aorist o f the auxiliary verb "biti".

bih,bi, bi,bismo,biste,bi (See also # 196 and 232).
O nda smo bili ml8đi. (Then we were younger.)
v
K8d ćemo gov6riti O našim (When are we going to speak about
v u
prijateljima? our friends?)
Z3r bi Oni mOgli biti U našem (Could they be in our city?)
v u
gnidu?

e) the short forms of personal pronouns in the Dative and Accusative cases.
Genitive case: nas,vas,ih
Dative case: mi,ti,mu,joj,si, nam, vam,im
Accusative case: me,te,ga,nj, se, nas , vas, ih
Instrumental case: (See # 1 2 5 - 1 26)
TO mi se sviđa. (I like that.)
v v
za njega nitko nije dOsta dObar. (No one is good enough for him.)
u

IšlaJ e U školu s3 mnom.

POzivamo vas na rUčak. (We are inviting you for lunch.)
- u u
(She went to school with me.)
v
d) the interrogative particle "li".
Zni li On k8ko se dOlazi (Does he know how to get to
u u
U našu škOlu? our school?)
u

36
 PHONETICS

50. Proclitics include some conjunctions: a, da, i, ne, ni, pa.

i meni se tO sviđa. (I like that too.)
v u
Ni meni se tO ne sviđa. (l don't like it either.)
u u v
Ne znam O čemu gOvorite. (I don't know what are you talking about.)
u v

51. Proclitics are unaccented, mostly monosyllabic prepositions when followed

by words with falling accents:

bez, iz, iza, kod, među, na, o, od, po, pri, za, zbog (See # 278-287)
bez mene (without me)
v
kOd brata (at the brother's place)
v
iza zida (behind the wall)
u
međit nama (between us, among us)
v
O školi (about school)
u

52. There are some grammatical categories in which the accent and length of a
syllable are the only distinctive features:

a) present tense aorist tense

Čim On dOđe Čim On dOđe

(As soon as he comes.) (As soon as he came.)

Onda ima nađe svOju Olovku. Ona nađe svOju Olovku.

(She finds her pencil.) (She found her pencil.)

b) present tense imperative mood

NOsimO knjige it školu. NOsimO knjige U. školu.

u v
(We cany the books into school.) (Let' s carry the books to school.)

e) the definite aspect ofadjectives the indefinite aspect ofadjectives

Zelena livadaJe blizu niis. :leJena livadaJe blizu mls.

(A green meadow is close to us.) (The green meadow is close to us.)
Zeleno pOljeJe blizu. zeleno pi>ljec)e blizu.
(A green field is close.) (The green field is close.)

37
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

53. Some words are distinguished only by their accent.

bilo (pu ise) bilo (it was)
budi (be) biidi (he l she awakes)*
draga (valley) dr3ga (darling, fern.); drAga (dear, fern.)
dUga (long, fern.) dUga (rainbow)
grid (city) gr3d (hai!, frozen raindrops)
Imanje (having) imanje (property)
jela (fir tree) Jela (Helen)
riči (he/she paints) U�i (he l she resembles)
lUk (garlic) liik(bow)
lUka (harbour) LUka (Luke)
mila (dear, fern.) MOa (Milly)
pira (steam) p3ra (old coin worth 1/woofa dinar)
pUt (flesh, body, skin) piit (road, way)
r3dio (radio) radio (he worked)
slagati (to lie) slagati (to arrange)
tliman (exactly) taman (dark)
trfšnja (cherry) trešnja (shaking)
Vl3si (Vlachs) v13si (hair)

54. lt is especially difficult to distinguish between the two short accents, and in-
deed many native speakers of Croatian do not do so.
gOre (over there) gOre (forests)
Oko (eye) Oko (around)
predati (to be afraid) predati (to give up)
pi'i�ina (surface of the sea) pitčina (crowd)
vrela (boiled) vrela (hot)

55. Post-stressed syllables can be short or long. Sometimes the meaning of a

word can be determined only by whether a syUable is long or short:

TUJ e sa sUprug6m. (She is here with her husband.)

TUJ e sa sUprugOm. (He is here with his wife.)
v
v

• BUdi is also the imperative fonn of the verb ("'wake up!")

38
 PHONETICS

GOvorimo sa sUsjedOm. (We are speaking with a [male] neighbour.)

u u
GOvorimo sa sUsjedlim. (We are speaking wilh a [female] neighbour .)
v
Tiij J e tekst OpisAn.
TijJ e tekst Opisan.
(That text is descriptive.)
(That text is described.)
Ne boj se Učitelji. (Don't be afraid of the teacher.)
u u
Ne boj se Učitelji. (Don't be afraid of teachers.)
u u
56. Statements can exist that are composed of words that seem to be the same, but
are not:

Jela jelA jela. (Helen ate various foods.)

Vrela vrelA vreli. (The hot springs boiled.)

Such statements are extremely rare.

57. When declined or conjugated, some words often change not only the nature of
their accent, but also the location of the stress.

N. vrijćme (weather, time) N. pl. vremena

G. vremena G. pl. vremena
N. poglilvar (chief) N. pl. poglavari
D. poglavaru V. pOglavaru

Infinitive Present Active past participle

kupOvati kUpujem kUpovao l kupOvala l kupOvalo
(to buy)
interesirati se interesiram se interesirao se l interesirala se l
(to be interested in) interesiralo se

58. WriUen Croatian does not mark the accent nor the length of a stressed sYlla­
ble, except when such marking is the only feature conveying a word's lexical
meaning:

Čitao sam sOm tii knjigu. (l read that book myself. or

v
l alone have read that book.)
(These children are good.)

39
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Ti djeca su dObra? (The children are good?)

u
KU:pili smo jitbuka. (We bought some apples.)
v
KU:pili smo jilbuka. (We picked up some apples.)
Tiic) e moj pas.
v
(That"s my dog.)
TOJ e mOj pis. (That's my belt.)
VOdaJ e vrela . (The water is hot.)
VOdac) e vrela. (The water was boiling.)
samo samo dijete se bOji vUka. (Only a child that is alone is afraid of
v
wolves.)
Ti tiJ e bOja veOma lijepa. (But that colour is very nice.)
GIMali su nas s pr0z6ri. (They looked at us from their window.)
v v u
GIMali su nas s pr0z6r3.. (They looked at us from the windows.)
v v u

40
 MoRPHOLOGY

59. Like other Inda-European languages, Croatian has various kinds of words.
The endings of some words change; the roots of changeable words remain
intact while their endings change. Cbangeable words can be either singular or
plural. There are also words that do not change at all.

Pronouns
Adjectives
�
The following types of words change their fonns.

Nouns
They are declined so that they have seven cases in the
singular and seven in the plural
Numera{s

_/ They are conjugated. Verbs change according to the

� 1 51, 2nd and 3rd persons in the singular and in the plural.
Verbs They can be used in various tenses and moods, and in
the active and passive voices. Verbs can be transitive,
intransitive or reflexive.

The following types of words do not change.

Adverbs*
Prepositions
Conjunctions
Exclamations
Particles

60. A morphological analysis of a text.

• Since some adverbs can have comparative and superlative degrees-rano (early) l ranije (earlier) l
najranije (earliest}-they can be considered changeable words.

41
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

"Nebo je bilo sve niže i niže, i onda se gotovo okomito pred nama spustilo
u more, kao golema zelenkasta pregrada od debela stakla. Dotle smo stigli
gdje valovi udaraju u to staklo, a iza stakla ništa, praznina, neka svjetla i
neka tama." (Antun Š oljan, Brod u boci)
The sky got lower and lower until it suddenly stretched down right in front of
us, almost vertically, deep into the sea, like a buge greenish wall of thick glass.
We sailed on exactly to where the waves were hitting that glass, and behind the
glass there was nothing, just emptiness, some kind of light and some kind of
darkness. (Antun Šoljan, Ship in a Bott/e)

nebo = Nominative singular of the neuter nouo "nebo"

je bilo = 3n1 person past tense of the auxiliary verb "biti"; neuter (because of''nebo")
sve niže i niže = expression, lower and lower
i = conjunction
onda = adverb
se . . . spustilo = yd person singular of past tense of the verb "spustiti se"; neuter
(because of"nebo")
gotovo = adverb
okomito = adverb
pred = preposition
nama = Locative of the personal pronoun "mi"
u = preposition
more = Accusative singular of the neutral noun "more"
kao = adverb
golema = Nominative singular feminine of the adjective "golem"
zelenkasta = Nominative feminine of the adjective "zelenkast"
pregrada = Nominative singular of the feminine noun "pregrada"
od = preposition
debela = Genitive s ingu lar neuter of the adjective "debel"
stakla = Genitive singular neuter of the noun "staklo"
dotle = adverb
smo stigli = P1 person plural of past tense of the verb "stići"
gdje = adverb
valovi = Nominative plural masculine of the noun "val"
udaraju = yd person plural present tense of the verb "udarati"
u = preposition
to = Accusative singular neuter of the demonstrative pronoun "taj"
staklo = Accusative singular neuter of the noun "staklo"

42
 MORPHOLOGY

a = conjunction
iza = preposition
stakla = Genitive singular neuter of the nouo "staklo"
ništa = Nominative of the compound pronoun "ništa" (ni + šta)
praznina = Nominative singular feminine of the nouo "praznina"
neka = Nominative plural neuter of the compound pronoun "neki"
svjetla = Nominative plural neuter of th noun "svjetlo"
i = conjunction
neka = Nominative singular feminine of the compound pronoun"neki"
tama = Nominative feminine of the nouo "tama"

61. Nouns can be masculine, feminine or neuter in gender , while adjectives, the
majority of pronouns and some numerals can be used in all three genders.
The singular and plural forms in which nouns, pronouns, adjectives and some
numerals are declined can have the following seven cases.
Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Vocative, Locative, Instrumental

NOUNS

62. Nouns include the following categories, as well as all other beings and objects
whom or which we can name.

The names of people: Marko, Eva, Katica, osoba (person), sestra (sister),
dijete( child), junak (hero), prijatelj (friend)
Animals: vrabac (sparrow), krava (cow), pile (chick), pčela (bee)
Places, buildings and settlements: grad (city), naselje (settlement), put (path),
livada (meadow), zgrada (building), most (bridge)
Natural phenomena and celestial bodies: kiša(rain), sunce (sun), anđeo( angel)
Feelings and features: bol (sorrow), tuga (sadness), veselje (happiness), do­
brota (goodness)
The arts and sciences : slikarstvo (painting), kazalište (theatre), povijest (his­
tory)
Abstractions : milost (grace), starost (old age)

43
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Gender

63. The Croatian language bas three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter.
Unlike English, objects and abstract notions can be masculine, feminine or
neuter in Croatian.

Mase. Fern. Neut.

stol-O (table) stolica (chair) brdo (hill)
mir-O (peace) milost-O (grace) znanje (knowledge)
a) The majority of masculine nouns have the ending "-0-" in the Nominative
singular.
prozor-O (window) vrhunac-O (top)
prijatelj-O (friend) kralj-O (king)

b) Neuter nouns end in "-o" or in "-e" (usually after palatals).

jezero (lake) ulje (oil)
selo (village) polje (field)
krdo (herd) znanje (knowledge)
lice (face) sunce (sun)

Usually if the stems of neuter nouns end in non-palatals, the ending is "-o"
but if the stem ends in a palatal, the ending is "-e". However, some nouns
end "-e" after non-palatals-lice (face), seoce (small village), Sunce (sun),
šetalište (walking place)--and all other nouns ending in "-ce" or in "-šte".

e) The majority of feminine nouns end in "-a". However, there are some femi­
nine nouns ending in "-0": krv-O (blood), stvar-O (thing), sol-O (salt). A
large number of abstract feminine nouns end in "-ost-O": mladost-O (youth),
žalost-O (sadness), jednakost-O (equality).

64. Endings in the Nominative singular.

Masculine Neuter Feminine

-0 -0 (ost-O)
-o / -e (mostly in proper nouns) -o / -e

44
 MORPHOLOGY

65. There are only a few nouns in Croatian which can be both masculine and/
or feminine or feminine and/or neuter, such as bol-O (pain, suffering), mase.
and fern.; boli (sutferings) fern. pl.; bolovi (pains), mase. pl. Two other nouns
which are often used as examples are glad-O (hunger), masc.and fern., ve�er-0
(evening), fern. and mase.; veče (evening) neuter.

66. In Croatian, gender is grammatical and not natural; thus for instance "little
girl" can be in the feminine, neuter or masculine genders, ending in "-a", in
..k-0" and in "-e-0".

Feminine Masculine Neuter

djevojčica djevoj čuljak-O djevojče
curica curetak-0 curče

67. Nouns can be either singular or pl ural.

Singular Pl ural
razred-O (classroom) razredi (classrooms)
stol-O (table) stolovi (tables)
polj-e (field) polja (fields)
!kol-a (school) !kole (schools)
stvar-O (thing) stvari (things)
cvijet-O (flower) cvjetovi (flowers)
sel-o (village) sela (villages)

68. There are some nouns that, in addition to their plural forms, can also act as
collective nouns.

Singular Pl ural Collective

cvijet-O (flower) cvjetovi (flowers) cvijeće (flowers) cvijeća (various
kinds of flowers)
list-O (leaf) listovi (leaves) lilće (leaves)
lilća (various kinds of leaves)
prut-O (switch) prutovi (switches) pruće (switches) pruća (various
kinds of switches)
snop-O (sheaf) snopovi (sheaves) snoplje/snopovlje (sheaves)
snoplja/snopovlja (various kinds of
sheaves)

45
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Collective nouns, such as lišće, pruće and snoplje l snopovlje are considered
the singular fonns of lišća, pruća and snoplja l snopovlja.

69. Proper names can have both singular and pl ural fonns when appropriate.

S ingu lar
Ivan-O, Marko, Marija, Ana, Osijek-O, Zagreb-O, Split-O, Jadran-O

Plural
Svi Ivani danas slave svoj imendan.
(All I vans celebrate their nameday today.)
Tri Marije su išle na Kristov grob.
(Three Marys went to Christ's tomb.)

Some geographic names (toponyms) only have a plural fonn: VInkovci, Kor­
lovci, Mirkovci, Petričane, Ploče, Babine Stijene, etc.

70. If the quantity ofa plural noun cannot be counted, then the plural noun alludes
to various kinds of that particular noun.

mlijeko (milk) mlijeka (various kinds of milk)

sol-O (salt) soli (various kinds of salt)
vino (wine) vina (various kinds of wine)
zlato (gold) zlata (various kinds of gold)
žito (wheat) žita (various kind of wheat)

71. In addition to the plural fonns ofnouns, some neuter collective nouns can also
have their own plural, which refer to various kinds of that particular nouo.

Singular Plural Collective

tele-O (calf) telad-O (calves) teladi (various kinds ofcalves)
pile-O (chick) pilad-O (chicks) piladi (various kinds of chickens)
janje-O (lamb) janjad-O (lambs) janjadi (various kinds of lambs)
momče-O (young momčad-O (a team) momčadi (teams)
man)

46
 MORPHOLOGY

72. There are some nouns which are used in the plural only.

Masculine Neuter Feminine

nogari (trestle) kola (car, wagon) desni (gums)
žganci (maize) leđa (back) grablje (rake)
prsa (chest) gusle (single-stringed
usta (mouth) Croatian instrument)
pluća (lungs) jasle (manger)
vrata (door) ljestve (ladder)
naćve (dough tray)
nao�ari (glasses)
nao�ale l o�ale (glasses)
saonice (sledge)
!kare l nožice (scissors)
vile (pitch fork)

The collective noun živad-O (poultry) is also a feminine noun.

73. Sometimes singular fonns are used with a logical plural meaning.

Danas Nijemac živi veoma dobro.
Grk je redovito dobar ribar.
Čovjek se ne smije bojati zime.
Ovdje su ženi i mulkarcu jednako
pristupačni svi poslovi.
(Gennans today live very well.)
(Greeks are usually good fishennen.)
(Man should not be afraid of winter.)
(Here men and women have equal
access to all jobs.)

Cases

74. Croatian bas seven cases in the singular and seven in the plun.l. Some of them
always have the same ending (Dative and Locative), but since their roles in
sentences are different we bave to consider them to be two distinctive catego­
ries.

F onns are detennined by the endings of a declinable word and by the letter
preceding the endings.

47
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

75. We ask differeDt questioas for ODimate nouns (human beings and animals) and
for inanimate nouns (plants, things. abstract nouns).

Animate - lnanimate
a) The Nominative is often called the subject case and answers the questions tko
(who) and Ito (what).
b) The Genitive denotes possession or the origin of a person or an object. lt an­
swers the questions koga (of or from whom), and čega (of or from what).
e) The Dative denotes direction (of approach) towards a person or an object. lt
answers the questions komu/kome (to whom) and čemu (to what).
d) The Accusative is called the object case because its main function is that of a
direct object. lt answers the questions koga (whom) and što (what).
e) The Vocative is called the addressing case. lt is often identical to the Nomina­
tive.
f) The Locative is called the prepositional case or location case because it usually
denotes the location where an action is taking place. lt answers the questions
na, o, u or komu (on, at or in whom) and na, o or u čemu (on, at or in what).
The endings for the Dative and Locative are always the same, but, unlike the
Dative case, the Locative case can only occur with a preposition.
g) The Instrumental indicates by which means, or in whose company an action
is performed. lt answers the questions s kim (with whom) and čim(e) (with
what).

Case Animate !nani mate

Nominative tko (who)? što (what)?
Genitive koga (of/from whom)? čega (of/from what)?
Dative komu/kome (to whom)? čemu (to what)?
Accusative koga (whom)? što (what)?
Vocative tko (who)? što (what)?
Locative na, o, u . . . komu/kome (on, na, o, u . . . čemu (on, at, in what)?
at, in whom)?
Instrumental s kim (with whom)? čim(e) (with what)?

48
 MORPHOLOGY

Masculine Nouns

76. For masculine nouns, it is particularly important to pay attention to certain op­
positions.
animate masculine nouns inanimate masculine nouns
monosyllabic masculine nouns polysyllabic masculine nouns
stem ending in "k", "g", "h", or "e" stem ending in any other consonant
stem ending in a palatal stem ending in non-palatal

77. The dative and locative as well as some other cases always bave the same end­
ings and for that reason we mention them together. Nevertheless, one should
keep in mind that they have different diSCUISive functions.

Case Endings
Singular (sing.) Plurel (pl.)
Nominative (N) -0* -i
Genitive (G) -a -a
Dative!Locative (D& L) -u -ima
Accusative (A) -0/-a (inanimate N or animate =G) -e
Vocative (V) -el-u (-e after non-palatals or -u -i (-N)
after palatals)
Instrumental (l) -oml-em (-om after non-palatals -ima (-DIL)
and -em after palatals)

Examples:
Singular P/ural Singular P/ural
N. prozor-O N. prozori N. učitelj-O N. učitelji
G. prozora G. prozora G. učitelja G. učitelja
D.IL. prozoru D.IL. prozorima D .IL . učitelju D .IL. učiteljima
A. prozor-O A. prozore A. učitelja A. učitelje
v. prozore v. prozori v. učitelju v. učitelji
l. prozorom l. prozorima l. učiteljem l. učiteljima

• This morpheme "zero" is never written. Here it is just used to indicate that there is no change to
the ending of the word.

49
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

78. For nouns designating animate beings, the Accusative and Genitive cases are
the same (A.: učitelja ; G.: učitelja), while for inanimate nouns theAccusative
and Nominative bave the same endings (A.: prozor-O; N.: prozor-O).
To clarify the explanation of various types of declension, we use "=" for cases
that have the same endings.

they can mean somebody or something.

Some nouns caD beloug to both animate and inanimate categories, because

�lan-O (article, member)

glasnik-O (herald, messenger)
obija�-0 (lock opener, lock picker)
rak-O (crab, cancer)
vjesnik-O; Vjesnik-O), (messenger; the newspaper Vjesnik)

The words mrtvac-O and pokojnik-O (dead man) are also considered "ani­
mate" nouns.

On ima rak. (He has cancer.)

Vidio sam raka. (l saw a crab.)
On svaki dan čita Vjesnik. (He reads Vjesnik everyday).
Sreo je vjesnika. (He met the messenger.)

79. Animate lnanimate

N. (tko?) (Ito?)
U�itelj-0 ima mnogo posla. Prozor-O je visok.
(The teacher is very busy.) (The window is high.)

G. (koga?) (�ega?)
Daleko smo od učitelja. Daleko smo od prozora.
(We're far from the teacher.) (We're far from the window.)

D. (komu?) (�emu?)
Idemo u�itelju. Idemo prozoru.
(We're going to the teacher.) (We're going to the window.)

50
 MORPHOLOGY

A. (koga?) (Ito?)
Vidjeli smo u<!itelja. Vidjeli smo prozor-O.
(We saw the teacher.) (We saw the window)

V. Dragi naš učitelju! Dragi naš prozore!

(Our dear teacher!) (Our dear window! )

L. (na komu?) ( n a čemu?)

Lijep je kaput na učitelju. Lijep je kaput na prozoru.
(The coat on the teacher is nice.) (The coat on the window is nice.)

(kim?) (čim/e/?)
Ponosimo se učiteljem. Ponosimo se prozorom.
(We're proud of the is teacher.) (We're proud of the window.)

The same statements can appear in the plural fonn.

N. (tko?) (što?)
Učitelji imaju mnogo posla. Prozori su visoki.
(The teachers are very busy.) (The windows are high.)

G. (koga?) (čega?)
Daleko smo od u<!itelja. Daleko smo od prozora.
(We're far from the teachers.) (We're far from the windows.)

D. (komu?) (<!emu?)
Idemo učiteljima. Idemo prozorima.
(We're going to the teachers.) (We're going to the windows.)

A. (koga?) (Ito?)
Vidjeli smo učitelje. Vidjeli smo prozore.
(We saw the teachers.) (We saw the windows.)

v. (addressing case)
Dragi naši učitelji! Dragi naši prozori!
(Our dear teachers!) (Our dear windows! )

L. (na komu?) (na <!emu?)

Lijepi su kaputi na učiteljima. Lijepi su kaputi na prozorima.
(The coats on the teachers are (The coats on the windows are
nice.) nice.)

Sl
Vinko Grubgić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

(kim?) (čim/e/?)
Ponosimo se ut:iteljima. Ponosimo se prozorima.
(We're proud of the teachers.) (We're proud of the windows.)

80. The following are further examples of masculine nouns.

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

N. razred-O razredi prijatelj-O prijatelji
G. razreda razreda prijatelja prijatelja
D .IL. razredu razredima prijatelju prijateljima
A. razred-O razrede prijaltelja prijatelje
v. razrede razredi prijatelju prijatelji
I. razredom razredima prijateljem prijateljima

81. Since "razred-O" ends in the non-palatal "d" + O , it has the Vocative ending "-e",
and the Instrumental ending "om." However, "prijatelj-O" ends in the palatal "lj"
+ O, and therefore has the ending "-u" in the Vocative and the ending "-em" in
the Instrumental. The opposition between palatals and non-palatals is very im­
portant for masculine and neuter nouns, because some endings in the singular
depend on that opposition.

Singular P/ural
N. momak-O momci
G. momka momaka
D .IL. momku momcima
A. momka momke
v. momče momci
momkom momcima

Many masculine nouns contain the fleeting a which is always short. Compare
novinar Uour-nalist) - novinara - but starac (old man) - starca.

52
 MORPHOLOGY

82. The allomorphs of the noun "momak" are: momak-; momk-; momć-; mome-.

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

N. zid-O zidovi mač-O mačevi papir-O papiri
G. zida zidova mača mačeva papira papira
D.IL. zidu zidovima maču mačevima papiru papirima
A. zid-O zidove mač-O mačeve papir-O papire
v. (zide) (zidovi) (maču) (mačevi) (papire) (papiri)
zidom zidovima mačem mačevima pap irom papirima

In the plural cases, it is necessary to take into account the number of syllables
in masculine nouns. In monosyllabic (one-syllable) masculine nouns, "ov"
(after non-palatals) or ''ev" (after palatals) is inserted between the stem and
the endings; polysyllabic nouns (nouns that consist of more than one syllable)
are formed by the addition of plural endings directly to the stem.

a) Many monosyllabic nouns have both short and long pl ural forms.
brodi (boats) brodovi noži (knives) noževi
broši (brooches) broševi oci (fathers) ol:evi
brusi (whetstones) brusovi puci (folk) pukovi
l:asi (moments) l:asovi puti (ways) putovi
djedi (grandfathers) djedovi puži (snails) puževi
glasi (voices) glasovi raci (lobsters) rakovi
gnjati (shanks) gnjatovi rozi (homs) rogovi
kljul:i (keys) kljul:evi skuti (skirts) skutovi
knezi (princes) knezovi/kneževi sni (dreams) snovi
kraci (limbs) krakovi trazi (traces) tragovi
kraji (regions) krajevi vali (waves) valovi
kralji (kings) kraljevi vuci (wolves) vukovi
kruzi (circles) krugovi vrazi (devils) vragovi
kuti (corners) kutovi zeti (sons-in-law) zetovi
mači (swords) mal:evi zmaji (dragons) zmajevi
miši (mice) miševi zvuci (sounds) zvukovi
muži (men, husbands) muževi žulji (calluses) žuljevi

53
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

b) Some masculine monosyllabic nouns have only the short plural.

ar (area; 1 00 m2) ari pas (dog) psi

Bask (Basque) Baski prst (finger) prsti
brav (wether) bravi Prus (Prussian) P rusi
cent (penny) centi ptić (little bird) ptići
crv (wonn) crvi Rus (Russian) Rusi
Ćeh (Czech) Česi spis (act) spisi
dan (day) dani Škot (Scot) Škoti
đak (student) đaci Šved (Swede) Švedi
gnjev (wrath) gnjevi Srb l Srbin (Serb) Srbi
gost (guest) gosti srh (gooseflesh) srsi
Got (Goth) Goti vat (watt) vati
Grk(Greek) Grci vers (verse) versi
jad (misery) jadi Vlah (Vlach) Vlasi
konj (horse) konji volt (volt) volti
mrav (ant) mravi žrec (pagan priest) žreci

e) There are some monosyllabic masculine nouns whose short and long plural
forms have different meanings.

akti (acts) aktovi (nudes l paint l documents)

dusi (spirits) Duhovi (Pentecost)
puci (peoples) pukovi (regiments)
sati (hours) satovi (watches, clocks)
zubi (teeth) zubovi (cogs)

d) Some compound nouns, of which the second part is a monosyllabic noun, form
the long pl ural.

Singular P/ural
pradjed (grandfather) pradjedovi
podprag ( doorstep) podpragovi

54
 MORPHOLOGY

e) The following are examples of nou ns ending in ---<: .

Singular P/ural
N. otac-O zec-O oci l očevi zečevi
G. oca (from "otca") zeca otaca/očeva zečeva
D .IL. ocu (from "oteo") ocima /očevima zečevima
A. oca zeca oce l očeve zečeve
v. oče (from "otče") zeče oci l očevi zečevi
I. (s) ocom zecom ocima l očevima zečevima

f) Analyzing the word "otac" shows that its stem in the Nominative singular is
"oc-" ("ote") and in the Genitive plural, "otac-". This fleeting a is the cause of
the existence oftv.·o allomorphs for this and other nouns as well. "Zec-O" does
not have two allomorphs in the pl ural because it does not contain the fleeting
a in its stem. Other nouns ending in "-e" are declined like "zec": kec-O (ace),
princ-O (prince), stric-O (uncle).

g) There are also many two.-syllable words which can have both the short and
long plural. In fact, their stems have two allomorphs, one being monosyllabic
and the other bi·syllabic.

badanj* (vat, tub) badnji l badnjevi (vats, tubs)

bubanj (drum) bubnji l bubnjevi (drums)
cedar (cedar, cedar-tree) cedri l cedrovi (cedars)
dabar (beaver) dabri l dabrovi (beavers)
dojam (impression) dojmi l dojmovi (impressions)
galeb (seagull) galebi l galebovi (seagulls)
golub (pigeon) golubi l golubovi (pigeons)
jaram (yoke) jarmi l jarmovi (yokes)
jastreb (hawk) jastrebi l jastrebovi (hawks)
kašalj (cough) kašlji l kašljevi (coughs)
kotao** (cauldron) kotli l kotlovi ( cauldrons)
lakat (elbow) lakti / laktovi (elbows)

* Radica! allomorphs badanj- : badnj-

** Radica! allomorphs kotao l kotal- : koti-

55
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

manjak (deficit) manjci l manjkovi (deficits)

oganj (fire) ognji l ognjevi (tires)
orao"'** (eagle) orli l orlovi (eagles)
ovan (ram) ovni l ovnovi (rams)
palac (thumb) palci l palčevi (thumbs)
pijetao**** (rooster) pijetli l pijetlovi (roosters)
pucanj (shot) pucnji l pucnjevi (shots)
ražanj (barbecue spit) ražnji l ražnjevi (barbecue spits)
ručak (lunch) ručci l ručkovi (lunches)
sajam (market, fair) sajmi l sajmovi (markets, fairs)
sokol (falcon) sokoli l sokolovi (falcons)
stalak (stand) stalci l stalkovi (stands)
stupanj (degree) stupnji l stupnjevi (degrees)
svežanj (bundle) svežnji l svežnjevi (bundles)
točak (wheel) točci l točkovi (wheels)
toranj (tower) tornji l tornjevi (towers)
vepar (wild boar) vepri l veprovi (wild boars)
visak (plumb line) visci l viskovi (plumb lines)
vi§ak (surplus) višci /viškovi ( excesses)
zajam (loan) zajmi l zajmovi (loans)
žrvanj (grinder) žrvnji l žrvnjevi (grinders)

All these nouns (except "galeb-O," "golub-O," ''jastreb-O," and "sokol-O") con­
tain the fleeting a.

83. Singular P/ural Singular P/ural Singufar P/ural

N. mrav-O mravi mjesec-O mjeseci nokat-O

nokti
G. mravi/ju mjeseca mjeseci noktanokUlju) l
nokata
D .IL . mravu mravima mjesecu mjesecima noktu noktima
A. mjesec-O mjesece nokat-O noktt>
v. mrave mravi mjeseče mjeseci noktt> nokU
mravom mravima mjesecom mjesecima noktom noktima

••• Radica! allomorphs orao l oral : orl­

•••• Here "ije" is considered one syllable.

56
 MORPHOLOGY

"Mjesec-O" means both moon and month. When "mjesec-O" means moon, it
does not have plural forms. ln addition to "mrav-O" (ant), "mjesec-O" (month),
and "nokat-O" (fingernail), there are some other nouns which have the ending
-i in the Genitive pl ural, and the ending -ima in the Dative, Locative and In­
strumental pl ural: ar-O (one hundred square metres): ari, arima; crv-O (worm):
crvi, crvima; hvat-O (fathom): hvati, hvatima; par-O (pair): pari, parima; sat-O
(hour): sati, satima; zub-O (tooth): zubi, zubima; vat-O (watt), Genitive pl ural
vati and vata, Dative, Locative and Instrumental vatima.

Some other nouns follow the same pattern as gost-O (guest): gostiju, gostima;
prst-O (finger): prstiju, prstima, zub-O (tooth): zubiju, zubima.

84. The noun l!ovjek-0 (man) has irregular forms in the plural: ljudi (men, people).

Singular P/ural
N. čovjek-O N .N. ljudi
G. čovjeka G. ljudi
D .IL. čovjeku D./L./1. ljudima
A. čovjeka A. ljude
v. čovječe
s čovjekom

The same is true of compound words containing the root l!ovjek: nečovjek-O
(bad man), polul!ovjek-0 (half man), pral!ovjek-0 (prehistoric man).

85. In masculine nouns ending in -anin-O (mainly an indication of place of ori­

gin), the -ln is dropped in all plural cases. However, in words of foreign ori­
gin, as well as in some other nouns, the final long -in-(} is preserved in the
plural cases.

Singular P/ural
Zagrepčanin-O (from Zagreb) Zagrepčani
Imoćanin-O (from Imotski) lmoćani
Osječanin-O (from Osjek) Osječani
Senjanin-O (from Senj) Senjani
brđanin-O (mountain-dweller) brđani
mještanin-O (townsperson) mještani

57
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

but

aspirin-O (aspirin) aspirini

nitroglicerin-0 (nitroglycerin) nitroglicerini
magazin-O (magazine) magazini

Singular P/ural Singular Plural

Nominative Karlovčanin-O Karlovčani aspirin-O aspirini
Genitive Karlovčanina Karlovčana aspirina aspirina
Dative Karlovčaninu Karlovčanima aspirinu aspirinima
Accusative Karlovčanin& Karlovčane aspirin-O aspirine
Vocative Karlovčanine Karlovčani aspirine aspirini
Instrumental Karlovčaninom Karlovčanima aspirinom aspirinima

86. ln addition to the fleeting a, there are several other changes that occur in mas­
culine nouns,

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

N. prolaznik-O prolaznici suprug-O supruzi zloduh-O zlodusi
G. prolaznika prolaznika supruga supruga zloduha zloduha
D.L. prolazniku prolaznicima suprugu supruzima zloduhu zlodusima
A. prolaznika prolaznike supruga supruge zloduha zloduhe
v. prolazniče prolaznici supruže supruzi zlodufe zlodusi
prolaznikom prolaznicima suprugom supruzima zloduhom zlodusima

The al\omorphs of prolaznik- are: prolaznik-, prolaznič- and prolazoic-,

The allomorphs of suprug- are: suprug-, supruž- and supruz-,
The allomorphs of zloduh- are: zloduh-, zloduš- and zlodus-.

58
 MORPHOLOGY

Singular P/ural
-O (N.) prolaznik-O -i (N.) prolaznici**
prolaznik- -a (G.) prolaznika prolaznik- -a (G.) prolaznika
-u (D. IL.) prolazniku -ima (D. / L.) prolaznicima**
prolaznič- -a (A. / G.) prolaznika prolaznic- -e (A.) prolaznike
-e (V.) prolaznic�e* -i (V.) prolaznici**
-om (!.) prolaznikom -ima (l.) prolaznicima*"'

The same could be said for suprug-O and zloduh-O, as well as for other nouns whose
stem ends in -k, -g, or -h. (See # 4 1 ). The exception is always the Accusative plural­
junak-0 (hero): junake; prolaznik-O (passer-by): prolaznike; propuh-0 (draft): propuhe.

87. The stem of some masculine nouns end in an -o, which is formed through
the vocalisation of the final -l: anđeo-O l anđel-O (angel), kabao-O l kabal-0
(bucket), orao-O l oral-O (eagle), pepeo-O l pepel-0 (ashes), smisao-O l smis­
al-O (sense, meaning).

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

N. anđeo-O anđeli pepeo-O pepeli orao-O orlilorlovi
G. anđela anđela pepela pepela orla orala/orlova
D.IL. anđelu anđelima pepelu pepeli ma orlu orlima/orlovima
A. anđela anđele pepeo-O pepe le orla orlima!orlovima
v. anđele anđeli pepeo-O pepeli orle orlilorlovi
l. anđelom anđelima pepelom pepelima orlom orlima/orlovima

Some other masculine nouns ending in -o are declined like "orao": kabao-O
(bucket), kotao-O (pot), pijetao-O (rooster).

The fleeting a is found in the nouns "orao-O" (allomorphs: "oral-" and "orl-")
and "smisao-O" (allomorphs: "smisal-0" and "smisl-0"), and in some others.

• k+e=će
** k+i =ci

59
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Singular P/ural Singu/ar P/ural Singu/ar P/ural

N. starac-O starci Hrvoje (Hrvoji) Ivan-O (Ivani)
G. starca staraca Hrvoja (Hrvoja) Ivana (Ivana)
D./ L starcu starcima Hrvoju (Hrvoj ima) Ivanu (Ivanima)
A. starca starce Hrvoja (Hrvoje) Ivana (Ivane)
v. starče starci Hrvoje (Hrvoji) Ivane (Ivani)
L starcornl starcima Hrvojem (Hrvojima) Ivanom (lvanima)
starcem

Instead of the plural of proper nouns "Hrvoji" and "Ivani," Croatian usually
uses "svaki Hrvoje" and "svaki Ivan" (each Hrvoje, each Ivan).

88.

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural Singu/ar P/ural

N. ataše-O atašei sako-O sakoi intervju-O intervjui
G. atašea atašea sakoa sakoa intervjua intervjua
D./L. atašeu atašei ma sakou sakoima intervjuu intervjuima
A. atašea atašee sako-O sakoe intervju-O intervjue
v ataše-O atašei sako-O sakoi intervju-O intervjui
atašeom atašeima sakoom sakoima intervjuom intervjuima

Nouns of foreign origin ending in -e, -i, -o or -u, have the same fonns for
the Nominative singular and Vocative singular: foaje (foyer), renome (repu-
tation), taksi (taxi), žiri (jury), embrio (embryo), folio (folio), guru (guru),
Antonescu, Acapulco.

Singular P/ural
N. Antonescu-0 Acapulco renome-O renomei
G. Antoneskua Acapulka renomea
D .IL Antoneskuu Acapulku renomeu renomeima
A. Antoneskua Acapulco renome-O renomee
v Antonescu-0 Acapu\co renome-O renomei
s Antoneskuom s Acapulkom s renomeima

60
 MORPHOLOGY

The original spelling of foreign proper nouns is usually visible only in the
Nominative singular (Acapulco : Acapulka). (See 378-382).

89. The nouns "dio-O" (part), "predio-O" (region) and "razdio-O"(section) have the
following allomorphs: dio-O, dijel-O, predio-O, predjel-0, razdio-0, razdjel-O.

Singular Plura! Singular Plural

N. dio-O dijelovi predio-O predjeli
G. dijela dijelova predjela predjela
D .IL. dijelu dijelovima predjelu predjelima
A. dio-O dijelove predio-O predjele
v. dio-O dijelovi predio-O predjeli
dijelom dijelovima predjelom predjelima

"Dio" (part) is considered a monosyllabic noun.

Neuter Nouns

90. There is a slight difference between the declension of masculine and,neuter

nouns: in the Nominative singular, neuter nouns end in � (after non-palatals)
or in -e (almost always after palatals, or after -lt- or -ld-, and -e-). In neuter
nouns, the Nominative, Accusative and Vocative cases are identical in both
the singular �d plural. Therefore differences between the animate and inani­
mate are irrelevant for neuter nouns.

91. The endings for neuter nouns are as follows.

Singular P/ural
N.IA.N. selo (-o) (field) polje (-e) sela (-a) (village) polja (-a)
G. sela (-a) polja (-a) sela (-a) polja (-a)
D./L. selu (-u) polju (-u) selima (-ima) poljima (-ima)
l. selom(-om) poljem (-em) selima (-ima) poljima (-ima)

61
Vinko Grubišić. CROATIAN GRAMMAR

92. In all seven cases, "selo" and ''polje" have the same number of syllables in
both the singular and plural. However, ''ime" and "tele" have a number ofsyl­
lables in the Nominative, Accusative and Vocative singular that are different
from the number of syllables found in the Genitive, Dative, Locative and In­
strumental singular, in which the infixes "-en-," -et-" and "-es-" are inserted.
That is why "selo'' and ''polje" follow one pattern, while nouns belonging to
the type of"ime" and "tele" follow another type of declension.

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

N .lA.N. im-e-O im-en-a tel-e-O (*telad) čud-o čud-a/čud-es-a
G. im-en-a im-en-a tel-et-a čud-u čud-ima/čud-es-ima
im-en-om im-en-ima tel-et-om čud-om čud-ima/čud-es-ima

93. A few neuter nouns insert the infixes -en- or -et- between the stem and the
endings in the Genitive, Dative l Locative and Instrumental: prezim-e-O (last
name), sjem-e-O (seed), brU)em-e-0 (burden), tjem-e-O (top of the head),
vim-e-O (udder), janj-e-O (lamb), moml:-e-0 (youth, young man), sirol:-e-0
(orphan), pil-e-O (chick), tan-e-O (bullet), jaj-e-O (egg). Nouns with the in fix
-en- have that infix in all cases in the plural. Nouns with the inserted infix -
et- do not have plural forms but are replaced by collective nouns: janjad-O,
siročad-O, pilad-O, which are dec\ined as singular feminine nouns ending in
-0: telad-O, pilad-O, janjad-O, unučad-O, momtad-0; teladi, piladi, janjadi,
unuhdi, momčadi, etc (see # 1 1 4-1 1 8). However, jaje-O has the regular pl ural
"jaja" (eggs), while bure-O (barre\), dugme-O (button), puce-0 (button) and
tane-O (bullet) have double plural forms: "bureta" : burad-O," "dugmeta" :
"dugmad-O,'' puceta": "pucad-0" and "taneta" : "tanad-O." The plurals of
drvo (wood, tree) are "drva" (woods) and drveta (trees).

94. There are only four nouns that form their plural by the insertion of the in fix -es­
between the stem and the endings: tijelo (body) l tjelesa; kolo (wheel) l kolesa;
nebo (sky) l nebesa; and čudo (mirac\e): čudesa. In addition to "tjelesa," "kole­
sa" and "čudesa" there also exist the plural forms ·'tijela," "kola" and "l:uda."
"Tijela" is used in the expression "nebeska tijela" (ce\estial bodies).

95. More common plural forms of janj-e-O, siroč-e-O, pil-e-O, kozl-e-O are the
masculine forms: "janjići," "sirotići," "pilići," "kozlići" etc.

62
 MORPHOLOGY

96. Singular Plural Singular Piurai

N .IAN. pismo (letter) pisma stablo (tree) stabla
G. p1sma pisama stabla stabala
D .IL. pismu pismima stablu stablima
l. pismom pismima stablom stablima

97. The tleeting a appears when necessary, only in the Genitive plural.
pismo (letter)
jedro (sail)
veslo (oar)
društvo (company)
pisama
jedara
vesala
društava

98. All verbal nouns ending in -nje are neuter: pjevanje (singing), u�enje (study­

vanje (bnnches), sjemenje (seeds), korijenje (roots), etc. These collective

ing), kopanje (digging). Collective nouns can also bave the same ending:

nouns can have plural forms that mean "different kinds of."

Singular Plural Singular Plural

N .IAN. kopanje kopanja sjemenje sjemenja
G. kopanja kopanja sjemenja sjemenja
D .IL. kopanju kopanjima sjemenju sjemenjima
kopanjem kopanjima sjemenjem sjemenjima

99. Some neuter proper nouns follow the pattern of other nouns ending in -o or in -e.
N .IAN. Bugojno Selišće
G. Bugojna Selišća
D .IL. Bugojnu Selišću
Bugojnom Selišćem

63
Vinko Grubi�ii:, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

100. "Oko" (eye) and "uho" (ear) are regular neuter nouns. However, their plural
forms are somewhat different than those of other neuter nouns.

N.IA.N. oči uši

G. očiju ušiju
D./L./1. očima ušima

101. The nouns "usta" (mouth) and "vrata" (door) only have plural forms and both
nouns are slightly irregular.

N.IA.N. usta vrata

G. usta/ustiju vrata/vrat{iu
D./L./1. ustima vratima

102. "Podne" (noon) is either indeclinable or it has a special declension with the in­
fix -ev-. In the singular, it is declined as a neuter, and in the pl ural it is declined
as a masculine noun.

Singular P/ural
N.IA.N. podn-e-O N.N. podnevi
G. podneva G. podneva
D .IL. podnevu D./L./1. podnevima
podnevom A. podneve

"Popodne" (afternoon) and "dopodne" (morning, before noon) are declined in

the same way as "podne" (G. popodneva l dopodneva).

103. The neuter noun doba (time, times, era, period), is undeclinable. Do not con­
fuse "doba" with the fern. noun "dob-O" (age).

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 MORPHOLOGY

Feminine Nouns

104. Feminine nouns ending in -a have the following case endings.

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

N. -a -a -e
G.
D. l L. žen- -i žen- prijatelj ic- -i prijatelj ic- -ama
A. -u -e -u -e
v. -o -e -e -e
-o m -ama -om -ama

lOS. The majority ofthe nouns ending in -a are feminine nouns and are declined as
follows.

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural Singular

N. knjiga (book) knjige kocka (cube) kocke Milka
G. knjige knjiga kocke kocaka Milke
D .IL. knjizi knjigama kocki kockama Milki
A. knjigu knjige kocku kocke Milku
v knjigo knjige kocke kocke Milka/Milko
L knjigom knjigama kockom kockama Milkom

106. The Vocative of feminine nouns can have three different endings: ženo, pri­
jateljice, Milka l Milko. Neither in the singular nor in the plural do the velars "k,"
"g," "h" change into "č," "ž," "š" when followed by "e."

N. bitka (fight)
G. bitke
NJAN pl. bitke

107. The velars "k," "g" and "h" change into "e," "z" and "s" before "-i": "majka"
(mother), "knjiga" (book), and svrha (goal): majci, knjizi, svrsi. Nouns end­
ing in -cka, -čka, -ćka, -ska, -tka, -zga, as well as hypocorisms and proper
nouns, do not change velars into sibilants.

65
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Nominative Dative!Locative Nominative Dative/Locative

kocka (cube) kocki pljuska (slap) pljuski
kvotka (ben) k votki patka (duck) patki
voćka (fruit tree) voćki bijuzga (slush) bljuzgi
baka (grandmother) baki seka (sister) seki
There are also many double forms.

Nom inative Dative l Locative

Dubravka Dubravki or Dubravci
bitka (fight) bitki or bici
pripovijetka (story) pripovijetki or pripovijeci (See # 4 1 )

Singular Plural
N. stolica (chair) N .IAN. stolice
G. stolica G. stolice
D. l L. stolici D./L./1. stolicama
A. stolicu
v. stol ico
L stolicom

N. biljelka (remark, note) N .IAN bilješke

G. biljelke G. bilježaka
D .IL. biljelci D .IL/L bilješkama
A. bi !jelku
v. biljelko
bi !jelkom

108. The noun "bilje.fka" (verb "biljež-iti + suffix -ka) has in all cases the clustering
consonants -šk-, except in the Genitive plural when it becomes -laka, because
l / ž -k is separated by the fleeting a. This noun has two allomorphs: bilješ- and
biljet-. The voiced phoneme "ž," when followed by the voiceless "k," changes
into its voiceless pair "š." Similar cases are "pripovijetka" (narration): Geni­
live pl ural "pripovijedaka"; "zipka" (cradle): Genitive plural "zibaka"; "rićka"
(redhead, fern.): Genitive plural "riđaka." (See # 37 )

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 MORPHOLOGY

109. Nouns ending in -čka, -dba, -ljka, -kva, -ska, -ška,-šnja, -tka, -tla, -tra, -tva,
-vca have the fleeting a in the Genitive plural.

Nominative Genitive Nominative Geni/ive

plural p/ural
točka (dot, period) točaka puška (gun) pušaka
prosudba (judgment) prosudaba višnja (sour cherry) višanja
biljka (plant) biljaka tetka (aunt) tetaka
mrkva (carrot) mrkava metla (broom) metala
daska (board) dasaka sestra (sister) sestara
britva (razor) britava
ovca (sheep)
The fleeting a does not appear in the nouns clustering in -dnja, -lba, -pta, -rba,
-ska, -sta, -lća, -Ita, -tn ja, -zda, -žba, -žda.

Nominalive Genitive Plura!

bludnja (error) bludnja
molba (request) molba
služba (service) služba
lopta (ball) lopta
tvorba (formation) tvorba
vrsta (kind) vrsta
vojska (army) vojska
krasta (scab) krasta
gošća (guest, fern.) gošća
bašta (garden) bašta
smetnja (obstacle) smetnja
zvijezda (star) zvijezda
uzda (bridle) uzda
nužda (need) nužda

11 O. Some nouns which have two consonants before the ending -a can also have
the ending -i in the Genitive plural: "bilješki," "prosudbi," "borbi," "pripovi­
jetki . " In contemporary Croatian, this category is increasingly disappearing.

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

I ll. There are a number of masculine nouas ending in -a: komllja (neigbbour),
sluga (servant), pristala (follower), allaad!lja (gunDer), Nlkola (Nicholas),
Jura (George). They are all declined like ''žeaa" or "stoUca," although re­
lated verbs or adjectives will reflect the logical masculine gender.

Singular P/ural
N. pristaša (adherent, follower) N .IAN pristaše
G. pristaše G. pristaša
0./L. pristaši D./ L./1. pristašama
A. pristašu
V. pristašo
pristašom

1 1 2. There are many masculine two-syllable nouns with a long rising accent ending
in -o and -e that also follow the declension of the feminine -a nouns. They are
terms of endearement, hypocorisms or proper names.

Singular P/ural Singular Singular Singular

N. brico (barber) brice i vo/i ve Mile Pero/Pere
G. brice brica i ve Mile Pere
D .IL. brici brica ma i vi Mili Peri
A. bricu brice i vu Milu Peru
v. brico brice ivo/ive Mile Pero l Pere
bricom bricama i vom Milom Perom
Only from the context can we know if there are cases of the masculine nouo
"Mile," the feminine nouo "Mila," the masculine nouo "Ivo/Ive" or the femi-
nine noun "Iva."
In the Genitive plural, the two feminine nouns "ruka" and "noga" and the mas­
culine noun "sluga," usually have the ending -u, and rarely -a: ruku, nogu and
slugu (rarely: ruka, noga, sluga).

113. Singu/ar P/ural Singu/ar P/ural Singular P/ural

N. ruka ruke noga noge sluga sluge
G. ruke ruku/ruka noge nogu/noga sluge slugu/sluga
D. l L. ruci rukama nozi nogama sluzi slugama

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 MORPHOLOGY

A. ruku ruke nogu noge slugu sluge

V. rUko ruke nogo noge slugo sluge
l. rukom rukama nogom nogama slugom slugama

1 14. There is a large group of feminine nouns that have stems ending in a conso­
nant, and therefore they have the ending -0 in the Nominative singular. Since

There are also many feminine nouns ending in the abstractivizing suffix -ost-O:
they have the ending -i in most cases, this declension is called the -i declension.

radost-O Goy), !alost-O (sorrow), budučnost-0 (future), mladost-O (youth).

This group of feminine nouns also includes two-syllable nouns which seem the same
as the adjectives from which they are derived. But unlike their adjectival fonns, these
nouns always have a long last syl\able: crven4:t (redness), n�ist4:t (dirtiness), pogan4:t
(dirt), rumen-O (redness), studen-O (cold), zelen-O (greenness), zimzelen-O (ever­
green), ispovijed-O (confession), propovijed-O (sennon), zapovijed-O (order), mjed-O
(brass), �ast-O (honour), mast-O (grease, fat), napast-O (temptation), oblast-O (district,
region, authorization), propast-O (destruction), slast-O (sweetness), sablast-O (ghost,
spectre), strast-O (passion), svast-O (sister-in-law), vlast-O (power). As previously
mentioned, collective nouns ending in -ač-0, -ad-0, - čad-0 belong to this declension:
telad-O (calves), pilad-O (chicken), janjad-O (lambs), unu�ad-0 (grandchildren). The
nouns divlja�-0 (venison), neja�-0 or neja�ad-0 (infants), majmun�ad-0 (little mon­
keys) are collective nouns. There are also a few feminine nouns that end in -ež-0 :
klatež-O (vagrants), mladež-O (youth), mrtvež-0 (lethargy, coma), palež-O (burning,
arson), tupež-O (nonsense). However, the majority of nouns ending in -ež-0 are mas­
culine. Some of the most common feminine nouns ending in a consonants are: avet-O
(ghost), bit-O (essence), bol-O (pain), bolest-O (sickness), bojazan-O (fear), cijev-O
(pipe), �eljust-0 (jawbone), �etvrt-O (quarter), ćud-O (temper, mood), dob-O (age),
dobit-O (profit), dobrobit-O (benefit), draž-O (chann), drob-O (intestines), golet-O
(bare countryside), glad-O (hunger), jesen-O (fall, autumn), kap-O (drop), kljenut-0
(srca) (heart anack), kob-O (destiny), kokoš-O (hen, chicken), korist-O (profit), kost-O
(bone), kostrijet-O (goat's hair), krv-O (blood), laž-O (lie), ljubav-O (love), moć-O
(power), narav-O (nature, character), neman-O (monster), nemoć-O (weakness), ne­
prijazan-O (unkindness), nesvijest-O (unconsciousness), nit-O (thread), noć-O (night),
obijest-O (wantonness), obitelj-O (family), os-O (axis), ovlast-O (authorization), pa­
met-O (mind, reason), paprat-O (fern), peć-O (stove, oven), plijesan-O (mildew), po­
gibelj-O (danger), pomoć-O (help, support), ponoć-O (midnight), povijest-O (history),
Pričest-0 (Communion), punomoć-O (authorization), put-O (complexion, skin, flesh),
raskoš-O (luxury), ravan-O (plane), raž-O (rye), rije�-0 (word), rukovet-O (handful,
bunch), sablazan-O (scandal), savjest-O (conscience), sluz-O (mucus), sol-O (salt),

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

splav-O (raft, float), smrt-O (death), srž-O (essence, marrow), stvar-O (thing), svijest-O
(consciousness), uš-O (louse), v�er.O (evening), vijest-O (report, news), visoravan-O
(plateau), vlas-O (hair), vlat-O (blade, stalk), vrlet-O (crag), zaborav-O (forgetfulness),
zavist-O (envy,jealousy), zob-O (oats), zvijer-O (beast, wild animal), žeđ-O (thirst), and
žuč-O (bile).

liS. Feminine nouns ending in a consonant have the following endings.

Singular
1 -i (N. / A. I V.)
P/ural
l -0
(G"-.:_:
f----',i 'O 1D ::·l Y lL _,
::_)_-1 -i(j u) (G. )
-ima (D. / L. l L)
kost- :::._ .:c·:..: kost­
-il-ju

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural Singufar Pfuraf

G.
N. l A. mladost-O mladosti noć-O noći riječ-O riječi

D. I L.
mladosti mladostilju noći noći(ju) riječi riječi
mladosti mladostima noći noćima riječi riječima
v. mladosti mladosti noći noći riječi riječi
L mladosti/ mladostima noći/ noćima riječi/ riječima
mladošću noću riječju
(* mlados!iu) (* noćju)

116. Some nouns have the fleeting a.

Nominative Genitive
sablazan-O (scandal, shock) sablazni
plijesan-O (mildew) plijesni
ravan-O (equal) ravni

Other nouns contain a long "a" in their final syllable, which is therefore not a
fleeting a.

Nominalive Genirive
paprat-O (fern) paprati
pogan-O (excrements) pogani

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 MORPHOLOGY

1 1 7. The majority of these nouns bave double forms for the Instrumental singular.
allowing either the ending -i or -ju. The pboneme '�" of -ju influences the
consonant that precedes it.

Nominative Instrumental
bolest-O bolešću and bolesti
glad-O glađu and gladi
korist-O korišću and koristi
mladost-O mladošću and mladosti
nesvijest-O nesviješću and nesvijesti
sol-O solju and soli
zelen-O zelenju and zeleni (See # 45)

1 1 8. A few feminine nouns end in -o-0. That -o arose from -1 -0: misao-O becomes
the Genitive misli (thought); pogibao-O becomes the Genitive pogibli (dan­
ger). (See # 40)

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

N .lA. misao-O misli pogibao-O pogibli
G. misli misli pogibli pogibli
D .IL. misli mislima pogibli pogiblima
v. misli misli pogibli pogibli
I. mišlju/misli mislima pogibiju/pogibli pogiblima

1 19. The nouns "kći" (kć-i-O daughter) and "mati" (mat-i-O mother) survive from
an old declension, and are therefore considered exceptions.

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

N. kć-i-O kćeri mat-i-O matere
G. kćeri kćeri / ju matere matera
D.IL. kćeri kćerima materi materama
A. kćer-O kćeri mater-O matere
v. kćeri kćeri mati matere
I. kćeri l kćerju kćerim a materom materama

1 20. The masculine nouns brat-O (brother), gospodin-O (gentleman), vlallelln-0

(nobleman) and the neuter noun dijet-+0 (child) are declined in the plural

vlastela (noblemen), and dj- (children).

like feminine nouns ... in the singular: brao!& (brotben), goopnda (gentlemen),

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

N. brat-O braća vlastelin-O vlastela gospodin-O gospoda
G. brata braće vlastelina vlastele gospodina gospode
D.IL. bratu braći vlastelinu vlasteli gospodinu gospodi
A. brata braću vlastelina vlastelu gospodina gospodu
v. brate braćo vlasteline vlastelo gospodine gospodo
l. bratom braćom vlastelinom vlastelom gospodinom gospodom

Singular P/ural
N. dijet-e-O djeca
G. djeteta djece
D.IL. djetetu djeci
A. dijete djecu
v. dijete djeco
djetetom djecom

Verbal fonns of the past tense with "gospoda" are used in the neuter gender.

Gospoda su stigla. (The well-known gentlemen have arrived.)

1 2 1 . Endings for nouns of a l l three genders.

Singular Cases P/ural

Fern. Fern. Fern. Fern.
Mase. Neut. Mase. Neut.
-a -0 -a cons.
-0 -o l-e -0 Nominative -i -l
-i• l
-a -a -i Genitive -a• -a• -a•
-iju
Dative
-i -i -ima -ima -ima
l Locative
-O I -a -o /-e -0 Accusative -e -i
-oi
-e/-u -o /-e -i Vocative -i
-e /-a
-om l -om l -i /
-om Instrumental -ima -ima -ama -ima
-em -em -·u

• The endings in the Genitive plural -a and - i are always long.

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 MORPHOLOGY

PRONOUNS

1 22. Prooouns usually replace oouns, adjectives, numerals or other prooouns.

Ivan čita knjigu. On čita knjigu.

(Ivan reads a book.) (He reads a book.)

Ivanova knjiga je zanimljiva. Ona je zanimljiva.

(Ivan's book is interesting.) (lt is interesting.)

Ivanova knjiga je zanimljiva. Njegova knjiga je zanimljiva.

(Ivan's book is interesting.) (His book is interesting.)

Jedan je došao. Netko je došao.

(One person came.) (Somebody came.)

Č ija knjiga je zanimljiva? Što je zanimljivo?

(Whose book is interesting?) (What is interesting?

1 23. Some pronouns complete or connect parts ofspeech.

Ivan čita knjigu. Naš Ivan čita knjigu.

(Ivan reads a book.) (Our Ivan reads a book.)

Susjed to zna. Koji susjed to zna?

(The neighbour knows that.) (Which neighbour knows that?)

Znam čovjeka koji radi s njima.

(I know the man who is working with them.)

1 24. There are seven different kinds of pronouns.

Personal pronouns: ja, ti, on, ono, ona, mi, vi, oni, ona, one
Possessive pronouns: moj l moje l moja, tvoj .
Reflexive pronouns: sebe l se, sebi l si, sobom
Possessive-reflexive pronouns: svoj l svoje l svoja l svoji l svoja l svoje

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Demonstrative pronouns: ovaj l ovo l ova, taj l to l ta, onaj l ono l ona
lnterrogative-relative pronouns: tko, što, koji l koje l koja .
Compound pronouns: itko, išto, ikoji l ikoje l ikoja
netko, nešto, neki l neko l neka nitko, nilta, nikoji l nikoje l nikoja,
svatko, svašto, svaki l svako l svaka bilo tko, bilo što, bilo koji,
kojetko, koješto, kojekoji tko god, što god, koji god rna tko, ma što,
ma koji, gdjetko, gdješto, koji tkogod, štogod, štotko, štošta

1 25. Personal pronouns are used instead of nouns.

Singular P/ural
ja (l) mi (we)
ti (thou, you) vi (you)
on (he) oni (they, mase.)
ona (she) one (they, fern.)
ono (it) ona (they, neut.)

Ivan čita knjigu. On čita knjigu.

Ivana čita knjigu. Ona čita knjigu.
Ivan i Ivana čitaju knjigu. Oni čitaju knjigu.
Ivana i Eva čitaju knjigu. One čitaju knjigu.
Polja su zelena. Ona su zelena.
Ivan i Marija čitaju knjigu. Oni čitaju knjigu
Ivana, han i ja čitamo knjigu. Mi čitamo knjigu.
Marko i ti čitate knjigu. Jli čitate knjigu.

The declension of personal pronouns is as follows.

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 MORPHOLOGY

Singular
N. ja ti on-O ono ona
G. mene / me tebe / te njega l ga njega l ga nje /je
D. meni t mi tebi / ti njemu / mu njemu / mu njoj l joj
A. mene / me tebe / te njega l ga /nj njega l ga l nf nju / j e / j u•
ti
L.
v.

o meni o tebi o njemu o njemu o njoj

s tobom s njim(e) s njim(e) s njom(e)
P/ural
N. mi vi oni ona
..
G. nas njih, ih njih, ih njih,ih
..
D. nama, nam vama, vam njima, im njima,im njima, im
..
A. nas njih, ih njih, ih njih, ih
v. (mi) vi
L./1. s njima s njima s njima

1 26. The unstressed form cannot be used at the beginning of a sentence and after a
comma.

Meni to ništa ne znači. (lt has no importance to me.)

Nama to ništa ne znači. (lt has no importance to us.)

Njemu se to sviđa, njoj (se) ne sviđa. (He likes it, but she doesn't.)
Njima se to sviđa, nama (se) ne sviđa. (They like it, but we don't.)

• The Accusative fonn nj is used only after stressed prepositions, andju is used only before the
third person singular of the verb "biti" (''je''). For example:
Idemo prema gradu. Sad prolazimo kroza nj. (We are going towards the city.
Now we are going through it.)
On ju je vidio. (He saw her.)
"'* ln the Genitive, Dative and Accusative singular and plural, various fonns are distinguished by the
presence or absence ofthe accent.

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

1 27. Personal, interrogative (relative) and demonstrative pronouns can be used as

substitutes for nouns, adjectives, numerals or their pronOUDB. All other pro­
nouns either complete nominal expressions or join two syntactic units.
Čiji je to kaput? (Whose coat is that?)
Ja znam čiji je to kaput. (I know whose coat that is.)

1 28. Possessive pronouns.

moj my, mine

tvoj your/s
njegov his
nje/zi/n her/s
naš our/s
vaš your/s
njihov their/s
svoj one's own

Singular
Masculine Neuter Feminine
moj-O grad-O moje selo moja zemlja
tvoj-O grad-O tvoje selo tvoja zemlja
njegov-O grad-O njegovo selo njegova zemlja
nje(zi)n-o• grad-O nje(zi)no• selo nje(zi)na• zemlja
naš-O grad-O naše selo naša zemlja
vaš-O grad-O vaše selo vaša zemlja
njihov-O grad-O njihovo selo njihova zemlja
svoj-O grad-O svoje selo svoja zemlja

P/ural
moji gradovi moja sela moje zemlje
tvoji gradovi tvoja sela tvoje zemlje
njegovi gradovi njegova sela njegove zemle

• Instead of "njezin l njezina l njezino; njezini l njezine l njezina" we can use "njen l njena l njeno;
njeni l njene l njena" so that the syllable ··.zj." is omitted in all cases.

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 MORPHOLOGY

nje/zi/ni gradovi nje/zi/na sela nje/zi/ne zemlje

njihovi gradovi njihova sela njihove zemlje
svoji gradovi svoja sela svoje zemlje

Possessive pronouns are declined as follows.

Singular
Masculine Feminine Neuter
N. moj-O grad-O moje selo moja zemlja
G. mojeg(a) / mojeg(a) / moje zemlje
mog( a) grada mog( a) sela
D .IL. mojem(u) / mojem(u) / mojoj zemlji
mom( u) / gradu mom(u) / selu
mom( e) mom(e)
A. moj-O grad-O moje selo moju zemlju
v. moj grade / grade moj moje selo l selo moje moja zemljo l zemljo moj
l. s mojim gradom s mojim selom s mojom zemljom

The pronouns "tvoj" and "svoj" are declined in the same way as "moj."
The possessive (reflexive) pronoun svoj /svoje /svoja; svoji l svoja J svoje"
replaces all other possessive pronouns when it means "one's own."

P/ural
Masculine Feminine Neuter
N .N. moji gradovi moja sela moje zemlje
G. mojih gradova mojih sela mojih zemalja
D.IL.n. mojim gradovima mojim selima mojim zemljama
A. moje gradove moja sela moje zemlje

Marko ima njegovu knjigu. Marko Ima Ivanovu knjigu.

(Mark has his book.) (Mark has lvan's book.)
Marko ima svoju knjigu. Marko ima Mar/rovu knjigu.
(Mark has his own book.) (Mark has Mark's book.)
Marko dolazi iz svojeg grada. Marko dolazi iz njegova grada
(Mark comes from his own city.) (Mark comes from his Ivan's city.)

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Vinko Grubi!ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Singular
Masculine Feminine Neuter
N. naš-O grad-O naša zemlja naše selo
G. našeg(a) grada naše zemlje našeg sela
D .IL našem(u) gradu našoj zemlji našem(u) selu
A. naš-O grad-O' našu zemlju =N
v. naš grade/grade naš naša zemljo/zemljo naša naše selo l selo naše
L s našim gradom s našom zemljom s našim selom
Plural
Masculine Feminine Neuter
N .N naši gradovi naše zemlje naša sela
G. naših gradova naših zemalja naših sela
DJL.n. našim gradovima našim zemljama našim selima
A. naše gradove naše zemlje naša sela

ne pronoun '"vaš" is declined in the same way as "naš." The pronouns

''njegov," "nje/zi/in" and ''njihov" are declined in the same way as passes­
sive adjectives ending in ·iD or -ov: njezin (his), sestrin (sister's), Branldn
(Branka's), njegov (his), njihov (their), bratov (brother's), Ivanov (lvan's).
They can also follow declenson of the definite aspect of the adjectives. (See #
324)

Singufar
Masculine Feminine Neuter
N. njihov-O grad-O njihova zemlja njihovo selo
G. njihova l njihovog(a) grada nihove zemlje njihova l njihovog(a) sela
D .IL njihovu l njihovom( u) l njihovoj zemlji njihovu l njihovom(u) l
njihovom(e) gradu njihovom(e)selu
A. njihov-O grad-O njihovu zemlju njihovo selo
v
s njihovim gradom s njihovom s njihovim selom
zemljom

"' When the noun is animate, the Accusat1ve is the same as the Genitive. Marko vidi mojega psa.
(Mark sees my dog.)

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 MORPHOLOGY

Plural
Maseuline Feminine Neuter
N.N. njihovi gradovi njihove zemlje njihova sela
G. njihovih gradova njihovih zemalja njihovih sela
D.IL./1. njihovim gradovima njihovim zemljama njihovim selima
A. njihove gradove njihove zemlje njihova sela

The pronouns "njegov" and "nje/zi/n" are declined in the same way as "njihov."

1 29. The demonstrative pronouns are as follows.

ovaj (this one) taj (that one) onaj (that one over there)
Singular P/ural
Maseuline Neuter Feminine Maseuline Neuter Feminine
ovaj(ov-aj) ovo ova ovi ova ove
taj (t-aj) to ta ta te
onaj(on-aj) oni

They are declined as follows.

Singular P/ural
Mase. Fern. Neuter Mase. Fern. Neuter
N. ovaj (ov-aj) ova OVO ovi ove ova
G. ovog(a) ovog(a) ovih ovih ovih
D .IL. ovom( u)/ ovom(e) ovoj ovom(u)/ovom(e) ovim ovim ovim
A. ovaj l ovog(a) ove ove
v.

s ovim s ovom s ovim s ovim s ovim s ovim

The pronouns "taj" and "onaj" are declined like "ovaj . "

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

SinifU{ar Plural
Mase. Fern. Neuter Mase. Fern. Neuter
N. ta' (t-a') ta to ti te ta
G. tog(a) te tog(a) tih tih tih
D .IL. tom(u)ltom(e) to' tom(u)ltom(e) tim tim tim
A. ta' l tog(a) tu to te te ta
v. - - - - - -

I. s tim e s tom s tim e s tim a s tim a s tim a

130. lnterrogative (relative) pronouns.

Singu/ar
Masculine Neuter Feminine
which l which one koji (koj-i) koje koja
whose čiji (čij-i) čije čija
what kind of kakav-O (kakav-O, kakv-O) kakvo kakva
howlarge kolik(i) (kolik-O) koliko kolika

P/ural
Masculine Neuter Feminine
which l which ones koji (koj-i) koja koje
whose čiji (čij-i) čija čije
what kind of kakvi (kakv-i) kakva kakve
how large koliki (kolik-i) kolika kolike

a) "Tko" and "što" have only one form for all three genders. "Tko" is in the sin­
gular masculine gender, and "što" is in the singular neuter gender.

These two pronouns have a special declension: (See # 75, 79)

N. tko što
G. kog(a) čega
D.IL. kom(u)/kome čemu
A. kog(a) što
v.. - -

I. s kim(e) čim

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b) Declension of other interrogative (relative) pronouns.

Sin�lar P/ural
Maseuline Feminine Neuter Maseuline Feminine Neuter
. .
N. či i či"a či·e či i či·e či·a
. .
čfe či"eg(a) či"ih či ih či ih
.
D.IL. či . em(u) čfo· či . em(u) čfim(a) či"im(a) či im(a)
A. čiji l čijeg( a) čiju čfe či"e či·a
v.
. .
s či . im s či . om s či im s či im a s čfim a s čfim a

"Koji" is declined in the same way as "čiji."

Sinf(Uiar P/ural
Mase. Fern. Neuter Mase. Fern. Neuter
N. kakav-O kakva kakvo kakvi kakve kakva
G. kakva l kakve kakva/ kakvih kakvih kakvih
kakvoe(a) kakvoe(a)
D .IL. kakvu l kakvoj kakvu l kakvim(a) kakvim(a) kakvim(a)
kakvom( u) / kakvom(u) /
kakvom(e) kakvom( e)
A. - N or - G kakvu kakvo kakve kakve kakva
v. - - - - - -

L s kakvim e s kakvom s kakvim e s kakvim a s kakvim a s kakvim a

Sinf(Ular P/ural
Mase. Fern. Neuter Mase. Fern. Neuter
N. kolik-O / kolika koliko koliki kolike kolika
koliki
G. kolikoe(a) kolike kolikoe(a) kolikih kolikih kolikih
D. / L. kolikom( u) l kolikoj kolikom( u) l kolikim( a) kolikim(a) kolikim(a)
kolikom(e) kolikom( e)
A. kolik-O / koliku koliko kolike kolike kolika
koliki /
kolikoe(a)
v. - - - - - -

L s kolikim s kolikom s kolikim kolikim a kolikim a kolikim a

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

1 3 1 . Reflexive pronouns.

N.
G. sebe (se)
D. sebi (si)

L.
A. sebe (se)
(o) sebi
v.
l. (sa) sobom

Unlike English (which distinguishes one reflexive pronoun from another; for
example "myself" and ''younelf'), the reflexive pronoun "sebe" is used for
all penons in both the singular and plural.

Ja se gledam. Ja gledam sebe. I look at myself.

Ti se gledaš. Ti gledaš sebe. You look at yourself.
On se gleda. On gleda sebe. He looks at himself.
Ona se gleda. Ona gleda sebe. She looks at herself.
Dijete se gleda. Ono gleda sebe. lt ( e.g. a child) looks at itself.
Mi se gledamo. Mi gledamo sebe. We look at ourselves.
Vi se gledate. Vi gledate sebe. You look at yourselves.
Oni se gledaju. Oni gledaju sebe. They look at themselves.
One se gledaju. Oni gledaju sebe. They look at themselves.
Djeca se gledaju. Oni/ona gledaju sebe. They look at themselves.
(See # 268-270)

There are many compound pronouns.

132. I + relative pronoun = any .. + interrogative pronoun.

itko anyone
išta anything
ikoji any
ičiji anyone's
ikakav of any kind
ikolik(i) of any size

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 MORPHOLOGY

Singular P/ural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
ikoji (ikoj-i) ikoja ikoje ikoji ikoje ikoja
ičiji (ičij-i) ičija ičije ičiji ičije ičija
ikakav-O iakva ikakvo ikakvi iakve ikakva
ikolik-O l ikolik-i ikolika ikoliko ikoliki ikolike ikolika

1 33. lndefinite pronouns: ne + relative pronoun = some .. + relative pronoun.

netko = somebody, someone

nešto == something
nekoji/neki == some
nei�]ji = someone's
nekakav = some kind of
nekolik(i) = of some size

Singufar ?lura/
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
nekoji (nekoj-i) l nekoja l nekoje l nekoji / nekoje l nekoja l
neki (nek-i) neka neko neki neke meka
nečiji (ičij-i) nečija nečije nečiji nečije nečija
nekakav-O nekakva nekakvo nekakvi nekakve nekakva
nekolik-i nekolika nekoliko nekoliki nekolike nekolika

Here is the declension of the pronoun neki (nekoji).

Singular P/ural
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
N. neki neko neka neki neka neke
G .. nekog(a) nekog( a) neke nekih nekih nekih
D.IL. nekom( u)/ nekom(u)l nekoj nekim( a) nekim( a) nekim( a)
nekom(e) nekom(e)
A. A. - N. or G. - N. neku neke - N. - N.
v. - - - - - -

L L s nekim(e) s nekim(e) s nekom(e) s nekim(a) s nekim(a) s nekim(a

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Vinko GrubiSić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

1 34. N i . " + relative pronoun = no .. + relative pronoun.

nitko = nobody, no one

ništa = nothing
nikoji... = none
ničiji . . . = nobody's
nikakav . . . = of no kind/sort
nikolik(i) . . . = of no size

Mase. Neu t. Fern. Mase. pl Neut. pl Fern. pL

nikoji (nikoj-i) nikoje nikoja nikoji nikoja nikoje

ničiji (ničij-i) ničije ničija ničiji ničija ničije

nikakav-O nikakvo nikakva nikakvi nikakva nikakve
nikol ik-l nikoliko nikolika nikoliki nikolika nikolike

1 35. "Sva" + relative pronoun = every + relative pronoun:

svatko = everybody, everyone

svašta = everything
svakoji . . . */ svaki . . . = each, every
svačiji . . . = everyone's, everybody's
svakakav . . . = of every sort
svakoliki . . . / svekoliki . . . = of every size

svatko svašta
Mase. Neut. Fern. Mase. pL Neut. pL Fern. pL
svaki (svak-i) l svako l svaka / svaki / svaka l svake l
svakoji (svakoj-i) svakoje svakoj a svakoj i svakoja svakoje
svačiji (svačij-i) svačije svačija svačiji svačija svačije
svakakav-O svakakvo svakakva svakakvi svakakva svakakve
svakolik-0 l svakoliko svakolika svakoliki svakolika svakolike
svakolik-i

"Svaki l svako l svaka . . . " is more common than "svakoj i l svakoje l svakoja"

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1 36. "Koje-" + relative pronoun = any- + relative pronoun:

kojetko = whoever
koješta = whatever
kojekoji. . . = whichever
koječiji . . . = whose ever
kojekakav . . = of which ever kinds/sorts

kojetko koješta
Mase. Neut. Fern. Mase. pl. Neut. pl. Fern. pl.
kojekoji kojekoje kojekoja kojekoji kojekoja kojekoje
(kojekoj-i)
koječiji koječije koječija koječiji koječija koječije
kojekakav-0 kojekakvo kojekakva kojekakvi kojekakva kojekakve
kojekolik-0 l kojekoliko kojekolika kojekoliki kojekolika koj ekol ike
kojekolik-i

137. Relative pronoun + "god" = relative pronoun + ever (except "tkogod" =

someone, somebody and "štogod" = something):

tkogod = somebody
tko god = whoever
štogod = something
što god = whatever
koji god . . . = whichever
čiji god . . . = whose ever
kakav god .. = any, of whichever kind
koliki god . . . = of whichever size

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

tkogod, tko god štogod, što god

Mase. Neut. Fern. Mase. pl. Neut. pl. Fern. pl.
koji god koje god koja god koji god koja god koje god
(koj-i god)
čiji god čije god čija god čiji god čija god čije god
(čij-i god)
kakav-O god kakvo god kakva god kakvi god kakva god kakve god
koliki god koliko god kolika god koliki god kolika god kolike god
(kolik-i god)

1 38. Bilo + relative pronoun "" any + relatin pronoun:

bilo tko = anyone

bilo što "" anything
bilo koji . . . = any, whichever
bilo čiji... "" whose ever
bilo kakav . . . = of whichever kind/sort
bilo koliki . . . = of whichever size

bilo tko bilo što

Mase. Neut. Fern. Mase. pl. Neut. pl. Fern . pl.
bilo koji bilo koje bilo koja bilo koji bilo koja bilo koje
(bilo koj-i)
bilo čiji bilo čije bilo čija bilo čiji bilo čija bilo čije
(bilo čij-i)
bilo kakav-O bilo kakvo bilo kakva bilo kakvi bilo kakva bilo kakve
bilo koliki bilo koliko bilo kolika bilo koliki bilo kolika bilo kolike
(bilo kolik-i)

139. '"Ma" + relative pronoun = any- + relative pronoun:

ma tko = whomsoever
ma što = what(so)ever
ma koji . . . = whoever

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 MORPHOLOGY

ma čiji. .. = whosever
ma kakav . . . = of what ever kind
ma koliki . . . = of what ever size

ma tko ma §to
Mase. Neut. Fern. Mase. pl. Neut. pl. Fern. pl.
ma koji (ma koj-i) ma koje ma koja ma koji ma koja ma koje
ma čiji (ma č ij-i) ma č ij e ma čija ma č ij i ma čija ma č ij e
ma kakav-O ma kakvo bilo kakva ma kakvi ma kakva ma kakve
ma koliki ma koliko bilo kolika ma koliki ma kolika ma kolike
(ma kol i k-i)

140. Undetennined pronouns are declined the same way as interrogative-relative

pronouns:

N. svaJko svašto
G. svakog(a) svačeg(a)
D./L. svakom(u) svakom(e) svačem(u)
A. svakog(a) svašto
v. - -
I. sa svakim(e) svačim(e)

141. Declension of the pronoun "ikoji . . . "

Mase. Neut. Fern. Mase. pl. Neut. pl. Fern. pl.

N. ikoji ikoje ikoja ikoji ikoja ikoje
G. ikojeg(a) ikojeg(a) ikoje ikojih ikojih ikojih
D./L. ikojem( u) ikojem( u) ikojoj ikojim(a) ikojim(a) ikojim(a)
A. - N. G. - N. ikoju ikoje - N. - N.
v. - - - - - -

I. ikojim( e) iko"im(e) ikojom iko "im(a) iko"im(a) iko"im(a)

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

142. The pronouns sav - sve (sv-e)- sva pl. svi - sva - sve have a special declen­
sion:

Singular Plural
Mase. Neut. Fern. Mase. Neut. Fern.
N. sav-O sve sva svi
G. sveg(a) sveg(a) sve svi h/svij u svi h/svij u svih/svij u
D.IL. svem( u) svem(u) svoj svim(a) svim(a) svim( a)
A. - N.G. - N. - N. - N.
v. - N. - N. - N. - N. - N. - N.
svim(e) svim(e) svim(a) svim(a) svim(a)

The "fleeting a" will only appear in the N. mase. sing.: "ikakav-O," "nekakav-O,"
"svakakav-O," sav etc. (See # 38)

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 MORPHOLOGY

ADJECTIVES

143. In Croatian, adjectives can be descrlptive, material or possesslve:

Descriptive adjectives: brz-O (fast, mase.), inteligentna (intelligent, fern.), ze­

leno (green, neut.)
Material adjectives: zlatan-O (golden, mase.), drvena (wooden, fern.),
mjeden-O (brazen, mase.), željezno (iron, neut.) .
Possessive adjectives: Ankin-O (Anka's, mase.), zagreba�ko (belonging to
Zagreb, of Zagreb, neut.), Markova (Marko's, fern.), dje�je (children's, be­
longing to children, neut.).

144. Adjedlves bave separate forms for tbe three genden: maseuUne, femt�
nine and oeuter. For example: dobar-O otac (a good father); dobra majka (a
good mother); dobro dijete (a good child).

145. Adjectives in Croatian can be used in either indefinite or definite forms, a

distinction that does not exist for English adjectives.

lndefinite forms are used when the acijective accompanies a noun which is
mentioned/or the first time or when il is in !he predicate posit ion. Ifa noun is
known to speakers. and is modified by an adjective, then definiteforms should
be used.
Dobar dječak dobro uči. (A good boy studies well.)
Dobri dječak dobro uči. (The good boy studies well.)
Dječak je dobar. (A boy or The boy is good.)
Since there is no definite or indefinite article in Croatian, unlike with the Eng­
lish "the " or "a(n), " the opposition between the definite and indejinite can
be expressed through the differentiation of the definite and indefinite forms of
adjectives.
Only some adjectives have both indefioite and definite forms; the majority of
adjectives have either iodefinite or definite forms:

146. lndefinite forms of adjectives:

Singular P/ural
clven šešir (a red hat) crveni šeširi (some red hats)
crveno vino (a red wine) crvena vina (some red wines)
crvena boja (a red colour) crvene boje (some red colours)

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

147. Definite aspects of adjectives:

dveni šešir (the red hat) dveni šeširi (the red hats)
dveno vino (the red wine) dvena vina (the red wines)
dvena boja (the red colour) dvene boje (the red colours)
In the masculine Nomi native singular, definite adjectives end in -i, while mas­
culine Nominative singular indefinite adjectives have the ending -0:
star-O konj = an old horse vruć-O grad a hot city
stari konj = the old horse vrući grad = the hot city

148. Indefinite fonns of adjectives:

Singular (Mase.) P/ural (Mase.)

N. star-O konj-O lijep-O grad-O stari konji lijepi gradovi
G. stara konja lijepa grada starih konja lijepih gradova
D .IL staru konju lijepu gradu starim konj ima lijepim gradovima
A. stara konja lijep-O grad-O stare konje lijepe gradove
v
L starim konjem lijepim gradom starim konjima lijepim gradovima

149. Definite fonns of adjectives:

Singular (Mase.) P/ural (Mase.)

N. star-i konj-O lijep-i grad-O stari konji lijepi gradovi
G. starog( a) konja lijepog( a) grada starih konja lijepih gradova

D .IL starom( u)/ lijepom( u) starim konjima lijepim gradovima

starom(e) konju lijepom(e) gradu
A. stara konja lijep-O grad-O stare konje lijepe gradove

v. stari konju lijepi grade = N. = N.

starim konjem lijepim gradom starim konjima lijepim gradovima

Adjectives ending in after palatals and non-palatals differ slightly: Non-pala­

tals: G. -og(a), D./L. -om(u) Palatals: G. -eg(a), D.IL. -em(u)

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ISO.

Adjectives ending in: Indefinite aspect Definite aspect

vowel + cons. + (krasan, drven, brdovit, + (-cons + i) (krasni, drveni
dokon, brz, dug) brdoviti, dokoni, brzi, dugi)
-ov 1- et-' or -in + (Ivanov, stričev, Marijin . .
-ji 1-nji/-ašnji + (Božji, dječji, večernji,
sutrašnji. . . )
-skil-c�kil-ški + (gradski, osječki,
monaški.)

1 5 1 . The stress is the distinctive feature between the indefinite and definite aspects
of neuter and feminine adjectives in the singular, and between all three gen­
ders in the plural form.

lndejinite Definite Indefinite Dt;/inite

zelen-O kaput-O zelfni kaput-O zeleni kaputi zfleni kaput
zeleno polje zeleno polje zelena polja zeleno polje
zelena livada zelena livada zelene livade zelena livada
(See # 52)
Long vowels after the stress occur only in the definite aspect of adjectives.

152. The declension of the indefinite aspects of adjectives is the same as the de­
clension of nouns. The only exceptions are the Instrumental singular of mas­
culine and neuter nouns and the Dative/Locative of feminine nouns.

Singular
Ending of indef. aspect
Mase. Neut. Fern. Masc./Neut. Fern.
N. zelen-O kaput-O zeleno polje zelena livada mase.- O -a
neut. - o/-e
G. zelena kaputa zelena polja zelene livade -e
D .IL. zelenu kaputu zelenu po lj u zelenoj livadi -u -u -oj
A. zelen-O kaput-O zeleno polje zelenu livadu mase. N .i( G)
neut. N.
v.
L zelenim kaputo m zeleni m polj e m zelenom livado m -im -im -o m

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

P/ural
Ending of inde[ aspect
Mase. Neut. Fern. Masc./Neut. Fern.
N. zeleni kaputi zelena polja zelene livade mase. -i
neut. ·a
G. zelenih kaputa zelenih polja zelenih livada -ih -ih -ih
D.IL. zelenim kaputima zelenim zelenim -im -im -im
poljima livadama
A. zelene kapute zelena polja zelene livade masc.-e N.
neu t. N.
v. N. N. N.
zelenim kaputima zelenim zelenim D.L. D.L. D.L.
poljima livadama

1 53. The declension of the definite aspect of adjectives is the same as the declen­
sion of pronouns.

Singular
Ending of definite aspects
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
N. zeleni kaput-O zelena livada zeleno polje -i -a -o l -e
G. zelenog(a) zelene livade zelenog( a) -og(a) -e -og( a)
kaputa polja
D.IL. zelenom(u) l zelenoj livadi zelenom( u) l -om(u) -oj -om( u)
zelenom(e) zelenom(e) -om( u) -om( u)
kaputu polju -em( u) -em( u)
-em( u) / -em(u) /
-om(e) -om( e)
A. zeleni kaput-O zelenu livadu zeleno polje -i / -og(a) -u -o l -e
v. zeleni kapute zelena livado zeleno polje -i -a -i
I. zeleni kapute zelena livado zeleno polje -im -om -im

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 MORPHOLOUY

P/ural
Ending of definite aspects
Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
N. zeleni kaputi zelene livade zelena polja -i
G. zelenih zelenih livada zelenih polja -ih -ih -ih
kaputa
D. l zelenim zelenim zelenim -im -im -im
L. kaputima livadama poljima
A. zelene kapute zelene livade zelena polja -e -a

zelenim zelenim liva- zelenim -im -im -im

kaputima dama poljima

154. Many adjectives contain a fleeting a in the masculine.

jadan-O (miserable) jad-na jad-no

mudar-O (wise) mud-ra mud-ro
pametan-O (smart) pamet-na pamet-no

However, if that a is long, it remains in all forms .

svezan-O (tied) svezana svezano

upoznat-O (aware) upoznata upoznato

155. Only descriptive adjectives can have comparative or superlative forms. Mate­
rial adjectives can have comparative forms only when they are used in their
special meaning.

On je najzlatnije dijete u svom (He is the most adorable child in his

razredu. classroom.)

156. The comparative in Croatian is most often formed by adding the following suf­
fixes to the positive:

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

t 57. The endings -iji /-ije /- ija are added to most polysyllabic adjectives and to
many monosyllabic adjectives that bave a sbort accent.

bijesan* (furious) bjelnji and bjesniji

bio l bijel (white) bjelji
blag (mild, soft) blaži
brz (fast) brži
crn (black) crnji
crven (red) crveniji
čest (frequent) čelći
čist (clean) čišći l čistiji
čujan* (audible) čuj niji
drag (dear) draži
gadan* (ugly) gadniji
grub (rough) grublji
gust (thick) gušći
hrabar* ( courageous) hrabriji
jak (strong) jači
jednostavan* (simple) jednostavniji
jeftin (cheap) jeftiniji
kriv (guilty) kriviji l kriviji
lukav (cunning) lukaviji
mlad (young) mlađi
mil / mio (dear) miliji
nedalekovidan* (shortsighted) nedalekovidniji
nov (new) noviji
pametan* (wise, smart) pametniji
plašljiv (ti mid) plašljiviji

* Adjcctives marked by an asterisk contain the lleeting u.

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 MORPHOLOGY

poznat (well-known) poznatiji

prav (straight) praviji
prazan* (empty) prazniji
prljav (dirty) prljaviji
pun (full) pu nji l puniji
razborit (reasonable) razboritiji
riđ (reddish) riđi
siguran* (sure) sigurniji
sit (satiated) sitiji
slab (weak) slabiji l slabiji
spor (sl ow) sporiji
star (old) stariji
surov (rude) suroviji
susretljiv (friendly) susretljiviji
suvišan* (superfluous) suvišniji
svjež (fresh) svježiji
vješt (able) vještiji
vidljiv (visible) vidljiviji
zdrav (healthy) zdraviji
zelen (green) zeleniji
žut (yellow) ž ući

1 58. Most monosyllabic adjectives with a long accent (e) have comparatives end­
ing in -ji, in which case the consonant 'T softens (palatalizes) the consonant
immediately preceding the ''j.'' If an adjective ends in a palatal, the consonant
'T' disappean (vruć : vrući).

d +j lud + ji ludi (crazier)

g+j drag+ ji draži (dearer)
h+j tih + ji tiši (quieter)
k+j jak + ji jači (stronger)
n +j nj crn + ji crnji (blacker)
s+j i vis (-ok) +ji viši (higher)
t+j ć krut+ j i krući (harder)
z+j brz + ji brži (faster)

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Vinko Grubitić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

b+j bij grub + ji grublji (ruđer)

p+j pij tup + ji tuplji (blunter)
v+j vij živ + ji življi (more alive)

ć+j vruć + ji vrući (hotter)

ž+j tež (-ak) +ji teži (heavier)
r+j šir-(ok) +ji širi (wider)

st + j !ć �est + ji �ešći (more often) (See # 45)

1 59. There are three adjectives which end in -ši in the comparative.

lak lakfi (lighter)

lijep ljepši (nicer, more beautiful)
mek mekfi (softer)

160. Four adjectives have irregular comparative forms.

dobar l dobri : bolji (good - better)

zao / zli l : gori (bad - worse)
mal or malen l mali or maleni : manji (small - smaller)
velik l veliki : veći (big - bigger)

1 6 1 . Adjectives that end in the syllables - ak, and -ok have these final syllables
eliminated in the comparative.

sladak (slad-ak) slađi (sweeter)

dubok (dub-ok) dublji (deeper)
visok (vis-ok) viši /vis+ji (higher)

162. The adjectives "debeo" (tbick; deblji, thicker) and dalek (far, distan� dalji,
further, more distant) also lose their final syllable in the comparative.

1 63. The superlative is formed by adding the prefix naj- to comparatives.

brži (faster) najbrži (the fastest)

inteligentniji (more intelligent) najinteligentniji (the most intelligent)
bolji (better) najbolji (the best)

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 MORPHOLOGY

164. Comparative and superlative forms are declined in the same way as definite
forms of the adjective.

Singular
Masculine Feminine Neuter
N. najbrži konj-O najbolja škola najzelenije polje
G. najbržeg(a) konja najbolje škole najzelenijeg(a) polja
D .IL. naj bržem(u) konju najboljoj školi najzelenijem(u) polju
A. najbržeg(a) konja najbolju školu najzelenije polje
v. najbrži konju najbolja školo najzelenije polje
najbržim konjem najboljom školom najzelenijim poljem
Pfuraf
Masculine Feminine Neuter
N .N. najbrži konji najbolje škole najzelenija polja
G. najbržih konja najboljih škola najzelenijih polja
D .ILli. najbržim konjima najboljim školama najzelenijim poljima
A. najbrže konje najbolje škole najzelenija polja

165. Nego and od mean "than."

Va!l je razred topliji nego naš. Nego + Nominative

Va!l je razred topliji od nafeg(a). Od + Genitive
(Your classrooom is wanner than our classroom.)

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

NUMERALS

1 66. Cardinal numerals.

O ''nula" or ''niltica" (zero) is a feminine nouo and is declined the same way
as other feminine nouns ending in -a.

l jedan-O, jedno, jedna Gedan- : jedn-,jedni,jedna, jedne) is an adjective and

therefore agrees in gender, number and case with the word it modifies. In the
plural '�edni, jedna, jedne" is a pronoun meaning ..some."

Imam jedan dolar. (I have one dollar.)

lmamjednog(a) susjeda. (l have one neighbour.)
Imam jednu knjigu. (l have one book.)

Jedne knjige su zanimljivije od drugih. (Some books are more

interesting than others.)

The following ehart shows the declension of "jedan."

Singular P/ural
Masculine Neuter Feminine Masculine Neuter Feminine
N. jedan-O jedno jedna jedni jedna jedne
G. jednog( a) jednog( a) jedne jednih jednih jednih
D.IL. jednom(u) / jednom( u) jednoj jednim( a) jednim( a) jednim( a)
jednom(e) jednom(e)
A. jedan-O l jedno jednu jedne jedna jedne
jednog( a)
v. jedan-O jedno jedna jedni jedna jedne
l. jednim jednim jednom jednim(a) jednim( a) jednim(a)

Jedan l jedna l jedno in the singular is very often used as the equivalent to "alan"·.

• Often used after the modified noun: for instance. 'ništarijo jedna" (good-for-nothing).

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 MORPHOLOGY

Kupio sam jednu zanimljivu knjigu. (l bought an interesting book.)

Used in the plural, "jedni . . . jedni" usually means "some . . . some."

Jedni to vole, jedni ne vole. (Some like that, some do not.)

Pronouns, nouns and adjectives following compound numerals ending in l ,

except eleven, (2 1 , 2 00 l , 341) are always in the singular.

341 dijete 341 children

"Dva l dvije" (two) and "oba l obje" (both) have two different sets of forms,
one set for the masculine and neuter and the other for the feminine.

The numerals "tri" and "četiri" have a special declension resembling that of
"dva" and "oba".

Masculine l Feminine Masculine l Masculine l

N .IAN dv-a ob-a

Neuter l Feminin Neuter l Feminine
dv- ije, ob-je tr- i
Neuter

dvij u , obiju triju

četiri

D./L./1. dva ma , oba ma

dvaju-obaju
dvjema , objema
G. četiriju
trima četir(i)ma

Pronouns, nouns and adjectives in the masculine and neuter genders that fol­
low compound numbers ending in 2, 3 or 4 are always in the Genitive singu·
lar, while in the feminine gender they are in the Nominative plural.

22 učenika (dvadeset dva učenika) (22 students)

324 polja (tristo četrdeset četiri polja) (324 fields)
683 sestre (šesto osamdeset tri sestre) (683 sisters)

pet
Numerals from 5 (pet) and up do not
šest
change unless they end in •jedan,"
sedam
••dva," ..tri" or "četiri."
osam
devet
10 deset

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

ll jedanaest
12 dvanaest
13 trinaest
14 četrnaest
15 petnaest
16 šesnaest
17 sedamnaest
18 osamnaest
19 devetnaest
20 dvadeset
21 dvadeset jedan
22 dvadeset dva
30 trideset
40 četrdeset
50 pedeset
60 šezdeset
70 sedamdeset
80 osamdeset
90 devedeset
! OO sto l stotina*
!OI sto(tina) jedan
132 sto(tina) trideset dva
200 dvjesto l dvije stotine
286 dvjesto (dvije stotine) osamdeset šest
300 tristo l tri stotine
400 četiristo l četiri stotine
500 petsto l pet stotina
600 šeststo l šest stotina
700 sedamsto l sedam stotina
800 osamsto l osam stotina
900 devetsto l devet stotina
l 000 tisuća (hiljada)**

* The fonn "stotina" is used to convey the approximate and imprecise: "hundreds of," "hun­
dreds and hundreds," "a hundred." Note that "stotina" is a feminine noun ending in -a.
** Feminine noun ending in -a.

1 00
 MORPHOLOGY

l 012 tisuću (hiljadu) dvanaest

l 398 tisuću (hiljadu) tristo devedeset osam
2 000 dvije tisuće l dvije hiljade
3 000 tri tisuće l hiljade
4 000 četiri tisuće l hiljade
5 000 pet tisuća l hiljada
6 000 šest tisuća l hiljada
7 000 sedam tisuća l hiljada
8 000 osam tisuća l hiljada
9 000 devet tisuća l hiljada
14 000 četrnaest tisuća l hiljada
80 000 osamdeset tisuća l hiljada
13 45 1 trinaest tisuća četiristo pedeset jedan
1 83 9 1 4 sto osamdest tri tisuće devetsto četrnaest
l 000 000 milijun*
l 000 000 000 milijarda**

Pronouns, nouns and adjectives following the number "pet" (five) and above
(besides those ending in l , 2, 3 or 4) are always used in the Genitive plural.

osam prozora (8 windows)

petsto kuća (500 houses)

167. If the numera! is rounded off to tens or hundreds, then we can add the suffix
-ak to the cardinal number.

desetak (approximately l O)
dvadesetak (approx. 20 )
pedesetak (approx. 50 )
sedamdesetak (approx. 70 )
stotinjak (approx. 1 00)
dvjestotinjak (approx. 200)
osamstotinjak (approx. 800)
devetstotinjak (approx. 900)

* Masculine noun.
** Feminine noun ending in -a.

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

1 68. Ordinal numerals are declined like definite adjectives with stems ending in
,
nonpalatals (the exception is '"treći . and compound numerals ending with
treći, the only ordinal number ending in a palatal). In a compound number,
only the last digit is ordinal.

l Feminine I Neuter l Feminine l Neuter

Singular Plural
Masculine
1 -•
Masculine
1 -o / (-e) 1 -e 1 -•
l deveta l deveto, treće
-i -i
deveti deveti l devete l deveta

Singular P/ural
M as Fern. Neuter Mase. Fern. Neuter
O. nulti nulta nu Ito nulti nulte nulta
l. prvi prva prvo prvi prve prva
2. drugi druga drugo drugi druge druga
3. treći treća treće treći treće treća
4. tetvrti . .
5. peti . .
6. šesti. .
7. sedmi . .
8. osmi . .
9. deveti . .
10. deseti. .
ll. jedanaesti . .
12. dvanaesti. .
13. trinaesti . .
14. tetrnaesti . .
15. petnaesti. .
1 6. šesnaesti . .
17. sedamnaesti . .
18. osamnaesti . .
19. devetnaesti . .
20. dvadeseti. .
21. dvadeset prvi . .

1 02
 MORPHOLOGY

28. dvadeset osmi . .

30. trideseti . .
40. četrdeseti . .
50. pedeseti. .
60. lezdeseti . .
70. sedamdeseti . .
80. osamdeseti . .
90. devedeseti. .
1 00. stoti . .
123. sto dvadeset treći. .
200. dvjestoti . .
300. tristoti . .
400. četiristoti . .
500. petstoti . .
600. šeststoti . . .
700. sedamstoti . .
800. osamstoti . .
900. devetstoti. .
1 000. tisućiti. .
l 232. tisuću dvjesto trideset drugi. .
8 0 346. osamdeset tisuća tristo četrdeset šesti . .
l 000 000. milijunti . .
l 000 000 000. milijarditi . .

169. Declension o f ordinal numerals.

Singular
Masculine Neuter Feminine
N. peti razred-O peto polj e peta kuća
G. petog(a) razreda petog(a) polja pete kuće
D .IL. petom(u) / petom( u) petoj kući
petom(e) razred u petom(e) polj u
A. peti razred-O peto polj e petu kuć u
v. peti razrede peto polje peta kućo
L petim razredom petim poljem petom kućom

1 03
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

P/ural
Masculine Neuter Feminine
N .IV. peti razredi peta polj a pete kuće
G. petih razreda petih polja petih kuća
D./L./1. petim( a) razredima petim(a) poljima petim(a) kućama
A. pete razrede peta polja pete kuće

The stem of the numera! ''treći,. ends in a palatal and therefore is declined as
any adjective ending in a palatal.

N. treći čovjek-O G. trećeg(u) čovjeka D./L. trećem( u) čovjeku

N. treće dijet-0-e G. trećeg(a) djeteta D./L. trećem( u) djetetu
but:

N. treća soba G. treće sobe D./L. trećoj sobi

N. peta soba G. pete sobe D./L. petoj sobi

1 70. The following numerals can be declined only in the plural.

Masculine Feminine Neuter
dvoji dvoje dvoja (2)'
troji troje troja (3)
četveri četvere četv er (4)
peter i petere petera (5)

jedanaesteri jedanaestere jedanaestera (ll)

stoosamdeseteri stoosamdesetsedmera stoosamdesetere ( 1 70)

N.IA.IV. troji učenici (three kinds of students)

G. trojih učenika
D./L./1. trojim učenicima
N./A.IV. osmera gradilišta (eight kinds of building places)
G. osmerih gradilišta
D./L./1. osmerim gradilištima

* Dvoji l dvoja l dvoje means "a pair of' or "two kinds of."

1 04
 MORPHOLOGY

1 7 1 . When the gender is mixed, the neuter form of num.erals is used.

dvoje ljudi (one man and one woman)

troje konja (two horses and a mare, or two mares and a horse)
devetero kokošiju (a total of nine hens and roosters)

As we can see from the examples above, a noun used after such num.erals can
be in the Genitive masculine plural or in the Genitive feminine plural ("troje
konja" / "devetero koko!iju'') depending oo the gender as unmarked or neu­
tral.

1 72. The numerator and denominator of fractions are a cardinal number and a :frac..
tional noun respectively.

numerator x = cardinal number (3, 4, 5, 6 . . . )

denominator y - fractional noun trećina, četvrtina (third( s), fourth( s))

Fractional nouns are fonned by adding -na to ordinal numerals (masculine­

gender). "Polovica" (half) is an exception.

jedna jedna jedna jedna

polovica trećina četvrtina petina

3
dvije dvije dvije dvije
polovice trećine četvrtine petine

2 5
tri tri tri tri
polovice trećine četvrtine petine

četiri četiri četiri četiri

polovice trećine četvrtine petine

� � � �
polovica trećina četvrtina petina

1 05
Vinko Grubi!ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

l 248 tisuću dvjesto četrdeset osam

269 dvjesto šezdeset devetina

1 73. The following nouns are declined like feminine nouns ending in -a.

polovica jedanaestina
trećina dvanaestina
četvrtina dvadeset petina
petina trideseti na
šestina osamdeset devetina
sedmina tristo osamdeset petina
osmina šesto tridesetina
devetina tisućina (hiljadina)

1 /8 jedna osmina
2/8 dvije osmine
5/8 pet osmina
22/8 pedeset tri osmine
29/8 dvadeset devet osmina
1/62 jedna §ezdesetdrugina

1 74. Percentages.

1% jedan posto (or jedan postotak)

8% osam posto (or osam postotaka)
34% trideset (i) četiri posto
69% šezdeset (i) devet posto
79% of2, 300 sedamdeset (i) šest posto od dvije tisuće tristo
4 % of 2 893, 2 1 1 četiri posto od dva milijuna osamsto devedeset tri
tisuće dvjesto jedanaest

1 06
 MORPHOLOGY

1 75. Noun and adjective endings in each of the seven cases are as follows.

Singt1lar P/ural
Mase. Neu ter Fem. Fern. Mase. Neuter Fern. Fern.
(-a) (cons.) (-a) (cons.)
N. Noun -0 -ol-e -0 -i -a
A:đj: -i -a -e .. (�j
indef. -0 -ol-e -a (-)
Adj. -i -a -e (-)
def. -i -<Ji-e -a (-)
G. N oun -i
A:đj: -a
indef. -a -e (-) -ih -ih -ih (-)
Adj. -<>g(a) -<>g(a)
def. -eg(a)• -eg(a)' -e (-) -ih -ih -ih (-)
D.
A.d]: · - -
N oun
-
- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - · - - - - -
_, -i -ima -ima -ama -ima
-·--·-··- -··-·····- ---·-·· -·-·-·-··

L. indef. -u -u -<Jj (-) -im(a) -im(a) -im(a) (-)

Adj. -om(u) -om(u)
def. -em(u) -em(u) -<Jj (-) -im(a) -im(a) -im(a) (-)
A. N oun N/G N N N N N
A:đj:
indef. = N/G =N -u (-) -e =N =N (-)
Adj.
def. = N/G =N -u (-) -e =N =N (-)
v. N oun -e / -u -o / -e -ol-e/ -e -i
A:đj:
indef. (-) (-)
Adj.
def. =N =N =N (-) =N =N =N (-)
N oun -oml-em -oml-em -om -ima -ima -ima
A:đj: ... ::��J-� ..
indef. -im -im -<>m (-) -im(a) -im(a) im(a) (-)

(-)
Adj.
def. -im -im -<>m (-) -im(a) -im(a) -im(a)

"' The morphemes marked with an asterisk are the endings for the definite aspect of the adjeclives,
and contain the facultative vowels a, e or u.

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

VERB S

1 76. Verbs have several specific features which cannot be found in any other class
of words. When speaking about verbs we have to take into account:
- Conjugation (different fonns for three persons singular and three plural.)
- Tenses (present, past and future)
- Moods (infinitives, conditionals, participles, verbal adverbs)
- Personal and impersona/ use ofverbs (čitam /1 read/ : sviđa mi se /1 like/)
- Two aspects: imperfective and perfective (piti - popiti : to drink - to finish
drinking)
- Two voices (active and passive)
- Verbs can be transitive (with a direct object), intransitive (with an indirect
object or adverbial determination) or rejlexive (with the reflexive pronoun
"se/sebe").

There are regular and irregular verbs. As is typical for verbs used often in
many languages, two major auxililll)' verbs "biti" (to be) and "htjeli' (will) are
bo1h irregular.

177. The infinitive is the first element examined in verb classification. One must
know the first person singular and the third person plural of the present tense
in order to see the structure of a verb. For example: čit-a-ti : čitam : čitaju;
govor-i-ti : govor-i-m : govor-O-e; bos-O-ti (*bod-O-ti) : bod-e-m: bod-O-u;
dig-nu-ti : dig-n-e-m : dig-n-u. There are verbs in which the infinitive stem
and present stem are the same. like in "čit-a-ti" and verbs in which they are dif­
ferent. as in ''bos-ti: bod-u," or "dig-nu-ti : dign-u."

Infinitive /-'1 person sing. 3r<1 person pl.

čit·a·ti (to read) : čit-a-m : Nt-a-ju
voz-i-ti (to drive) : voz-i-m : voz-O-e
vid-je-ti (to see) : vid-i-m : vid-O-e
tres-O-ti (to shake) : tres-e-m : tres-O-u
mo-ći /*mog-O-ti/ (to be able to) : mog-u : mog-O-u
pe-ći /*pek-O-ti/ (to bake) : peč-e-m : pek-O-u
don-ije-ti /donesti (to bring) : dones-e-m : dones-O-u

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 MORPHOLOGY

178. First Group: Verbs ending in -ati

For verbs ending in -ati, it is very important to know which phoneme(s) pre­
cede the ending -ati. The following are possible:

a) Verbs ending in -va-ti:

Ending in the infinitive: First person of the present tense:
-eva-ti
-iva-ti_
-ova-tt
> -ujem

-eva-ti noćevati (spend the night) : noćujem

-iva-ti kazivati (to report, to narrate) : kazujem
-ova-ti darovati (to donate) : darujem

Here are some exceptions:

bivati (to occur several times) : bivam : bivaju
lijevati (to pour) : lijevam : lijevaju
okivati (to shack le, to chain) : okivam : okivaju
plivati (to swim) : plivam : plivaju
počivati (to rest) : počivam : počivaju
snivati/snijevati (to dream) : snivarnlsnijevam : snivaju l snijevaju
skrivati (to hide) : skrivam : skrivaju
šivati (to sew) : šivam : šivaju
umivati (to wash) : umivam : umivaju
uživati (to enjoy) : uživam : uživaju

b) Verbs in which an infinitive ending -ati* is preceded by various conso­

nants:
� -bam (trebati l to need) : trebam
-b-ati � -bern (grebati l to scratch) : grebem
-bijem (zobati l to peck) : zobljem* (zob-jem)

• There are many verbs ending in -irati and -zirati. Pres. -iraml-ziram ... -irajul-ziraju: telefonirati
(to telephone) : telefoniram • . • telefoniraju, analizirati (to analyze): analiziram . . . analiziraju. (See
# 265).

1 09
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

-c-ati
--< -cam (kucati /to knock) : kucam

-čem (klicati /to cheer) : kličem (*klic-jem, *klik-)

-ča m (pričati /to narrate) : pričam

-čati --< -čim (trčati /to run) : trčim ( * trk-)

-ćati ---- -ćam (obećati Ito promise) : obećam

-dam (hodati /to walk) : hodam

-d-ati -< -đem (glodati /to nibble) : glođem (*glod-jem)

-dati ---- -dam (predviđati /to preview) : predviđam

-f-ati ---- -fam (ufati se/to hope) : ufam se

-gam (trgati /to tear up) : trgam

-g-ati -< -žem (strugati /to grind) : stružem (*strug-jem)

-ham (kuhati /to cook) : kuham

-h-ati -< -�em (puhati /to blow) : pu�em (*puh-jem)

-jam (zavijati/ to wrap) : zavijam

-j-ati -< -jem (kajati se /to repent) : kajem se

-kam (slikati /to paint) : slikam

-k-ati -< -čem (vikati /to scream) : vičem (*vik-jem)

-l-ati ---- -lam (veslati /to row) : veslam

l iO
-lj-ati ---- -ljam (valjati /to roll) : valjam

-mam (imati l to have) : imam

-m-ati -< -mljem (uzimati /to take) : uzimljem (*uzim-jem)

-n-ati ---- -nam (sapunati /to soap) : sapunam

-njam (vonjati /to smeli) : vonjam

-nj-ati -< -njem (penjati se Ito climb) : penjem se

-pam (kopati /to dig) : kopam

-p-ati -< -pijem (sipati l to pour) : sipljem (*sip-jem)

-r-ati
--< -ram (morati /to have to) : moram

-rem (orati /to plough) : orem (*or-jem)

-sam (kasati /to trot) : kasam

-s-ati -< -šem (pisati /to write) : pišem (*pis -jem)

-š-ati ---- -šam (vješati /to hang) : vješam

-t-ati
--< -tam (pitati /to ask) : pitam

-ćem (okretati Ito tum) : okrećem (*okret-jem)

-z-ati
--< -zam (vozati /to drive)

-žem (vezati l to tie) : vežem (*vez-jem)

-žati
--< -žam (umnažati l to multiply) : umnažam

-žim (ležati /to lie) : ležim

Ill
Vinko GrubiSić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

-lt-ati
--< -Itarn (dopuštati/to allow) : dopuštam

-Itim (šuštati) /to rustle) : lultim

-žd-ati ---- -ždim (zviždati /to whistle) : zviždim

179. Second Group: Verbs with infinitive ending in -i-ti and -je-ti

Infinitive 1-'1person sing. Y" person pl.

mol-i-ti (to pray) : mol-i-m : mol-O-e
nos-i-ti (to carry) : nos- i - m : nos-O-e
l:ast-i-ti (to honour) : čast- i-m : l:ast-0-e
tumač-i-ti (to explain)
žel-je-ti (to wish)
:
:
tumač-i-m
žel- i -m
:
:
tumal:-0-e
žel-O-e
vol-je-ti (to like) : vol-i-m : vol--O-e

a) Verbs ending in -ili and in -Jeti differ only in the infinitive and in the past
participle active:

nositi (to carry) : voljeti (to like, to love)

nosio-O - nosila - nosilo : volio-O - voljela - voljelo (sing.)
nosili - nosile - nosila : voljeli - voljele - voljela (pl.) (See # 40).

b) Some verbs that have infinitives ending in -iti have in the present tense, end­
ings such as -ijem,-ijel, -ije ll -ijemo, -ijete, -iju
biti (to hit) : bijem : biju
bdjeti (to keep watch) : bdijem and bdim : bdiju
gnjiti (to decay) : gnjijem : gnjiju
kriti (to bide) : krijem : kriju
liti (to pour) : lijem : liju
miti (to wash) : mijem : miju
mniti (to opine) : mnijem l mnim : mniju l mne
piti (to drink) : pijem : piju
snebiti se (to be shocked) : snebijem se : snebiju se
pljeti (to weed) : plijem : pliju

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 MORPIIOLOGY

smjeti (to dare) : smijem : smiju

sniti (to dream) : snijem : sniju
šiti (to sew) : šijem : šiju
umjeti (to be skilled) : umijem : umiju
uspjeti (to succeed) : uspijem : uspiju
viti (to twist) : vijem : viju

Compound verbs of the above-mentioned basic verbs belong to this second

group: (dobiti, izbili, nabili, obitl, odbili, prebill, pribiti, probili, razbili,
ubiti, zbiti, probdjeti, dogojiti, sagnjiti).

e) Similar fonns occur with the verbs �uti (hear): �ujem, izuti/sazuti (to take
footwear o fl) : izujem/sazujem . . . izuj u/sazuj u, obuti (to put footwear on) :
obujem . . . obuju.

180. Third Group: Verbs with infinitives ending in cons. + -0- + ti

Infinitive rw person sing. 3'"d person pl.

zeps-0-ti (to be chilled) : zeb-e-m : zeb-O-u (ps : b)
bos-O-ti (to pierce) : bod-e-m : bod -O-u (s : d)
pas-O-ti (to graze) : pas-c-m : pas-O-u (s : s)
ples-O-ti (to knit) : plet- e- m : piet-O- u (s : t)
ves-O-ti (to embroider) : vez-O - u (s : z)
ras+O-ti (to grow) : rast-e-m : rast-O-u (st : st)
crp+O+sti (to absorb) : crp-e-m : crp-0-u (ps : p)

bite/ (oni griz-u), jesti /oo eaU (oni jed-u), krasti /oo steall (oni krad-u), mesti
Some other verbs in this group are: cvasti l to bloom/ (oni cvat-u), gristi /to

Ito sweepl (oni met-u). musti /to milk/ (oni muz-u), smesti /to hinder/ (oni
smet-u) . . . All compound verbs of the above-mentioned basic verbs belong to
this category, (docvasti, iscvasti, ocvasti, procvasti, dojesti, izjesti, najesti /se/
pojesti, projesti /se, zajesti /se/ . . . )

181. Fourth Group: Verbs with infinitives ending in -nu-ti

dignuti (dig-nu-ti - to lift), taknuti (tak-nu-ti - to touch), zamaknuti (za­

mak-nu-ti - to disappear). .

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

a) The infinitives of some of these verbs have allomorphs ending in -ći:

crknuti - crći (to starve) : crknem : crknu
dignuti - dići (to lift, to elevate) : dignem : dignu
ispregnu ti - ispreći (to set free) : ispregnem : ispregnu
legnuti - leći (to lie down) : legnem : legnu
maknuti - maći (to take away) : maknem : maknu
naviknuti /se/ - navići /se/ (to be used to) : naviknem se : naviknu se
niknuti - nići (to spring up) : niknem : niknu
odbjegnuti - odbjeći (to run away) : odbjegnem : odbjegnu
puknuti - pući (to crack) : puknem : puknu
rastegnuti - rasteći (to stretch) : rastegnem : rastegnu
stignuti - stići (to arrive) : stignem : stignu
taknuti - taći (to touch) : taknem : taknu
vrgnuti - vrći (to put, to hide) : vrgnem : vrgnu

b) There are several verbs that have infinitives ending in <t but that do not
bave allomorphs ending in -nu-d:

ići (to go) : idem : idu

moći (to be able to) : mogu : mogu
obući (to dress) : obučem : obuku
peći (to bake) : pečem : peku
reći (to tell) : reknem/rečem : reknu/reku
sjeći (to cut) : siječem : sijeku
steći (to eam) : steknem : steknu
teći (to run, to float) : tečem : teku
vući (to puli) : vučem : vuku
žeći (to bum) : žežem : žegu

e) The verbs "peknuti," "sjeknuti" , "tuknuti" and "žegnuti" could be con­

sidered perfective ("punctual") pairs ofimperfective verbs: peći, sjeći, tući
and žeći.

d) Compound verbs ofverbs ending in -<!� like dom!i (to speak out), ispeći
(to bake), or pronaB (to find out) are conjugated as their basic verbs.

1 14
 MORPHOLOGY

e) There are many verbs which end in -nuti but do not have allomorphs in -ći.
Here are some of them:

dirnuti (to touch) : dirn -e- m : dirn-0-u

gasnu ti (to extinguish) : gasn -e- m : gasn-0-u
gucnuti (to take a sip) : gucn-e- m : gucn-0-u
guknuti (to coo) : gukn- e-m : gukn-0-u
jauknuti (to moan) : jaukn-e-m : jaukn-0-u
jurnuti (to sprint) : jurn -e- m : jurn-0-u
kriknuti (to cry out) : krikn- e- m : krikn-0-u
počinuti (to rest) : počin-e- m : počin-0-u
vagnuti (to weigh) : vagn-em : vagn-0-u
viknuti (to shout) : vikn-e- m : vikn-0-u
zijevnuti (to yawn) : zijevn-e-m : zijevn-0-u

Tenses and Moods

182. There are tenses that consist of one word only ("non-compound" tenses) and
those that consist of two or more words:

Infinitive Present Conditional Past conditional

čitati čitam čitao bih bio bih čitao

Non-Compound Tenses and Moods

Infinitive

183. Infinitives in Croatian end in either -ti or in --ći. All infinitives ending in ��
have different stems in the present tense and in the infinitive. The infinitive

peći (oni pek-u), tea (oni tek-u).

does not change: čitati, putovati, govoriti, cvasti (to flourisb), moći (oni mog-u)

liS
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAM MAK

iliary verbs "bill' (to be) and "htjeti' (will) are used to form some compound
1 84. The infinitive is used to form several compound tenses in Croatian. Two aux­

lenses and moods. In modern colloquial spoken Croatian, the final -i of the
infinitive is often dropped.

Present Tense

1 85. Croatian has only one present tense, so that "(ja) čitam" means both "J reađ'
and "J am reading."

1 86. Sets of endings for the present tense:

Singular
1 -a-m 1 -e-m l -i-m l -i e-m
1 -a-š
t s1 person (ja)
znd person (ti) 1 -e-š l -i-š l -ie-š
3rd person (on, ona, ono) 1 -a-0 1 -e-0 l -i-0 l -ie-O
P/ural
l -a-mo l -e-mo l -i-mo l -ie-mo
-a-te j-je-te
l sl person (mi)
znd person (vi) -e-te -i-te
3rd person (oni, one, ona) 1-•:i• J -0-e 1 -0-e 1 -0:iu

187.

čitati (to read) rezati (to cut) voziti (to drive) biti (to beat)
l. čitam režem vozim bijem
2. čita� režeš vozi� bije�
3. čita-O reže-O vozi-O bije-O
l. čitamo režemo vozimo bijemo
2. čitate režete vozite bijete
3. čitaju rež-0-u voz-O-e bi-O-ju

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 MORPHOLOGY

188. Verbs ending in -ći in the infinitive have a special conjugation in the present
tense:

žeći (to bum) teći (to flow) dignuti/dići (to lift)

l. žežem tečem dignem
2. žežeš tečeš digneš
3. žeže-O teče-O digne-O
l. žeže mo tečemo dignemo
2. žežete tečete dignete
3. žeg-0-u tek-O-u dign-O-u

189. Palatalization occurs here in all persons except the 3rd person pl ural.
žeći (to bum) : žežem .. : žegu
teći (to run, to flee) tečem . . . teku
strići (to cut hair) : strižem . . . strigu.

Due to palatalization, these verbs have two allomorphs, one of which ends in a
velar (žeg-, tek-, strig-) and the other in a palatal (žež-, teč-, striž-). Verbs that
have double forms in the infinitive (dići : dignuti "' to lift, maći : maknuti = to
move) are conjugated the same way as all other verbs ending in -nu-ti.

190. Auxiliary verbs biti and htjeti:

biti (to be) htjeti (to want)

Singular
l . jesam l ja sam budem hoću l ja ću htjednem
2. jesi l ti si budeš hoćeš l ti ćeš htjedneš
3. jest / on/ono/ona je bude-O hoće-O-/on, ono, ona će htjedne-O

P/ural
l . jesmo l mi smo budemo hoćemo /mi ćemo htjednemo
2. jeste /vi ste budete hoćete /vi ćete htjednete
3. jesu /oni su budu-O- hoće-O- l oni će h*dn-0-u

1 9 1 . The forms "sam/si, smo/ste/su" and "ću/ćeš/će, ćemo/ćete/će" are unstressed

and cannot be used at the beginning of a phrase or after a comma. (See # 49)

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192. If personal pronouns are not emphasized, it is not necessary to use them be­
cause the verb endings indicate clearly which person is performing the ac­
tion.

A orisi

193. The aorist is a past tense indicating an action that must have been terminated
before or after it is mentioned.

Dođoše jučer u našu kuću. (Yesterday they came to our home)

Reče li ti njemu što si mu morao reći? (Did you tell him what you had to tell him?)
On ne dođe nikada više u našu kuću. (He will never again come to our
house).

194. To form an aorist, one should take away the ending -ti of the infinitive for
verbs ending in -ati l -eti, -iti and -uti. In verbs ending in -ti, palatalization
occurs whenever k,g,h, are followed by -e: strići (to clip, to shear): strigoh,
striže, ispeći (to bake) : ispekoh, ispe�e . . .

Singular
Odbiti (to refuse, odbi-) reći (to tell) /rek-/reč-/
l . odbi-h -h rek-o-h -<>-h
2. odbi-O -0 reč-e-O -e
3. odbi-O -0 reč-e-O -e

P/ural
l . odbi-smo rek-o-smo -o-smo
2. odbi-ste -ste rek-o-ste -o-ste
3. odbi-te -še rek-o-še -o-še

1 9S. Non-palatals + o : Palatals + e. For example: iskopati (to dig out), proteći
(to flow through), viknuti (to scream), leći (to lie down), zaključiti (to con­
clude).

l. iskopa-h protek-o-h viknu-h leg-o-h zaključi-h

2. iskopa-O proteč-e-O viknu-O lež-e-O zaključi-O
3. iskopa-O proteč-e-O viknu-O lež-e-O zaključi-O

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 MORPHOLOGY

l . iskopa·smo protek-o-smo viknu-smo leg·o-smo zaključi-smo

2. iskopa·ste protek-o-ste viknu-ste leg-o-ste zaključi-ste
J. iskopa·le protek-o-le viknu-še leg·o-le zaključi-liie

196. The aorist of the auxiliary verbs biti and htjeti:

biti htjeti
Singular
l. bje-h l bi-h htjed-o-h l htje-h
2. bje-O l bi-O htjed-e·O l htje·O
3. bje-O l bi·O htjed-e·O l htje·O

P/ural
l. bje-smo l bi-smo htjedosmo l htjesmo
2. bje-ste l bi-ste htjedoste l htjeste
3. bje-le l bi-še htjedoše l htjele

197. In contemporary Croatian only perfective verbs have an aorist

lmperfect

198. The imperfect is a past teose in which tbe action expressed does not have to
be completed before or after the moment it is mentioned.

Ona čitaše tu zanimljivu knjigu svakog jutra. (She read that interesting book
each morning.)
Mi govorasmo s njezinim roditeljima prošle godine. (We spoke with her
parents last year.)

199. The imperfect is fonned from infinitives without using -ati, -eti, or -iti, with
the addition of special sets of endings. As its name suggests, it is fonned from
imperfective verbs:

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Singular
moliti tresti
skakati (to jump)
(to pray) (to shake)
l . skakah (skak-a-h) -a-h moljah -ja-h tresijah -ija-h
(mol:ia-h) (tres-ija-h)
2. skakaše -a-še moljaše -ja-še tresijaše -ija-še
3. skaka-še -a-še moljaše -ja-še tresijaše -ija-še
Plural
l . skakasmo moljasmo -ja-smo tresijasmo -ija-smo
2. skakaste -a-ste molj aste -ja-ste tresijaste -ija-ste
3. skakahu -a-hu moljahu -ja-hu tresijahu -ija-hu

Here are the imperfect fonns of the verbs čitati (to read), misliti (to think),
buditi (to wake), tonuti (to sink) and teći (to flow):

Singular
l . č itah buđah mišljah tonjah tecijah
2. čitaše buđaše mišljaše tonjaše tec ijaše
3. čitaše buđaše mišljaše tonjaše tec ijaše

P/ural
l . č itasmo buđasmo mišljasmo tonjas m o tecijasmo
2. č itaste buđaste mišljaste tonjaste tec ijaše
3. čitahu buđahu mišljahu tonjahu tecijahu

200. Non-palatal consonants are "softened" with "j" where possible: misliti (to
think) : mišljah, tonuti (to sink) : tonj ah, graditi (to build) : građah, braniti
(to defend) : branjah, zobati (to chew) : zobljah. (See # 1 58).

201. The imperfect of the auxiliary verbs biti and htjeti:

biti htjeti
Singular
l . bijah htijah l hoćah l hotijah
2. bijaše htijaše l hoćaše l hotijaše
3. bijaše htijaše l hoćaše l hotijaše

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 MORPHOLOGY

P/ural
l . bijasmo htijasmo l hoćasmo l hotijasmo
2. bijaste htijaste l hoćaste l hotijaste
3. bijahu htijahu l hoćahu l hotijahu

202. Except for the auxi1iary verb "biti," neither the aorist nor the imperfect forms
are used very often in the spoken language.

Imperative

203. A speaker who wants to direct an order or a command to a listener or to a third

person, uses the imperative form which is formed by adding special endings
to the verbal stem.

a) Verbs ending in -a-ti: (čitati) Verbs ending in -i-ti: (govoriti)

Singular Singu/ar
l. - -

2. čita:i-0 (čita+j+O) govori-O

3 . nek(a) + čita-O (nek/a/ + yd nek(a) + govori-O nek/a/ + Jrd person of the
person of the pres. tense) pres. tense)
P/ural P/urai
l . čitajmo (čita-j-mo) govorimo
2. čitaj-te (čita-j-te) govorile
3 . nek(a) + čitaju (nek/a/ + 3rd nek(a) + govor...o-e (nek/a/ + Jrd person of
person of the pres. tense) the pres. tense)

b) Some other verbs ending in -ati:

vika-ti meta-ti
Singular Singular
1. - 1.-
2. viči-O 2. meći ("'met-j-i)
3. nek(a) viče 3. nek(a) meće
(nek/a/ + 3 rd person sing. of the present tense)

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Vinko Grubgh:, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Plura!
l . vičimo l . meć-imo
2. vičite 2. meć-ite
3. nek( a) viču 3. nek(a) meću
(nek/a/ + 3 rd person pl.of the present tense)

e) Verbs ending in -nu-ti have imperative forms in -ni-O, -ni-mo, -ni-te:

maknuti (to move) viknuti (to scream) dići/dignuti (to lift)
Singular
l. -
2. makni-O vikni-0 digni-O
3. nek(a) makne nek(a) vikne nek(a) digne
P/ural
l . maknimo viknimo dignimo
2. maknite viknite dignite
3. nek(a) maknu nek( a) viknu nek(a) dignu

d) Verbs ending in -ava-ti and -uva-ti have the imperative, as all other verbs ending
in -ati: navigavati (to navigate) : navigavaj, pričuvati (to save) : pričuvaj.

e) Verbs ending in -evati (vojevati- to fight), -ivati (namigivali - to beckon),

-ovati (školovati - to school) have different endings for the imperative forms:
vojevati školovati namigivati
Singular
l. -
2. vojJ.V-0 (voju-j-O) školtV-0 (školu-j-O) namigJ.V-0 (namigu-j-O)
3. nek( a) kraljuje nek(a) školuje nek(a) namiguje
Plural
l . kraljJ.Vmo školtVmo namig4imo
2. kraljtVte školtVte namigtVt
3. nek( a) kraljuju neka školuju nek(a) namiguju/namigivaju

The third person singular and plural of the imperative are formed by placing
the word nek(a) before the third person form of the present tense.

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 MORPHOLOGY

I f personal pronouns are used, they are placed between neka and the verbal
form:

neka (on) govori = let him speak

neka (ona) govori = let her speak
neka (oni . . . one) govore = let them speak

204. Negative bnpel"fllil'e forms are made by p1acing the negative partie]e ne be­
fore the positive imperative forms:

Singular P/ural Singular P/ural

1.- l . ne čitaj mo 1.- l . ne govorimo
2. ne čitaj 2. ne čitajte 2. ne govori 2. ne govortite
3. nek( a) ne čita 3. neka ne čitaju 3. nek( a) ne govori 3. neka ne govore

205. Prohibition in Croatian also has the special forms "nemoj, nemojmo, nemoj­
te" (do not) + lnjlnillve:
Singular Pfural
1.- l . nemojmo čitati
2 . nemoj čitati 2. nemojte čitati
3. - 3. -

206. The imperative of auxiliary verbs:

biti htjeti
Singular P/ural
1.- l . budimo 1.- l . htjednimo
2 . budi 2. budite 2. h/jedni 2. htjednite
3. nek(a) bude 3. nek(a) budu 3. nek( a) htjedne 3. nek(a) htjednu

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Vinko Grub1šić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

207. The indeclinable active past participle endings are:

Mascu/ine Neuter Feminine

Singular -o-O -1-o -1-a
P/ural -l-i -I-a -1-e

These endings are added to the stem of present tense forms:

Mase. Neut. Fern.
čitati: čita-o-O čita- l-o čita-l-a Sing.
čita- l-i čita- l-a čita- l-e P/.

dignuti: dig(a) o-0 dig- l-o dig- l-a Sing.

dig- l-i dig- l-a dig- l-e P/.

viknuti: viknuo-O viknu-l-o viknu-l-a Sing.

viknu - l-i viknu-l-a viknu-l-e Pl.

pomoći: pomog(a) o-0 pomog- l-o pomog- l-a Sing.

pomog- l-i pomog-l-a pomog-l-e Pl.

208. The fleeting a appears only in the maseuline singular. When the "a" before the
"o" in the mase. sing. is long, then the fleeting a appears in all three genders in
the singular and plural (čitao: čitala : čitala ll čitali : čitala : čitale) but mogao
is an exception (mog-a-o-O: mog-l-a : mog-l-o : mog-l-i : mog-l-e : mog-l-a).
(See # 38)

209. The auxiliary verbs biti and htjeti:

biti htjeti
Mase. Neut. Fern. Mase. Neut. Fern.
Singu/ar bi-o-O bi-l-o bi-l-a hti-o-O htje-l-o htje-l-a
P/ural bi-l-i bi-l-a bi-l-e htje-l-i htje-l-a htje-l-e

Verbal Adverbs

2 t O. The present verbal adverb ends ln -u�l or -fti. It is formed by adding ��

to the third person plural of the present tense. This formation can be derived
only from an imperfective verb. It designates an action which is parallel to the
action expressed by the main verb.

1 24
 MORPHOLOGY

Oni hodaju pjevajući. (They walk while singing.)

Oni uče slušajući glazbu. (They study while listening to music.)

�
Ona vozi auto gledajući kroz prozor. (She drives the car while looking
through the window.)

t� ;:
'
i m
ti čitaš
on čita
hodajući

�
ona čita
ono čita

mi čitamo
vi čitate
oni čitaju hodajući
one čitaju
ona čita

ja sam čitao l čitala etc. ---- hodajući

ja bijah čitao etc. hodajući

ja ću čitati etc. hodajući

čitaj
čitajmo hodajući
čitajte, etc. >
ja bih čitao etc. ---- hodajući

2 1 1 . The present verbal adverb can be used in the same manner with any action

infinitive), and accomplished by anypomou, either in the singular or plural.

in the past, present or future teose, witlt any mood (imperative, conditional,

Being an adverb, the present verbal adverb does not change with gender, case
or number. However, there are some examples where a present verbal adverb

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

works as an adjective and consequently can be dec\ined and used in both the
singular and plural in all three genders. Here are some examples:

buduće u�enje = future studying

tekuće ljeto = current summer
iduću godinu (A sing.) = next year, during the next year

2 1 2. The auxiliary verb biti has the present verbal adverb "budući" while htjeti has
double forms: htijući and hoteći.

Past Verbal Adverb

213. The past tense verbal adverb can express an action that occurred in the past,
occurs in the present, or will occur in the future. It denotes an action which is
accomplished before the action expressed by the main verb.

Past Tense

a) Pročitavši knjigu, gledali smo film.

(Having finished reading the book, we watched a movie.)

b) Pročitavši knjigu, gledamo film.

(Having finished reading the book, we are watching a movie.)

e) Pročitavši knjigu, gledat ćemo film.

(When we have finished reading the book, we will watch a movie.)

2 1 4. Past tense verbal adverbs are formed by adding the ending -vii or -v to tbe
Infinitive stems of perfeetive verbs coding ln -ti. For irregular verbs and
verbs that end in -<t, the ending -vii ls added to the mascullne form of ao
active past participle without tbe final -o.

pro�itati (to finish reading) : pro�ita-o : pro�ita vši (having finished reading)
doći (to arrive) : doša-o : došav /doša vši (having arrived)
moći (to be able to) : moga-o : moga vši
ukrasti (to rob, to stea!) : ukra-o : ukra vši

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 MORPHOLOGY

�
215. Past tense verbal adverbs can replace some subordinate clauses:
Kad
Nakon ito
Dok sam prot:itao = pročitavši
Budući da
Kadje on to rekao, svi su mu se smijali.
Rekav.fi on to, svi su mu se smijali.
(When he said that, everybody laughed at him.)

Like otber adverbs, the past tense verbal adverb ls uochangeable.

2 1 6. The auxiliary verbs biti and htjeti do not have past tense verbal adverbs. The
form "'bivši" (former) is considered an adjective (bivši/bivše/bivša)

Compound Tenses and Moods

The Future Tense

2 1 7. The future tense is formed from the present forms of the verb "htjeti" + the
lofloltlve of the malo verb.

ja ću čitati (l will read)

ti će! čitati
on će čitati
ono će čitati
će čitati

mi ćemo čitati
vi ćete čitati
oni će čitati
će čitati
one će čitati

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Instead of "ja ću čitati" one can also use:

čitat(i) ću čitat(i) ćemo
čitat(i) ćeš čitat(i) ćete
čitat(i) će (this "će" is short) čitat(i) će (this "će" is long)

Verbs ending in -ti usually lose their final -i, while verbs ending in -ći retain
the complete -ći ending:
pitat će : ići će
znat ćeš : peći ćeš

2 1 8. The negative future tense is fonned by adding "ne" tO the short fonns of the
vetb "btjetl."

Singular P/ural
(ja) ne ću čitati (mi) ne ćemo čitati
(ti) ne ćeš čitati (vi) ne ćete čitati
(on) ne će čitati (oni) ne će čitati
(ono) ne će čitati (ona) ne će čitati
(ona) ne će čitati (one) ne će čitati

219. The interrogative future tense is formed by using the stressed forms of the
auxiliary verb "htjeti" + U + the IDfiD.itlve of the maio verb.

hoću l ne ću (ja)
hoćeš l ne ćeš (ti)
hoće l ne će (on)
hoće l ne će (ono)
hoće l ne će (ona)
+ li + čitati
(mi)
(vi)
(oni)
hoće l ne će (ona)
hoće l ne će (one)

1 28
 MORPHOLOGY

220. Auxiliary verbs:

biti htjeti
ja ću biti or bit ću ja ću htjeti or htjet ću
ćeš biti će! htjeti
on će biti će htjeti
će biti ono će htjeti
će biti će htjeti
mi ćemo biti mi ćemo htjeti
vi ćete biti vi ćete htjeti
oni će biti oni će htjeti
ona će biti će htjeti
će biti one će htjeti

221. As in English, it is not necessary to repeat the auxiliary verb when there is
more than one infinitive: "Sutra ćemo o njegovu učenju razm.illjad, govorid
i nešto zaklju�id." (Tomorrow we will think, speak and decide something
about bis studies.)

Future Anterior

222. Some future actions are accomplished in a sequential way. Any future action
which takes place before another future action, and consequently is closer to
the present, is expressed by the so�called "anreriorjurure" or "exacrfuture." lt
is fonned by the present tense perfective fonns "budem l bude§ l bude l bu­
demo l budete l budu" + the active past participle. lt is usually preceded by
the conjunctions "ako" ("if'), "�im" ("as soon as"), "dok" ("while"), "kad"
("when," "if'), '"kako" ("how," "as soon as"), '"nakon §to" ("after which").
A dependent clause can also be introduced by "budem, budeL ." if it is fol�
lowed by the interrogative particle "li."
(kad) budem t:itao l t:itala (kad) budemo t:itali l čitale
(kad) bude§ t:itao l t:itala (kad) budete t:itali l čitale
(kad) bude t:itao l �itala (kad) budu t:itali l čitale
(kad) dijete bude t:italo (kad) djeca budu �itala

1 29
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Ako bude§ bio budan (or: Budeš li budan), onda ćeš me saslušati.
(If you are going to be awake, then you will listen to me.)
Čim budu došli (or: čim dođu) u naš grad, trebaju nas nazvati.
(As soon as they arrive in our city, they should call us.)

Kad budeš došao (or: Kad dođeš) u knjižaru, kupi tu zanimljivu knjigu.
(When you come to the bookstore, buy that interesting book.)

Nakon što budem to vidio (or: Nakon što to vidim), promijenit ću odluku.
(When l see that, I will change my decision.)

Kada budu stigli (or: Kad stignu), odmah će vam se javiti.

(As soon as they arrive, they will contact you right away.)

223. Auxiliary verbs:

biti htjeti
Singular
(kad) budem biolbilal(bilo) (kad) budem htio/htjelal(htjelo)
(kad) budeš (kad) bude!
(kad) bude (kad) bude
P/ural
(kad) budemo bililbile/(bila) (kad) budemo htjeli/htjele/(htjela)
(kad) budete (kad) budemo
(kad) budu (kad) budu

Past tense

224. The past tense in Croatian is composed of the preseat tease of the verb biti
aud the active past partlclple of tbe main verb.

ja sam čitao l čitala or: čitao l čitala sam

ti si čitao l čitala čitao l čitala si
onje čitao čitao l čitala /čitalo je
ono je čitalo
ona je čitala

1 30
 MORPHOLOGY

mi smo čitali l čitale čitali l čitale smo

vi ste čitali l čitale čitali l čitale ste
oni su čitali čitali l čitale /čitala su
čitala
one su čitale

When the past tense is used without the subject (such constructions are very
frequent), the unstressed form of the verb "biti" is placed after the participle
of the main verb:

Ja sam sreo studenta. (l met a student.)

Sreo sam studenta.

225. Negative fonns of the past tense are formed by using the negative forms of the
verb "biti" + U + the active past partleiple of the maiD verb.

Ua) nisam čitao l čitala (mi) nismo čitali l čitale

(ti) nisi čitao l čitala (vi) niste čitali l čitale
(on) nije čitao (oni) nisu čitali
(ona) nije čitala (one) nisu čitale
(ono, dijete) nije čitalo (ona, djeca) nisu čitala

226. Interrogative fonns of the past teose are formed by using the stressed fonns of
the verb "biti" (to be) + the active past partlelple.

lnterrogative positive: jesam li (ja) čitao l čitala?

jesi li (ti) čitao l čitala?
je li (on) čitao?
je li (ona) čitala?
je li (ono, dijete) čitalo?
jesmo li (mi) čitali l čitale?
jeste li (vi) čitali l čitale?
jesu li (oni) čitali?
jesu li (one) čitale?
jesu li (ona, djeca) čitala?

131
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

227. Interrogative negative forms: nisam li (ja) čitao l čitala?

nisi li (ti) čitao l čitala?
nije li (on) čitao?
nije li (ona) čitala?
nije li (ono, dijete) čitalo?
nismo li (mi) čitali l čitale?
niste li (vi) čitali l čitale?
nisu li (oni ) čitali?
nisu li (one) čitale?
nisu li (ona, djeca) čitala?

228. The past tense of the auxiliary verbs "biti" and ''htjeti":
biti
ja sam bio l bila bio l bila sam
ti si bio l bila bio l bila si
on je bio bio je
ona je bila bila je
ono je bilo bilo je
mi smo bili l bile bili/bile smo
vi ste bili l bile bili !bile ste
oni su bili or bili su
one su bile or bile su
ona su bila or bila su
htjeti
ja sam htio l htjela htio l htjela sam
ti si htio l htjela or htio l htjela si
on je htio or htio je
ona je htjela or htjela je
ono je htjelo or htjelo je
mi smo htjeli l htjele htjeli l htjele smo
vi ste htjeli l htjele or htjeli l htjele ste
oni su htjeli or htjeli su
one su htjele or htjele su
ona su htjela or htjela su

ln spoken Croatiaa, tbis tense is by far the most frequently used form of the
past tense.

1 32
 MORPHOLOGY

Pluperfect

229. There are two different sets of fonns of the pluperfect:

Past teose + past active participle of the verb •'biti."
or. lmperfect of the verb "biti" + past partieiple active of the main verb.

čitati : Ua) bijah čitao l čitala bio sam čitao l bila sam čitala
(ti) bijaše čitao l čitala bio si čitao l bila si čitala
(on) bijaše čitao bio je čitao
(ona) bijaše čitala bila je čitala
(dijete l ono) bijaše čitalo bilo je čitalo
(mi) bijasmo čitali l čitale bili smo čitali l bile smo čitale
(vi) bijaste čitali l čitale bili ste čitali l bile ste čitale
(oni) bijahu čitali bili su čitali
(one) bijahu čitale bile su čitale
(djeca l ona) bijahu čitala bila su čitala

230. As in English, an action expressed by pluperfect has to be accomplished before

another past action:

Bio sam čitao (or Bijah čitao) prije nego Uo su oni dolU u nalu kuću.
(l had read before they came to our home.)
Kad sam bila pročitala knjigu (Kad bijah pročitala knjigu), počela sam
sređivati sobu.
(When I had finished reading the book, I started to tidy the room.)

231. Auxiliary verbs:

biti htjeti
bijah bio/bila/(bilo) bijah htio/htjela/(htjelo)
bijaše bijaše
bijaše bijaše
bijasmo bili/bile/(bila) bijasmo htjeli/htjelel(htjela)
bijaste bijaste
bijahu bijahu

133
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN URAMMAR

Conditional

232. The conditional is formed using the aorlst forms of the verb "bid" (ja bih,
ti bl. on/ona/ono bl. mi bismo, vi biste), except for the third person, where
the special form bi is used (oni/one/ona bi) + the aedve past participle of
the main verb:

čitati govoriti ići

ja bih titao l čitala ja bih govorio/govorila ja bih išao l išla
ti bi čitao l titala bi govorio l govorila bi išao l išla
on bi čitao on bi govorio on bi išao
ona bi čitala ona bi govorila ona bi išla
ono bi čitalo ono bi govorilo ono bi išlo
mi bismo čitali l čitale mi bismo govorili/govorile mi bismo išli l išle
vi biste čitali/čitale vi biste govorili/govorile vi biste išli l išle
oni bi čitali oni bi govorili oni bi išli
one bi čitale bi govorile one bi išle
ona bi čitala ona bi govorila ona bi išla
Instead ofJa bih čitao or Ja bih čitala, one can use: čitao bih, čitala bih, etc. If
the forms "bih,bi . . . " are preceded by "'ne," then the statement expressed with
the conditional is negative:

On bi to znao. On ne bi to znao.
(He would know that.) (He would not know that.)

233. Auxiliary verbs:

biti htjeti
ja bih bio l bila ja bih htio J htjela
bi bio !bila bi htio l htjela
bi bio on bi htio
ona bi bila ona bi htjela
bi bilo bi htjelo
mi bismo bili l bile mi bismo htjeli l htjele
vi biste bili l bile vi biste htjeli l htjele
oni bi bili oni bi htjeli
bi bile bi htjele
ona (djeca) bi bila ona (djeca) bi htjela

1 34
 MORPHOLOGY

Instead of using "Ja bih bio/bila" or "Ja bih htio/htjela" one can use "bio/
bila bih" or "htio/htjela bih."

234. Past Conditional

This mood is fonned by adding the active past participle of the auxiliary verb
"biti" (to be) to the conditional.
ja bih bio čitao l ja bih bila čitala or: čitao bih bio l čitala bih bila
ti bi bio čitao/ ti bi bila čitala čitao bi bio l čitala bi bila
on bi bio čitao čitao bi bio
ona bi bila čitala čitala bi bila
ono (dijete) bi bilo čitalo čitalo bi (dijete) bilo
mi bismo bili čitali l mi bismo bile čitale čitali bismo bili l čitale bismo bile
vi biste bili čitali l vi biste bile čitale čitali biste bili l čitale biste bile
oni bi bili čitali čitali bi bili
one bi bile čitale čitale bi bile
ona (djeca) bi bila čitala čitala bi (djeca) bila

Instead ofsaying "čitao bih bio" one can say "bio bih čitao, etc.

235. Auxiliary verbs:

biti
Masculine Neuter Feminine
bio bih bio (bilo bih bilo) bila bih bila
bio bi bio (bilo bi bilo) bila bi bila
bio bi bio bilo bi bilo bila bi bila
bili bismo bili (bila bismo bila) bile bismo bile
bili biste bili (bila biste bila) bile biste bile
bili bi bili bila bi bila bile bi bile

htjeti
bio bih htio (bilo bih htjelo) bila bih htjela
bio bi htio (bilo bi htjelo) bila bi htjela
bio bi htio bilo bi htjelo bila bi htjela
bili bismo htjeli (bila bismo htjela) bile bismo htjele
bili biste htjeli bila biste htjela bile biste htjele
bili bi htjeli bila bi htjela bile bi htjele

135
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

236. These fonns can be used with the personal pronouns: ''ja bih bio htio . . . " While
the conditional appears in Croatian often, the past conditional is very rare in the
spoken language.

Passive Voice

237. Past Passive Participle

Only transitive verbs (i.e. verbs which can be used with a direct object) of
both perfectlve and lmperfectlve aspects bave a past passive participle. lt is
formed from the infinitive •- + the following eodings:

Singular ?!ural
Masculine Neuter Feminine Masculine Neuter Feminine
-n-0 -ni
čitanO čitano čitana tani čitana čitane
(read)

-en-O -eno -ena -eni -ena

varenO vareni
(boiled)

*-jen-O *-jeno *-jena *-jeni *-jena *-jene

lov ljenO lovljeno !ovijena lov ljeni !ovijena lov ljene
(chased)

-t-0 -to -ta -ti -ta -te

maknutO maknuto maknuta maknuti maknuta maknute
(moved)

238. Since the consonant "j" softens the consonant that precedes it, the past passive
participles rarely end in "-jen" (e.g. zabiti : zabijen � hammered in) but more
often in -čen, -ćen, -đen, -bijen, -v/jen, etc.

1 36
 MORPHOLOGY

grabiti (to seize, to grab) : grab/jen (-bijena, -bljeno, etc.)

izmamiti (to entice, to lure, to cheat) : izmamljen . . .
kupiti (to buy) : kupljen . .
mlatiti (to hit) : mlaćen . .
mrviti (to crush) : m rv/jen . .
kositi (to mow) : košen . .
voditi (to lead) : vođen . .
smijeniti (to alternate) : smijenjen . .
(pro)čitati: (pro)čitan - (pro)čitana - (pro)čitano // (pro)čitani -
(pro)čitane - (pro)čitana
darovati (to donate) darovan . .
prepoznati (to recognize) : prepoznat - prepoznata - prepoznato// pre­
poznati - prepoznate - prepoznata
dati (to give) : dan/dat . .

239. Past passive participles are considered to be adjectives with two aspects and
they are declined in the same way as adjectives.

Singular P/ural

lndefinite Definite
*
N kupljenO namještaj kupljeni namještaj kupljeni namještaji

G kupljena namještaja kupljenog namještaja kupljenih namještaja

D./L kupljenu namještaju kupljenom namještaju kupljenim namještaj ima

A. kupljen-O namještaj kupljeni namještaji kupljene namještaje

v. kupljeni namještaju kupljeni namještaji

kupljenim namještajem kupljenim namještajem kupljenim namještaj ima

240. Both perfective and imperfective verbs can form the past passive participle.
(Pismo je pisano : Pismo je napisano).

• bought furniture

137
Vmko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

241. As in English, only transitive verbs (i.e. the verbs that can be accompanied
by a direct object) can have the past passive participle fonn. Verbs such as
putovati (to travel), veseUti/Mi (to enjoy), and padati (to fall down) cannot
be part of any passive construction.

242. The auxiliary verbs biti and htjeti do not have past passive participle.

243. The passive partie i pie is used to form passive tenses:

The passive voice in Croatian is formed by the appropriate form of the verb
biti (to be) and the past passive participle.
The passive past participle can be in the masculine, feminine or neuter gender
(singular or plural).

244. Infinitive passive:

Masculine Neuter Feminine
biti čitan (čitano) čitana (to be read) Sing.
biti čitani (čitana) čitane Pl.

245. Present passive:

Masculine Neuter Feminine
bivam čitan (čitano) čitana (l am being read) Sing.
bivaš čitan (čitano) čitana
biva čitan čitano čitana
bivamo čitani (čitana) čitane (We are being read) Pl.
bivate čitani čitana čitane
bivaju čitani čitana čitane

246. General past:

i!itan (čitano) čitana sam (l have been read) Sing.
čitan (čitano) čitana si
čitan (čitano) čitana je
čitani (čitana) čitane smo (We have been read) Pl.
čitani (čitana) čitane ste
čitani (čitana) čitane su

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 MORPHOLOGY

247. Jmperfect:

bijah čitan (čitano) čitana (l was read) Sing.

bijaše čitan (čitano) čitana
bijaše čitan (čitano) čitana

bijasmo čitani (čitana) čitane (We were read) Pl.

bijaste čitani (čitana) čitane
bijahu čitani (čitana) čitane

248. Aorisl:

bih pročitan (pročitano) pročitana (l was read) Sing.

bi pročitan (pročitano) pročitana
bi pročitan (pročitano) pročitana

bismo pročitani (pročitana) pročitane (We were read) Pl.

biste pročitani (pročitana) pročitane
biše pročitani (pročitana) pročitane

249. Pluperfect:

bijah / bio sam titan bijah l bila sam/ čitana (-) Sing.
(l had been read, etc.)

bijaše l bio si titan bijaše l bila si l titana ( -)

bijaše l bio je čitan bijaše l bila je l čitana bijaše l bilo je/ titano
bijasmo l bili smo čitani bijasmo l bili smo l čitane ( - ) Pl.
(We had been read, etc.)

bijaste l bili ste titani bijaste l bile ste l titane (-)

bijahu l bile su čitane bijahu l bile su l čitane bijahu l bila su l čitana

Instead of using ''bijah čitan" or "bio sam titan," one can use "bjeh l bjeie J
bješe čitan/čitana (čitano) // bjesmo l bjeste l bjehu titani/čitane/ (čitana).

139
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

250. Future:

Masculine Feminine Neuter

bit ću čitan čitana (-) (l shall be read) Sing.
bit će� čitan čitana ( -)
bit će čitan čitana čitano

bit ćemo čitani čitane (-) (We shall be read) Pl.

bit ćete čitani čitane (-)
bit će čitani čitane čitana

251. Future Anterior:

Masculine Feminine Neuter

(kad) budem čitan čitana (-) (when l I shall have been read) Sing.
(kad) budeš čitan čitana (-)
(kad) bude čitano čitana čitano

(kad) budemo čitani čitane (-) (when / We shall havebeen read) . . Pl.
(kad) budete čitani čitane (- )
(kad) budu čitani čitane čitana

252. Imperative:

Masculine Feminine Neuter

I.
2. budi čitan čitana (-) (be read) Sing.
3. nek(a) bude čitana čitano

I . budimo čitani čitane ( - ) (be read) Pl.

2. budite čitani čitane (-)
3. nek(a) budu čitani čitane čitana

1 40
 MORPHOLOGY

253. Conditional:
Masculine Feminine Neuter
l. bio bih čitan bila bih čitana (-) (l should be read) Sing.
2. bio bi čitan bila bi čitana (·)
3. bio bi čitan bila bi čitana bilo bi čitano

l . bili bismo čitani bile bismo čitane (-) (We should be read) Pl.
2. bili biste čitani bile biste čitane (·)
3. bili bi čitani bile bi čitane bila bi čitana

254. The passive voice is not very common in Croatian. Instead of it, impersonal
expressions are often used; i. e. verbs in the third person singular or plural with
the reflexive "se."

Kuća se gradi. Kuće se grade.

(The house is being built.) (The houses are being built.)

Kuća se je gradila. Kuće su se gradile.

(The house was built.) (The houses were built.)

Kuća će se graditi. Kuće će se graditi.

(The house shall be built.) (The houses shall be built.)

To se zna. (That's known.)

Ta se knjiga mnogo čita. (That book is read a lot.)
Oni se gradovi poznaju po (Those cities are known for their
svojoj ljepoti. beauty.)

255. English passive constructions can be translated into Croatian by:

a) active voice a) Knjigu čitaju. - They are reading a book.
b) retlexive verb b) Knjiga se čita. - The book is being read.
e) passive voice e) Knjiga je čitana. - The book is read.

256. The passive voice in Croatian can be used to express an action in the past,
present or future.

141
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Pismo se piše. (rejlexive) A letter is being written. ?resen/

Pismo je pisano. A letter has been written. Past Continuous
Pismo je bilo pisano. A letter was written. Past
Pismo će se pisati. A letter will be written. Future

257. If the perfonner of an action is unknown, the English passive present tense is
usually expressed in Croatian by the reflexive verb, if it exists.

Kuća se gradi. A house

< is being > built.
has been

258. If the perfonner of an action is known, then the English passive voice is most
commonly translation into Croatian using the active construction.

Moji roditelji grade kuću. Active voice

(My parents are building a house.)

Passive voice:
A house
< is being > huilt by my parents.
has been

?resen/ Prozor je razbijen. (The window is broken.)

Prozori su razbijeni. (The windows are broken.)

Past Prozor je bio razbijen. (The window has been broken.)

Prozori su bili razbijeni. (The windows have been broken.)

Future Prozor će biti razbijen. (The window will be broken.)

Prozori će biti razbijeni. (The windows will be broken.)

Presenf Pismo je napisano. (The letter is written.)

Pisma su napisana. (The letters are written.)

1 42
 MORPHOLOGY

Past Pismo je bilo napisano. (The letter has been written.)

Pisma su bila napisana. (The letters have been written.)

Future Pismo će biti napisano. (The letter will be written.)

Pisma će biti napisana. (The letters will be written.)

Present Kuća je sagrađena. (The house is built.)

Kuće su sagrađene. (The houses are built.)

Past Kuća je bila sagrađena. (The house was built.)

Kuće su bile sagrađene. (The houses were built.)

Future Kuća će biti sagrađena. (The house will be built.)

Kuće će biti sagrađene. (The houses will be built.)

Verbal Aspect

259. In Croatian, as in other Slavic languages, almost every verb is either a perfec­
tive or an imperfective in aspect.

a) A perfeetlve verb expresses an action which can only be performed be­

fore or after the moment in which we state it, while an lmperfecdve verb
denotes an action which can be done before, during or after its establish­
ment

b) Perfective verbs cannot answer the question "what are you doing now?"
Što radite sada? (What are you doing now?)
Correct: Sada čitam. (Now l am reading)

Incorrect: S�
e) Perfective verbs cannot be preceded by the verbs početi (to begin) and
prestati (to finish), which presupposes a process. .

143
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Correct: Moram po<!eti čitati. ( I have to start reading.)

Correct: Moram prestati čitati. (l have to stop reading.)
Incorrect:
Incorrect:

260. Perfective and imperfective verbs correspond to the following circumstances

respectively.

Perfective verb.� Jmperfective verbs

the beginning of an action a lasting action
the end of an action an action that repeats itself
an action instantly done an interrupted and resumed action

261. Perfectivization and lmperfectivization.

lo most cases, Croatian verbs belong in a perfective/imperfective pair. Per­

fective verbs usually differ from their imperfective counterparts by their pre­
fixes, infixes or suffixes.

a) There are some verbs in which the accent is the only distinctive feature
between the perfective and imperfective aspects.

lmperfective Perfective
razgledati (to observe) : razgledati (to finish watching)
raskidati (to be cutting off) : raskidati (to cut o ft)

b) Verbs with the suffixes "-ava-ti," "-eva-ti" and "-iva-ti" are usually im­
perfective, and either become perfective or stay imperfective when certain
prefixes are added to them:

Perfective lmperfective
ispredavati (to finish lecturing) : predavati (to lecture)
nazalijevati se (to have enough of watering) : zalijevati (to water)
ponamigivati (to wink for a while) : namigivati (to wink at)
prozijevati (to start yawning) : zijevati (to yawn)

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 lmperfective lmperfective
prosijevati (to lighten through) : sijevati (to lighten)
prolijevati (to pour out) : lijevati (to pour in)
preodijevati (to change one's dress) : odijevati (to dress)

e) lmperfective verbs lmperfective verbs

-i-l-je- -a-1-ja-
nositi (to cany) : nosati (to carry in all directions)
voziti (to drive) : vozati (to drive all over the place)
goniti (to chase) : gonjati (to chase in all directions)
sjediti/sjedjeti (to be sitting) : sjedati (to sit down several times)

d) Perfective
-i-l-je-
domisliti (to imagine)
predvidjeti (to foresee)
sjetiti se (to remember)
svidjeti se (to please)
lmperfective
-a- /-ja-
: domišljati *domisl-ja-ti (to be imagining)
: predviđati •predvid-ja-ti (to be foreseeing)
: sjećati se •sjet-ja-ti se(to be remembering)
: sviđati se /svid-jati se/ (to be pleasing)

e) Perfective
-i-l-je-
zaliti (to finish watering)
dospjeti (to arrive)
ostarjeti (to become old)
lmperfective
ijeva-
: zalijevati (to water)
: dospijevati (to be arriving)
: ostarijevati (to get older)

t) Verbs with the infix -nu- are perfective:

Perfective verbs ending in -nu-+ -ti as well as verbs ending in a -cons. + -ti do
notfollow any ofthe above-mentioned ro/es in their (im)perfectivization:

Perfective
-nu-
viknuti (to scream)
jauknuti (to emit a yell)
puknuti (to crack, to break)
kliknuti (to cheer, to shout)
lmperfective
: vikati (to scream more than once, to be
screaming)
: jaukati (to lament, to yell, to how l)
: pucati (to detonate, to be cracking)
: klicati (tojubilate)

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262. By adding various prefixes and/or suflixes to a Croatian verb, the meaning
and the aspect of the verb are changed by each prefixion or su:ffixion,

Prefzxes Basic verb

''piti" = to drink f'basic" verb/
po + piti (popiti) = to finish drinking
is + piti (ispiti) = to empty something by drinking
+ piti (napiti se) = to get drunk
ras + piti se (raspiti se) = to start drinking too much
do + piti (dopiti) = to drink the remaining drink
+ piti (opiti) = to make someone drunk
pro + piti se (propiti se) = to become addicted to drink

With the infix -ja- all these verbs become imperfective.

pi-ja-ti (the root of the imperfective does not exist)

po + pijati (popijati) = to finish drinking many times

is + pijati (ispijati) = to empty something by drinking
ras + pijati se (raspijati se) = to start drinking often
do + pijati ( dopijati) = to drink the remaining drink
+ pijati (opijati) = to make somebody drunk
pro + pijati se (propijati se) = to become addicted to drink little
by little

263. Some perfective - imperfective pairs are made up of verbs with different
stems:
perfective - imperfective pairs:
�uti (to hear) - slušati (to listen)
vidjeti (to see) - gledati (to look)
reći (to tell) - govoriti (to speak)

Each of these verbs then generates further derivative verbs.

(P = Perfective, I = Imperfective):
reći (to tell) : govoriti (to speak)
doreći (to tell everything) : dogovoriti (to finish speaking)
izreći (to state) : izgovoriti (to pronounce)

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 MORPHOLOGY

poreći (to deny) : prigovoriti (to reproach)

p roreći (to predict) : progovoriti (to start talking)
ureći (to cast a spell) : ugovoriti (to agree)
zareći se (to give one's word)/P/ : zagovoriti se (to speak too much)

264. The majority of prefixed perfective verbs also have their derivative imperfec­
tive counterparts:

Perfective lmperfet:tive Perfective Imperfective

doreći dorica ti dogovoriti dogovarati
izreći izricati izgovoriti izgovarati
proreći proricati progovoriti pregovarati
ureći uricati ugovoriti i govarati

The above examples give us an idea of how rich the Croatian verbal system is.

265. Verbs ending in -irati:

-irad 1 -:Jrod (with a long rising accent on the -1-). which are relatively recent
There are many "Europeanisms,'' verbs with non-Croatian roots that end in

in Croatian and are mainly biaspectua1. If they are prefixed, the basic verb
becomes imperfective and the derived verbs become perfective:

lmperfective: Perfective
interesirati (se) (to be interested in) : zainteresirati se (to become interested)
garantirati (to guarantee) : zaga ran tirat i (to reassure)
kritizirati (to criticize) : nakritizirati (se) (to overly criticize)
urbanizirati (to urbanize) : preu rban izirati (to change the urban plan)
formirati (to form) : preforrnirati (to re-form)
planirati (to plan) : isp lanirati (to finish planning)
Some ofthese verbs have entered into Croatian as compound verbs with a clear
verbal aspect:

emigrirati (lat. e-migrare) to emigrate P

aterirati (Lat. ad terram veni re) to land P
alunirati (Lat. ad lunam venire) to land on the moon P

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

266. There are some verbs which can bave both forms of imperfective and perfec­
tive aspects in the preseot -.. In addition to both auxiliary verbs, there are
some other biaspectual verbs as well:

biti

Perfective present tense: Jmperfective present tense:

budem jesam (sam)
budeš jesi (si)
bude jest (je)
budemo jesmo (smo)
budete jeste (ste)
budu jesu (su)

htjeti

Perfective present tense: Imperfective present tense:

htjednem hoću (ću)
htjedneš hoćeš (ćeš)
htjedne hoće (će)

htjednemo hoćemo (ćemo)

htjednete hoćete (ćete)
htjednu hoće (će)

imati (to have)

Perfective present tense: Jmperfective present tense:

imadnem imadem/imam
imadneš imadeš/imaš
imadne imade/ima
imadnemo imademo/imamo
imadnete imadete/imate
imadnu imadu/imaju

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 MORPHOLOGY

moći (to be able to)

Perfective present tense: lmperfective present tense:

mognem mogu
mogneš možeš
mogne može
mognemo možemo
mognete možete
mognu mogu

znati (to know)

Perfective present tense: lmperfective present tense:

znadnem znadem/znam
znadneš znadeš/znaš
znadne znade/zna
znadnemo znademo/znamo
znadnete znadete/znate
znadnu znadu/znaju

Budem, htjednem, mognem, znadnem are used only in dependent claus­

es. For example: "Ako budem . . . " (If I do . . . ), "Kad htjednem ... " (When I
want. . . ), "Čim mognem . . . " (As soon as l can), "Dok znadnem . • . " (As soon as
l know) etc.

267. Some common verbs and their imperfective/perfective counterparts:

lmperfective
* brinuti se (to be worrying)
* <!ekati (to be waiting)
* <!initi (to do)
davati (to be giving)
dobivati (to be getting)
* ići (to go)
* jesti (to eat)
kazivati (to be talking)
Perfective
zabrinuti se (to become worried)
do<!ekati (to welcome, to receive)
učiniti (to finish making)
* dati (to give)
* dobiti (to receive, to get)
otići (to leave)
pojesti (to finish eating)
* kazati (to tell)

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Vinko Grubgić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

* kUpiti (to collect) skupiti (to finish collecting)

kUpovati (to be shopping)
ležati (to be lying)
* moliti (to beg, to pray)
* nalaziti (to find often)
ostajati (to stay)
* pitati (to ask a question)
* piti (to drink)
plaćati (to be paying)
pozajmljivati (to be loaning)
* praviti (to make)
* proći (to pass)
* raditi (to work)
* putovati (to travel)
prestajati (to be ceasing)
* stati (to stand, to stop)
uzimati (to be taking)
* voljeti (to like, to love)
vraćati (to be returning)
* znati (to know)
*3 željeti (to wish)
* kUpiti (to buy)
* leći (to lie down)
zamoliti (to ask, to beg)
* naći (to find)
* ostati (to stay)
upitati (to ask)
popiti (to finish drinking)
* platiti (to pay)
* pozajmiti (to loan)
napraviti (to finish making)
prolaziti (to pass often)
uraditi (to finish work)
doputovati (to arrive)
* prestati (to stop, to cease)
ustati (to stand up)
* uzeti (to take)
zavoljeti (to fall in love)
* vratiti (to give back)
poznati (to recognize)
poželjeti (to get a wish)

268. Verbs can be transitive, intransitive or reflexive:

Transitive verbs can have one or more direct objects in the Accusative
case:
Radim svoj posao. (l'm doing my work.)
Poznajem Ivana i njegove roditelje. (l know Ivan and his parents.)
Volite li ovaj grad? (Do you like this city?)

Intransitive verbs cannot have direct objects:

Ulazimo u njegovu kuću. (We're entering his house.)

Sjedimo u našoj staroj školi. (We're sitting in our old school.)

As one can see from this example, some verbs can have a direct object in Eng­
lish but not in Croatian.

*3 denotes thebas1c verb ofthe pair

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269. There are several kinds ofreflexive verbs:

a) There are some reflexive verbs accompanied with the reflexive enclitic
pronoun "se" which can be replaced by the long (stressed) form "sebe".
Such reflexive verbs are called true reflexive verbs:

Ona se gleda u svom zrcalu. (= Ona sebe gleda u svom zrcalu.)

(She is looking at herself in her mirror.)
Ivan se umiva. (Ivan umiva sebe.)
(Ivan is washing himself.)

b) Some reflexive verbs express reciprocity:

Djeca se svađaju. (The children are arguing.)
Učitelj i učenici su se susreli u gradu. (The teacher and students met in the city.)

e) There are reflexive verbs which express qualities of human beings. animals
or things:
Oni se plaše svega. (They are afraid of everything.)
One se lako zacrvene. (They blush easily.)
Ž eljezo se kuje dok je vruće. (Strike while the iron is hot.)

d) There are many reflexive verbs that cannot be classified in any of the afore­
mentione groups:
Auto se kreće polako. (A car moves slowly)
To se vama ne pristoji. (That doesn't become you.)
Ivan se često zamisli o učenju. (Ivan often thinks about studying.)
Ta se voda noću crni. (That water darkens during the night.)

270. As previously mentioned, reflexive verbs often replace the passive voice:
Š kola se vidi iz daleka. (The school is seen from far away.)
Ova se ulica čisti svake subote. (Every Saturday, this street is cleaned.)
Zna se tko nije tu. (It's known who isn't here.)

271. There are many verbs in Croatian that are transitive or intransitive and re­
flexive:

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Transitive
hvaliti nekoga (to praise somebody)
ražalostiti nekoga (to make somebody
sad)
tući nekoga (to hit somebody)
veseliti nekoga (to make somebody
happy)
vući nekoga/nešto (to puli somebody/
something)
zadržati nekoga (to detain somebody)
zahvaliti nekomu (to thank somebody)
ustrčati nekamo (to run somewhere)
Reflexive
: hvaliti se (to be proud of oneself)
: ražalostiti se (to become sad)
: tući se (to hit each other)
: veseliti se (to be happy)
: vući se (to drag oneself)
: zadržati se (to be detained)
: zahvaliti se (to express thanks)
: ustrčati se (to hurry about)

272. Some verbs are reflexive in Croatian, but their counterparts in English are not
reflexive:
brinuti se (to worry) skijati se (to ski)
čuditi se (to be surprised) smijati se (to laugh)
igrati se (to play) sramiti se (to be ashamed)
kartati se (to play cards) stidjeti se (to be shy)
kladiti se (to bet) svanjivati se (to dawn)
nadati se (to hope) svršiti se (to be finished)
rugati se (to mock) uzrujati se (to get excited)

273. Unlike the Accusative "se/sebe", the Dative "si" is very rarely used:

On si je umislio da je dobar nogometaš. (He imagined himself to be a good

soccer player.)

274. Note the impersonal use of some verbs:

The pronoun se, a s with reflexive verbs, is often used impersonally with its
logical subjects in the Dative and means "Someone would like to . . . ," "Some­
one is willing to . . . " or "'Someone feels like . . . "
Pjeva nam se = We would like to sing. Or: We are willing to sing.
Uči mi se = I would like to study. Or: I am willing to study.

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 MORPHOLOGY

Gleda ti se kroz prozor. = You would like to look through the window.
or You are willing to look through the window.
Hoda li se danas Vama? = Would you like to walk today? or Are you will-
ing to walk today?
Pije im se = They would like to drink. or They are willing to drink.
Razgovara mu se = He would like to talk. or He is willing to talk.
Igra mu se = He would like to play. or He is willing to play.
Spava joj se = She would like to sleep. or She is willing to sleep.

The past tense of such impersonal constructions would be:

Pjevalo nam se je . .
Učilo m i se je.
Gledalo ti se je kroz prozor.
Je Ji se Vama danas hodalo?
Je li im se pilo?
Je li mu se razgovaralo?
Igralo mu se je.
Je li joj se spavalo?
Spavalo joj se je.

ln the past tense the verbs show a neuter gender.

The future would be:

Pjevat će nam se.
Učit će nam se.
Gledat će ti se kroz prozor.
Hoće li Vam se danas hodati?
Hoće li mu se piti?
Igrat će mu se.
Spavat će joj se.

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

�: >
Present Tense:

or Meni se to sviđa. ( I like that.)

or Tebi se to sviđa. (You like that.)
or Njemu (mase. and neut.) se to sviđa.
(He likes that.)
Sviđa se to.
or Njoj se to sviđa. (She likes that.)
vam or Vama se to sviđa. (You like that.)
nam or Nama se to sviđa. (We like that.)
im or Njima se to sviđa. (They like that.)

��j��
Past Tense:

or Meni se je to sviđalo. (l liked that.)

or Tebi se je to sviđalo. (You liked that.)
or Njemu se je to sviđalo. (He liked that.)
Sviđalo seje to. or Njoj se Ue) to sviđalo. (She liked that.)
nam or Nama se Ue) to sviđalo. (We liked that.)
vam or Vama se Ue) to sviđalo. (You liked that.)
im or Njima se (je) to sviđalo. (They liked that.)

< �� �
Future Tense:

or Meni će se to sviđati. (1'11 \ike that.)

or Tebi će se to sviđati. (You'll like that.)
or Njemu će se to sviđati. (He'll like that.)
Sviđa! će se to. or Njoj će se to sviđati. (She'll like that.)
nam or Nama će se to sviđati. (We'l\ like that.)
vam or Vama će se to sviđati. (You'll like that.)
im or Njima će se to sviđati. (They'll like that.)

275. The corresponding forms of the impersonal present tense verbal form "ima"
are ''bilo je" in the past and "bit{i) će" in the future.

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 MORPHOLOGY

Present Tense:
Tu ima olovaka. (There are some pencils here.)
Tu ima dosta ljudi. (There are a lot of people here.)

Past Tense:
Tu je bilo olovaka. (There were some pencils here.)
Tu je bilo dosta ljudi. (There were a lot of people here.)

Future Tense:
Tu će biti olovaka. (There will be some pencils here.)
Tu će biti dosta ljudi. (There will be a lot of people here.)

276. The verbs "zanimati se za nešto/nekoga" (to be interested in . . . ), "veseliti se

nečemu/nekomu . . . " and some other verbs can be used either as transitive verbs
or as impersonal verbs.

Zanima me ndto . . . or Zanimam se za nešto . . . (l am interested in some­

thing . . . )
Veseli me nelto . . . or Veselim se nečemu . . (l enjoy . . . )

277. Incomplete verbs ("Verba deponentia").

a) Some verbs can be used only in impersonal constructions:

With the Dative:

Sviđa mi (ti, mu, joj, nam, vam im) se to . . . (l. .. You . . . He .. like(s) that .. )
Č ini mi (ti, mu, joj, nam, vam, im) se . . . (lt seems to me . . you . . . him . . )

With the Accusative:

Boli me (te, ga, je, nas, vas, ih) . . • (lt hurts me .. you . . . him . . . her . . . )

b) There are some verbs that cannot be used in all tenses or with all persons.

The verb "*velitf' (to tell, to say) can be used only in some tenses. In the
present tense (velim l veliš l veli // velimo l velite l vele), the imperfect (ve­
ljahl veljaše veljaše // veljasmo l veljaste l veljahu), the imperative (veli l
velimo J velite), and in the present verbal adverb (veleći).

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

e) Some verbs relating to animals can usually have only third-person singular
and third-person plural in the present, past and future:

Krava se otelila. (The cow brought forth a calf.)

Krave će se oteliti. (The cows will bring forth calves.)
Pas laje. (The dog barks.)
Pas je lajao. (The dog barked.)
Pas će lajati. (The dog will bark.)

rain) can he used only in the 3"' person singular in the past, present and fu­
d) Verbs expressing natural phenomena like grmjed (to thunder) or ldlltl (to

ture:
Jučer je grmjelo i kišilo. (Yesterday it was thundering and raining.)
Danas grmi i kiši. (Today it's thundering and raining.)
Sutra će grmjeti i kišiti. (Tommorow it will be thundering and raining.)

When these verbs are usedfiguratively, they can occur in various persons:
Jučer smo i lajali i grmjeli na sastanku. (Yesterday we yelled and thun­
dered at the meeting.)

e) There are a few verbs that can be used only in the imperative:
hajde/hajdemo/hajdete (go/let's go, go)
nemoj/nemojmo/nemojte (let's not . . don't)
gle (look)

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 MORPHOLOGY

PREPOSITIONS

278. Prepositions can be used with all cases in Croatian except the Nominative and
Vocative.
279. The Genitive case is used very often with prepositions. Here are some of the
most common prepositions used with the Genitive:

Preposidons Examples
bez (without) bez mene (without me), bez nje (without her)
blizu (near, close to) blizu kuće (close to the house)
do (up to, until) do nas (up to us)
du7Juzduž (along) du7Juzduž rijeke (along the river)
iz (out of, from) iz grada (from the city), iz dana u dan (from
day-to day), iz kuće (out of the house)
iza (behind, after) iza škole (behind the school), iza deset sati
(after ten o'clock)
između (among, between, ot) između nas dvojice (between the two afus),
između u�enika (among the students, of the
students)
iznad (over) iznad grada (over the city)
izvan (out/side) izvan grada (out of the city)
kod (close to, by, at, at the home of, kod Zagreba (close to Zagreb), kod nas (at
among) our place), kod Amerikanaca (among the
Americans)
kraj/pokraj (by, close to, near) (po)kraj grada (close to the city)
nakon (after) nakon nastave (after school)
nasred/sred/usred nasred/sred/usred grada (in the middle of
(in the middle ot) the city)
od (of, from) od prijatelja (from/of a friend), od danas
(from today onward)

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Prepositions Examples
oko/okolo (around) oko/okolo škole (around the school),
oko/okolo četiri sata (around four o'clock)
osim (except) osim nas (except us)
poput (like) poput mog prijatelja Ivana (like my friend
Ivan)
pored/pokraj (beside) pored/pokraj naše škole (beside our school)
poslije (after) poslije njihova dolaska (after their arrival)
preko (over, through) preko neba (through the sky), preko polja
(through the field), preko noći (ovemight)
prije (before) prije našeg dolaska (before our arrival)
protiv/protu (against) protiv/protu nas (against us)
radi (for, because of, for the sake of) radi njih (because of them)
*s(a) (from, of) Dolaze s jezera (they are coming from the lake.)
vrh/navrh (on top of) (na)vrh brda (on top of the hill)
zbog (because of) On je tu je zbog prometne nesreće. (He is
here because of the traffic accident.)

280. Prepositions with the Dative:

Prepositions Examples
k( a) (to, towards) On dolazi k našem gradu. (He is coming to
our city.)
nasuprot (contrary to,against, Nasuprot školi je naša kuća. (Our house is
vis-a-vis, across across from the school.)
unatoč/usprkos (despite, in spite of) Unatoč/usprkos kiši, mi idemo u školu (ln
spite of the rain, we're going to school.)

* All prepositions marked with an astcrisk can be used with two or even three cases.

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 MORPHOLOGY

281. Prepositions used with the Accusative:

Prepositions Examples
kroz (through) Putujemo kroz grad. (We are travelling through the
city.)
*među (among, between) Curica stavlja sliku među dva lista papira. (The little girl
is putting the picture between two sheets of paper.)
*na (on, at) Stavite tu knjigu na stoL (Put that book on the table.)
*nad (over) Avion leti nad oblak. (The plane flies over the cloud.)
niz (down, along) Vozimo niz obalu. (We drive down the coast.)
*po (on, for, at, during, per) Došao je po svoju knjigu. (He came for his book.)
Svaki od njih ima po pet knjiga. (Each of them have
five books.)
'pod (Wider, below, beoeath) Stavi tu knjigu pod klupu. (Put that book under the
bench.)
*pred (in front of) Došao je pred našu kuću. (He came in front of our
house.)
*u (in, into our house) Utrčali su u našu kuću. (They ran into out house.)
uz (upward, along) Hodamo uz rijeku.(We are walking along the river.)
*za (for, behind) To je knjiga za moju sestru. (That book is for my
sister.) Prođite za našu kuću. (Go behind our house.)

282. Prepositions used with the Locative:

Even though the Locative is the only case in Croatian what cannot be used without a
preposition, there are only a few prepositions used with the Locative.

Prepostions Examples
*na (on, upon, at) On živi na planini. (He lives on the mountain.)
*o (about, of) Govorimo o politici. (We're talking about politics.)
*po (on, in, round, at along) Hodamo po gradu. (We are walking in the city.)
prema (towards) Idi prema školi. (Go towards the school.)
pri (close to): Ona živi pri gradu. (She lives close to the city.)
*u (in, at) Radimo u Zagrebu. (We work in Zagreb.)

* All prepositions marked with an asterisk can be used with two or even three cases.

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

283. Prepositions used with the Instrumental:

Prepositions Exomples
*medu (among, between) Ovaj je grad među brdima. (This city is among the hills.)

*nad (over) Oblak je nad kućom. (The cloud is over the house.)
*pod (under) Papir je pod stolom. (Paper is under the table.)
*pred (in front of) Kopam u vrtu pred kućom. (l dig in the garden in front
of the house).
*s(a) (with) Putujem sa svojim bratom. (l travel with my brother.)
*za (behind) Oni žive za planinom. (They live behind the mountain.)

284. Prepositions used with two or three cases:

među
< Došla je medu nas. (action)
(She came among us.)
Accusative

Onje sada među nama. (location) Instrumental

(He is now among us.)

< Stavljam knjigu na stol. (action)

(l put the book on the table.)
Accusative

Knjigaje na stolu. (location) Locative

(The book is on the table.)

nad
< Oblak je došao nad nas. (action)
(A cloud came over us.)
Accusative

Dijete je nad zidom. (location) Locative

(A child is over the wall.)
< Auto je udarilo o zid. (against)
(A car hit against the wall.)
Accusative

Govore o studentima. (on, about) Locative

(They speak about the students.)

po
< Uzmite po jedan komad kruha.
(Take a piece of bread.)
Accusative

Djeca skaču po livadi. Locative

(Children are playing in the field.)

• All prepositions marked with an asterisk can be used with two or even three cases.
1 60
 MORPHOLOGY

pod
< Dijete silazi pod stol. (action)
(A child is going under the table.)
Accusative

Dijete je pod stolom. (location) Instrumental

(A child is under the table.)

pred
< Djeca su došla pred kuću. (action)
(Children came in front of the house.)
Accusative

Djeca su sada pred kućom. (location) Instrumental

(Children are now in front of the house.)

s(a)*
< Lišće opada s drvei·a. (from)
(Leaves fall from trees.)
Genitive

Došao je u Ameriku s mnogim Instrumental

problemima. (with) (He came to America
with many problems.)

Knjigaje u mojih roditelja. Genitive

(The book is at my parents' place.)
Djeca ulaze u razred. (action) Accusative
(Children enter the classroom.)
Djeca su u razredu. (location) Locative
(Children are in the c\assroom.)

Dogodilo se je to za kralja Tomislava. Genitive

(lt happened at the time of King Tomislav.)
To je knjiga za mene. (for) Accusative
(That book is for me.)
Djeca su za kućom. (behind) Instrumental
(Children are behind the house.)

285. The prepositions u, oa and o are sometimes used with theAccusative case and
sometimes with the Locative. Once again, when a "location.. (a permanent
or fixed position) is indicated, then the locative is used with "o"', ''u" and ''Ila."
Otherwise, the Accusative is used.

• S(a) + Accusative is used only with some cardinal numben. S tisuću dolara možete kupiti dobar
televizor. (With l 000 dollars you can buy a good television.)

161
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Locative
Ž ivim u gradu.
(l live in the city.)
Knjiga je na stolu.
(The book is on the table.)
Accusative
: Idem u grad.
(I go to the city.)
: Knjigu stavljam na stol.
(I'm putting the book on the table.)

Locative
John je u Montrealu.
(John is in Montreal.)
Mi smo u razredu.
(We're in the classroom.)
Moje ruke su u džepu.
(My hands are in my packet.)
Govorimo o tebi.
(We're speaking about you.)
Accusalive
: John putuje u Montreal.
(John is going to Montreal.)
: Mi ulazimo u razred.
(We're entering the classroom.)
: Stavite ruke u džep.
: (Put your hands in the pocket.)
: Udaramo o zid.
: (We hit against the wall.)

286. The meaning of the prepositions "na," "u" and "o" becomes clear in the case
of the nouns which follow them:

Accusative Locative
na = on, anto (motion) na = on (location)
u = in, into (motion) u = in, at (location)
o = against o = on, about, concerning
The preposition "u" can also be used with the Genitive:

Ni u profesora ni u njihovih prijatelja nema novaca.

(Neither professors nor their friends have any money.)

287. Sometimes nouns, pronouns and/or adjectives can be preceded by more than
one preposition:

Djeca se igraju iza i ispred naše škole.

(Children are playing behind and in front of our school.)
Oni su tu bili prije i bit će poslije mene.
(They were here before and will be after me.)

ln such cases, both prepositions must be used with the same case.

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 AD VERB S

An adverb can express place, time, manner or quantity.

288. Adverbs relating to time answer the questions:

kad(a)? često (often), danas (today), davno (long ago), gdjekad (sometimes),
jesenas (this fall), kasno (late), konačno (finally), lani (last year),
ljetos (this summer), napokon*( finally), nedavno (recently), noćas
(tonight), obdan (during the day), odmah (right now), ponekad
(sometimes), poslije (later), potom* (then), pravodobno (at the right
time), prekjučer (the day before yesterday), preklani (the year before
last year), prekosutra (the day after tomorrow), preksinoć (the night
before last), prije (earlier, before), proljetos (this spring), rano (ear-
ly), rijetko (rarely, seldom), sad(a) (now), sinoć (last night), skoro
(soon), smjesta (right then), sutra (tomorrow), tek* (only, just), u vi-
jek (always), večeras (tonight, this evening), već* (already), zatim*
(then), zimus (this winter)
otkad(a)? od danas** (from today onwards), odavno** (from long ago), od isko-
na (from the beginning), od jesenas (from this fall onwards), od lani
(from the last year onwards), od ljetos (from this summer onwards),
od malena (from a young age), od nedavno (from not long ago), od
noćas (from tonight onwards), od onda (since then), od prekjučer
(from the day before yesterday onwards), od preklani (from the year
before last onwards), od preksinoć (from the night before), od preko-
sutra (from the day after tomorrow onwards), od prije (from before),
od proljetos (from this spring onwards), od sad(a) (from now on), od
sinoć (from last night on), od sutra (from tomorrow onwards), oduvi-
jek (since always), od večeras (from this evening onwards), odvijeka
(since ever), od zimus (from this winter onwards)

"' "Napokon," "potom," "tek," "veC" and "zatim" as well as some other adverbs function as both
adverbs and particles.
** lt is easy to see that some adverbs for time consist of prepositions ''od" and "do" ("od danas,"
"odavno" . . . "do nedavno," "od jesenas" . . . They are adverbial detenninations but function as ad­
verbs as well.

1 63
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

do danas (until today), do lani (until last year), do nedavno (until not
long ago), do noćas (until tonight), do prekjuter (until the day before
yesterday), do preklani (until the year before last year), do večeras
(until tonight), do zimus (until this winter)

289. Adverbs relating to place and direction answer the questions:

gdje? (where) blizu (near of, close to), daleko (far away) dolje (down,
downstairs), gdjegdje (here and there), gore (above, up,
upstairs), igdje (anywhere, anyplace), negdje (some�
where), nigdje (nowhere), ponegdje (somewhere), ondje
(there), ovdje (here), sprijed(a) (in front), strag(a)
(from in the rear, in the back, behind), svagdje/svugdje/
posvud(a) (everywhere), tu (there), unutra (in, inside),
van/i/ (out/outside)
kamo?, kuda? ikamo/ikud(a) (anywhere, in any place, in any direc�
where to?, which way?, tion), naprijed (ahead, forward), nazad/natrag (back/
which direction? backwards), nekamo (somewhere, in any direction), ni-
kamo/ nikud( a), (nowhere, not in any direction), ovamo
(here, hither), onamo (there, to that place), tamo (there,
in that direction)
odakle?, otkud(a)? odande/odonud( a) (from there), odavde/odovud( a)
where from? (from here), odatle/odotud(a) (from there), odnekud(a)
(from somewhere), niotkud(a)/niodakle (from nowhere),
od(a)svud(a) (from all sides, from all places), odozdo
(from below), odozgo (from above), odsprijed(a) (from
the front, frontally), od(o)strag(a) (from the back)
*dokle?, dokud(a)? donle (tili there, tili then), dotle (tili that point), dovle
how Jong?, how far?, (tili here, tili now), donekle (up to a point), do ovud( a)
tilli when? (up to here), dotud(a) (up to that point), do onud(a) (up
to there . .

* Adverbs in this category can express both time and place.

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 MORPHOLOGY

290. Adverbs relating to manner or "how.'' very often have the same fonn as the
neuter gender of the adjective.

Adjectives
Mase. Neut. Adverbs
hladan (cold) hladno hladno (coldly)
vesel/veseo (happy) veselo veselo (happily)
topao/topal (wann) toplo toplo (wannly)
skroman (modest) skromno skromno (modestly)
kratak (short) kratko kratko (shortly)
dug (long) dugo dugo (at length)
skriven (hidden) skriveno skriveno (secretly)
mali (little) malo malo (a little)
mnogi (many) mnogo mnogo (a lot)
čestit (honest) čestito čestito (honestly)

291. Some adverbs are the same as adjectives that are singular and in the neuter
gender. For example, the adjective dobar : dobra : dobro.

Adjectives Adverbs
On je dobar. Onje dobro.
(He is good.) (He is (lives) well.)

To dijete je dobro. To dijete je dobro. To dijete dobro pjeva.

(That child is good.) That child is (lives) well. (That child sings well.)

Dijete je lijepo. Dijete lijepo pjeva.

(The child is nice.) (The child sings nicely.)

adjective adverb

Lijepo dijete lijepo pjeva.

(The beautiful child sings beautifully).

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Vinko Grubi�ić. CROATIAN GRAMMAR

292. Sometimes the accent of adjectives and adverbs differs:

Simo"' samo dijete na to misli. (Only a child who is alone thinks about that)
Ovo dijete silmo u<!i. (This child studies alone.)
Ovo dijete samo siimo uči. (This child only studies alone.)

293. Adjectives are used as adverbs with the ending -ski:

Studentski život je ugodan. (A student's life is nice.)
Oni žive studentski. (They live like students.)

294. There are many adverbs relating to manner that end in -ce, -ornice, -ačke, -ke,
-ki, and -ećke/-ećki.

For example: poimence (by name)

jatomice (in a flock, flock-like)
kriomice (secretly)
četveronoške (on all fours)
potrbuške (lying flat on one's stomach)
naglava<!kilnaglavačke (headlong)
nasumce (at random)
ležećke/ležećki (lying)
memilice (ruthlessly)
sjedećki/sjedećke (sitting)
stojećki/ stojećke (standing)
znala<!ki (skillfully)
pješke (on foot)

295. Adverbs relating to quantity answer the question:

koliko? još (still, yet), malo (a few, little), mnogo (a lot, many, much),
onoliko (this much, that much), toliko (this much), dosta
(enough), odveć (too many, too much), onoliko (this much),
premalo (too little), previše (too much, too many), djelomice
(partially), opet (again), potpuno (entirely, completely), sas­
vim (completely)

* The partic\e "samo" here is used as an adverb.

1 66
 MORPHOLOGY

296. Cardinal numerals + put(a) are considered adverbs for quantity: jedamput
(once), dvaput l dva puta (twice), triput l tri puta (three times, thrice), de­
set puta (ten times), osamnaest puta (eighteen times), trideset (i) pet puta
(thirty-five times), sto sedamdeset (i) sedam puta (one hundred seventy-seven
times), osamdeset tisuća tristo l:etrdeset (i) dva puta (eighty thousand, three
hundred forty-two times), milijun sedamsto trideset tisuća osamsto dvade­
set i jedan put (one million, seven hundred thousand, eight hundred and twen­
ty-one times).

297. Numerals ending in the suffix -ak mean "approximately":

desetak (approximately 1 0) pedesetak (approximately 50)
dvadesetak (approximately 20) stotinjak (approximately t OO)
l:etrdesetak (approximately 40) dvjestotinjak (approximately 20)

298. Fractional numerals can be changed and used adverbially:

dvotrećinski = by two-thirds
petšestinski = by five-sixths

299. Some adverbs, mostly those that pertain to time, are Instrumental singular or
Instrumental plural:

Singufar Plura!
l:askom (instantly) danima (for days and days)
mukom (barely) godinama (for years and years)
noću (during the night) hrpama (massively, in heaps)
rodom (by birth) mjesecima (for months and months)
porijeklom (by descent) noćima (for nights and nights)
silom (by force) stoljećima (for centuries)
!Hrom (widely) tjednima (for weeks and weeks)
zorom (at dawn) stoljećima (for centuries)

300. Some pairs consist of two stressed adverbs: amo-tamo (back and forth), gore­
dolje or dolje-gore (up and down, more or less), lijevo-desno (left and right),
manje-više or više-manje (more or less), koliko-toliko (adequately, so-so),
ovdje-ondje (here and there), pošto-poto (in any case), zbrda-zdola (at ran­
dom).

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

301. Adverbs derived from adjectives can have comparative and superlative
forms:

Ivan u�i dobro. Ivan studies well.

Marija u�i bolje nego Ivan (bolje od Ivana).
Marko u�i najbolje.
Marija je govorila ljudskije nego itko drugi.
Nisam mogao bratskije postupiti.
Mary studies better than Ivan.
Mark studies the best.
Mary spoke in a more humane
manner than anybody else.
I couldn't have behaved in a
more brotherly manner.

302. Adverbs can be for:

place and time prije, poslije, smjesta . .
time and manner često, rijetko, skoro, tek . .
manner and quantity djelomice, sasvim, potpuno . .

303. A few words can be both prepositions and adverbs:

Prepositions Adverbs
Radimo blizu naše kuće. Dođite blizu.
(We work close to our house.) (Come close.)

Više naše škole ima snijega. Ne možemo više raditi.

(There is some snow over our school.) (We cannot work anymore.)

Zvali su nas prije zore. Prije su tu živjeli Iliri.

(They called us before dawn.) (The Illyrians lived here earlier.)

Poslije škole djeca se igraju. Dođite poslije.

(After school, the children play.) (Come later.)

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 PARTICLES

304. Particles are mainly monosyllabic words which can play various roles:

a) The affirmation da confirms a statement, while the negation ne denies

either a word or a whole statement

Jeste li bili u školi? (Were you in school?) Da. (Yes)

b) Ne danas, sutra ćemo o tom govoriti. (Not today, we will speak about that
tomorrow.)

Ne znam o čemu govorite. (l don't know what you're talking about.)

305. Zar and li are used to fonn questions:

"Zar znate o čemu govorimo?" ("Zar" + affirmative statement)

( Do you really know what we're talking about?)

"Zar ne znate o čemu govorimo"? ('"Zar" + negative statement)

(Don't you know what we're talking about?)

"Znate li o čemu govorimo?" (Verb + "li")

(Do you know what we're talking about?)

"Ne znate li o čemu govorimo? (Ne + verb + li)

(Don't you know what we're talking about?)

The interrogative particle ur is an empbatic interrogative form. lt expresses

surprise and is usually placed at the beginning of the sentence or clause.

Zar vi to ne znate? (Don't you know that?)

Pitaju nas zar vi to ne znate. (They are asking us if you don 't know that.)

306. Nek(o) is used for the third-person singular and plural of imperatives. (See #
203-204).

1 69
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

barlbtlrem (at least), iHif (exactly) and &lk (even).

307. Some particles are used only to emphasize statements. The most common are:

308. The particle th emphasizes the word that precedes or follows it:

De kažimo mu sve to. (Let's tell him everything.)

Hajde de. (Let's go.)
Daj de mu to ne reci. (Try not to tell him that ! )
De šuti! ( B e quiet! )

EXCLAMATIONS

309. The most common exc\amations in Croatian are:

ah (oh, ah)
aj (oh, ah, hey) Some blsyUablc
ao (oh, ah) exelamatlons can be stressed
au (oh, wow) on the last syUable: e.g. aba.
da (yes) ebe, obo. . . (See # 47).
de/dete (well, come on)
eh (ah, well)
ej/hej (hello there, hey)
gle/glete (look, see)
ha-ha (ha)
hajde l hajte (run along, get away, move . .)
halo (hello - on telephone)
hm (well, humph)
ih (oh yes)
joj (wow)
nu (look, see, well)
oh, uh (oh, ugh)

1 70
 MORPHOLOGY

oho (so, look)

deder, hajder, nuder (come along, let, move on)
op(a) (oops)
pst (hush, pst)

31 O. Some exclamations are onomatopoetic imitations of the noises of animals or

of nature:

av, av (for dog), woof

be-ble (for sheep), baah
in�ha-ha (for horse), neigh
ku-ku (for cuckoo), cuckoo
kukuriku (for rooster), cook-a-doodle-doo
miau (for cat), meow
mu (for cow), moo
bi-bii (for car horn), beep! beep!
bum (for hitting or explosion), boom
cin-cin (for bell), ring ring
flu (for wind), whoosh
pljus (falling in water), splash

CONJUNCTIONS

3 1 1 . Conjunctions connect two words, two parts of speech, or two statements.

a) Moj brat i ja putujemo u Zagreb.
(My brother and l are travelling to Zagreb.)

b) Putovali smo sve do Zagreba i nigdje nismo stajali.

(We travelled all the way to Zagreb and we did not stop anywhere.)

e) Da smo znali o čemu su govorili, ne bismo se miješali u njihov razgovor.

(If we knew what they were talking about, we wouldn't have gotten in­
volved in their conversation.)

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

In statement a), the conjunction "i" connects two words, while in b) it connects
two statements. In statement e) the conjunction "da" introduces a dependent
clause. Conjunctions can be divided into two groups: those which connect two
independent parts of speech and those which introduce a dependent clause, a
clause with an independent statement, or connect two or more clauses.

The following are conjunctions that connect independent parts of speech: a

(and, but), ali (but), dakle (also, consequently), i (and, then), ili . . . ili (either . .
or), nego (but), niti. . . niti (neither. . . nor), pa/pak (and, then), te (then), već
(but).

These conjunctions are used to introduce or to connect a dependent clause with

the rest of the sentence: ako (if), budući da (since), čak ako (even if), čim
(as soon as), da (that, in order to, if), dok (while, but), jedino što, (only), jer
(because), kao (što) (as), mada (even if), kad (li), (when), osim (što) (except),
premda (even if) tek (što) (barely), zbog toga što (because of).

Some adverbs are used as connecting words: gdje (where), kud(a) (where, in
which direction), kamo (where, in which direction), kad (when), kako-tako
(as . . . as), koliko-toliko (as much/as many as), nakon što (after that), odakle
(from where).

Interrogative-relative pronouns are often used to introduce a part of speech or

to connect two parts of speech: čiji, koji, što, tko.

We will examine conjunctions more closely in the section on syntax.

1 72
 WORD FORMATION

3 1 2. If we compare the words lkola, lkolovati, lkolovan or interes, zainteresi­

rati, Interesiranje, we can see that some parts of the first or second group of
words are the same and some are different. The parts which do not change are
radica! morpbemes. Other morphemes can be prefixes, infixes or suffixes:

------- !kol-a -------

radica! morpheme suffix morpheme

------- školova-ti -------

radica! morpheme suffix morpheme

------- školova-n-O -------

. . l
radica! morpheme mfix morpheme suffix morpheme.

In "vod-o-pad" (waterfall), the suffix -o- connects two morphemes. This con­
necting morpheme can also be the morpheme -0-, -o- or "-e-" : dan-O-gub-i-ti
(to waste one's time), or pet-o-sat-ni (lasting five hours), kuć-e-pazitelj (se­
curity guard).

zemlj-a + pis-a-ti = zemlj-o-pis (geography)

sjever-o + zapad-O = sjever-o-zapad (Northwest)
pali-ti + kuća = pali-O-kuća (arsonist)
kuć- +e +paz+i+telj= kuć-e-paz-i-telj Uanitor, custodian)
plak-a-ti : plać-i-mo (let us cry) + drug-O = pla�-i-drug-0 (fellow sufferer)

1 73
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

313. Some words are fonned by adding:

a) One or more suffixes to a radica! morpheme: "škol-a" : "škol-nik" (school

worker) : "škol-ova-nje" (schooling): "škol-ar-ina" (school fees).
b) One or more prefixes to a radica! morpheme: dav-anje (giving) : pre-dav­
anje (lecture), iz-na-pre-dav-a-ti se (to have enough of lecturing).
e) Suffixes to a radica! morpheme: pjev-anje (singing) : pjev-uck-anje (sing­
ing softly).
:
d) Prefixes, and suffixes: snima-nje (recording) pre-snima-vanje (re-re­
cording).

314. A noun can be fonned by adding some suffixes to· other nominal or verbal
radical morphemes. Verbs can be formed from nominal or verbal roots.

:
noć-O (night) : noć-ev-anje (over night) noć-o-bdi-ja (night watchman) :
:
noć-ni (nocturnal) noć-as (tonight) : pre-noć-i-ti (to stay ovemight) : noć­
ište (night's lodging).

3 1 5. If we compare the words razlog and obrazložiti we will recognize the follow­
ing morphemes:

------ razlog-O -------

radica! morpheme � morpheme zero

ob-razlož-i-ti

prefix morpheme - ob
allomorph - razlož of the morpheme "razlog"
in fix morpheme - i
su flix morpheme for the infinitive - ti

3 1 6. Word fonnation in Croatian is very rich and diversified. But here we can only
touch upon some of the most essential rules.

Some words are composed of two radica! morphemes. Most often they are
linked together with the joining morpheme "-o-":

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 WORD FORMATION

The origin of radica! morphemes can be nominal, verbal, adverbial or prepo­

sitional:
jug-O (South) + istok-O (East) = jugoistok (Southeast)
zlat-o (gold) + ust-n-i (ofmouth, oral) = zlatousni (nicely speaking)
pust-o (deserted) + polj-e (field) = pustopolje (deserted field)
brz-o (fast) + hod-i-ti (to walk) = brzohod (fast walking)
bez-O (without) + bolan-O (painful) = bezbolan (painless)

Nouns

Nouns can have different designations and their endings often correspond to
their meaning.

317. Masculine Nouns

Suffrx Example Meaning

-0 stric-O, (uncle),prozor-0 (window) beings and objects
-ac pisac (author), sudac Uudge), starac (old man), profession, follower,
-avac lažac (liar), gandijevac (follower ofGandhi's age,proper name,
-ij evac doctrine), punoglavac (tadpole), krastavac feature, plant, animal
(cucumber), Mostarac (man from Mostar),
Japanac (Japanese man)
-ač �ista� (cleaner), nosa� (carrier), puša� (smoker), profession,
otvara� (opener), ogrta� (coat) perfonner, tool,
object
-aj zavežljaj (bundle), ležaj (couch), ispraćaj (send result of an
-jaj of!) action, object
-ljaj
-ak prosjak (beggar) �udak (eccentric), prostak perfonner, feature,
-jak (rude person), rođak /rod-jak/ (cousin), otpadak human relation,
-njak (trash), stolnjak (tablecloth), anđelak (little an- result of an action,
gel), Tuzlak (man from Tuzla), Bošnjak (Bosnian object, diminutive,
man) proper name

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SufflX Example Meaning

-an bukvan (blockhead), klipan (clumsy), dragan (often negative)
(sweetheart) župan (head of a district), sirotan feature, endearment,
(orphan), macan (tomcat), zekan (white horse) animal
(administration only
"župan")
-anac Afrikanac (African), Peruanac (Peruvian), inhabitant, feature,
znanac (connoisseur), neotesanac (rude person) human relation
-anin/ Bra�anin (man from Brač) Bugarin (Bulgar), inhabitant
-janin Hvaranin (person from Hvar), Splićanin
/Split-janin! (man from Split), građanin
/grad-janin! (citizen)
-ari �uvar (custodian), mehani�ar (mechanic), profession, person
-ičar padavi�ar (epileptic), lješinar (vulture) addicted to
something, animal
-aš lakrdijaš (butfoon), osmaš performer, age,
(eighth-grade student), košarkd (basketball athletism, follower,
player), rakijaš (person who likes brandy), addiction
glagoljaš (glagolitic priest), pravaš (follower of
the Party of Right), drogaš (drug-addicted man)
-džijal nišandžija (gunner), siledžija (arrogant, violent performer,
-ežija person), bojdžija (trouble-maker), vinopija (wine profession, feature
-ija drinker), noćobdija (night watchman) (often negative)
-ja
-ečak/ grmetak/grmičak (little bush), plametak/ diminutive
-ičak plamičak (little flame), kametak/kamičak (little
stone)
-ež lavež (barking), metež (confusion), drijemež action, object, tool
(doze), bodež (knife), crtež (drawing)
-ič branič (de fender, guard), gonič ( chaser), ribič only four nouns
(angler), and vodič (guide)
-ičl gradić (small city), kruščić (small loaf), Mujić diminutive, family
-čić (family name) name

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SuffiX Example Meaning

-ik književnik (man of letters), zaštitnik (protector), profession,
-n ik u<!enik (student), bolesnik (sick man), jadnik performer, place,
-enik (poor man), bukvik (beech forest), šljivik (plum object, tool, feature
-ovn ik trees), jelovnik (menu), rje<!nik (dictionary),
-evnik dnevnik (diary)
-ist komunist (communist), realist (realist), kolom- follower, profession
nist (columnist), novelist (story writer), anglist (mainly of foreign
(Anglicist) origin)
-iša hvališa (boaster), platiša (payer), radiša (hard feature, proper name
worker), štediša (frugal person)

-ko pla<!ko (crybaby), neopranko (dirty fellow), po- negative feature

spanko (sleepy-head), zelenko (immature person)
-lac ličilac (painter), kladilac (better), znalac (con- profession,
noisseur) performer, feature

-lija fakultetlija (university-educated person), feature, addiction,

-aj lija režimlija (who follows the line of the regime in proper name
power), Bel:lija (Viennese), Sarajlija (man from
Sarajevo), dugajlija (tall fellow)
-mjer kutomjer (goniometer), toplomjer measurement
(thermometer), vjetromjer (anemometer)

-onja glavonja (man with big head), uhonja (man with physical feature,
big ears), sivonja (grey ox), šaronja (multi-co- animal's name
loured ox)
-or profesor (professor), orator (orator), moderator profession,
-ator (moderator), gnjavator (bore) performer (mainly in
word of latin origin)
-ov bjelov (white dog), mrkov (black horse), garov animals, pejorative
(dark dog) nitkov (scoundrel), zvizgov (for people)
(good-for-nothing)
-telj u<!itelj (teacher), hranitelj (breadwinner, profession, action
provider), izvjestitelj (reporter), roditelj (parent), performer, human
prijatelj (friend) relation

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3 1 8. Feminine Nouns

Suffix Examples -----

Meaning
-a kuma (godmother) rođaka (cousin), nećaka relations, proper nouns,
(niece), Slavka, ve�era : večerati (supper), nouns formed directly
slika : slika-ti (painting), šala : šal-i-ti se (jake) trom verbal stem
-aća mirazača (dowered girl), udavača possession, performer,
-enjača (marriageable girl), pribadača (pin), tool, place where action
vjetrenjača (windmill), cvjetača occurs, plant
(cauliflower), plamenjača (white rust)
-adl-čad momčad (team) : sing. momče (young man), collective nouns
telad (calves) - sing. tele, majmunčad (little
monkeys), sing. majmunče
-ana ciglana (brickyard), kavana (cafe), solana place where an action
(salt pan) bratana (niece, brother's occurs, relatives, proper
daughter), sestrana (sister's daughter), name
Dragana, Milana
-ancija tolerancija (tolerance), rezonancija abstract nouns,
(resonance), zafrkancija (joking), lighthearted actions
govorancija (long boring speech),
petljancija (intrigue)
-anija pjevanija (unmelodious singing), pisanija nouns with negative
(scribbling), mješanija (mixture) meaning, "some kind aL"
-ara gatara (fortune teller), nogara (woman with performer, woman with
big legs), pekara (bakery), mljekara (dairy), big body parts, shop
knjižara (book store)
-arija igrarija (kids' stuff, small thing), actions/things without
sitnarija (sundries), brbljarija (chattering), importance, pejoratives
koještarija (odds and ends)
-(arjina mostarina (bridge-toli), poštarina (postage) salaries, taxes, fees
-arna pekarna (bakery), ljekarna (pharmacy), shop
slastičarna (pastry shop)
-avaJ ostava (store) : verbostaviti, probava meanings close to verbs
-njava (digestion) : verb probaviti, dernjava from which they are
(blubbering) : verb derati se derived

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 WORD FORMATION

�_ufflX �-
_ __ Examples - --
M_�aning
-bal borba (fight), sljedba (succession, sect, action
-idba followers), selidba (moving) služba (service)

-ea riječca (short word), stvarca (small thing) diminutive, terms of

endearment

-ična gospodična (miss), bratična (brother's only these three nouns

daughter), sestrična (sister's daughter)

-ika ljutika (scallion), mljeNka (spurge), plant

perunika (iris)

-lica žetelica (harvester, for harvesting machine), performer, tool

drobilica (cement mill), kosilica (mower)

-nina upisnina (enrollement fees), fees + jednina

jednina (singular)

-na pekarna (bakery), ljekarna (pharmacy), place where an action

slastičarna (pastry shop), sestrična (first occurs, kinship
cousin, fern.)

-nja čežnja (longing) : verb "čez-nu-ti," mržnja abstact nouns fonned

(hatred) : verb "mrz-i-ti" zebnja (anxiety) : from verbal stems
verb "zep-sti" -
"zeb-u"

-njava jurnjava (rush) : verb jur-i-ti, kuknjava nouns fonned from verbal
(lament) : verb "kukati," pucnjava (firing): stems
verb "puc-a-ti"

-oća gluhoća (deafness), mirnoća (quietness), feature

sljepoća (blindness), zloća (nastiness)

-ojka plavojka (blonde), ljepojka (nice girl), Ra- complexion, proper nouns
dojka, djevojka (girl) (+ djevojka)

-ost mladost (youth), starost (old age), zavisnost abstract noun, quality
( dependance), krepost (virtue), žalost
(sorrow), pobožnost (piety)

-ota ljepota (beauty), strahota abstract nouns, qualities

(horror, horrible scene), dobrota (goodness)

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Suf[IX__ �-- Examples Meaning

-otinja sirotinja (poverty), golotinja (nakedness), spiritual and material
samotinja (longing) features
-ural djevojhra l djevojčurina pejorati ves
-urina (hussy), ženeturalženeturina (ugly woman),
knjižurina (big ugly book)
-urda nožurda (big ugly leg), glavurda (big head), parts of the body
šačurda (big tist) (pejorative)
-uša plavuša (blonde) blebetuša (blabbermouth), complex ion, pejorative,
kreketuša (kind offrog), povijuša (climbing animal, plant
plant)

319. Neuter Nouns

SuffIX Example Meaning

-ašcel srdašce (little heart,darling), selašce (little/ diminutives, words of
-ešce nice village), djetešce (little/dear child), endearment
janješce (little/dear lamb)
-ce! selce/seoce (small village), drvce (small piece diminutives, words of
-ance/ of wood), zvonce (bell), jezerce (small lake), endearment, objects
-enee srce /srd-ce/ (heart), mjestance (small place),
psetance (little dog), burence (little barre!)
-će bravče (little ram), majmunče (little monkey) young animal
-el momče (young man), grle (fawn), magare young animal, plant,
-je (little donkey), bilje /bilj-je/ (plants), Iišće collective noun, place
/list-je/ (leaves), kamenje /kamen-je/ name
(stones), biserje /biser-je/ (pearls), borje
!bor-je/ (pine forest), otočje /otok-je/,
(islands) Orašje /orah-je/ (place name)
-instvo materinstvo (motherhood), očinstvo (father- kinship, relationship
hood, patemity), rodbinstvo (kinship)
-ivo gradivo (material), pletivo (knitting), cjepivo material, object
(vaccine), streljivo (ammunition), pecivo
(bun, pastry)

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Suffrx Example Meaning

-lo! čulo (sense-organ), jelo (meal), škrabalo senses, pejoratives,
-alo! (scribbler), smetalo (troublemaker), ogledalo objects, abstract nouns
-ilo (mirror), pojačalo (amplifier), leglo (litter,
hatch), rasulo (dissolution, collapse), mjerilo
(measure, criterion), bjelilo (white paint)
-nje/ pjevanje (singing), kopanje (digging), verbal nouns
-anje čitanje (reading), priznanje (recognition), (-ing), result of an action,
-enje stanje (state), htijenje (willing/willingness), abstract nouns
pristajanje (acceptance), znanje (knowledge),
petenje (roasting, roasted meat)
-stvo! kumstvo (godparenthood), abstract nouns, relation,
-anstvo očinstvo (fatherhood, patemity), imućstvo social status, science,
(affiuence), ropstvo (slavery, confinement), quality, state
gospodarstvo (economy), govorništvo (rhet-
oric, public speaking), pjesni§tvo (poetry),
radništvo (working class), beskičmenjaštvo
(spinelessness, weakness of character),
državljanstvo (citizenship), pijanstvo
(drunkenness), poznanstvo (acquaintance)

320. Suflixes for masculine and feminine nou ns:

Suffrx Examples Meaning

-eslwra ljudeskara (big man) /mase./ tepeskara augmentative, pejorative
(woman who speaks
nonsense) /fern./
-etina momčetina (large young man) /mase.!, augmentative, pejorative
ženetina (ugly woman) /fern./, lvanetina (big
clumsy Ivan)
-ica kukavica (coward) /masc.and fern./, pijanica pejorative nouns
-lica (drunkard) /mase. and fem./, lutalica
(wanderer) /mase. and fern./, svadalica
(quarrelsome person, mase. and fern.)

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Suffu: Examples Meaning

-ušina orlušina (big eagle) /mase./, volušina (big augmentative
ox) /mase./, vratušina (big neck) /fern./,
zemljušina (ugly soil) /fern./
-uljak brježuljak (little hill), djevojhljak (little diminutive
girl), čovjehljak (little man),
zamotuljak (little bundle)

32 1 . Masculine and Neuter Nouns

Suffu: Examples Meaning

brale (brother) /mase./, polje (field) /neut./ persons (mainly proper
no uns), neuter nouns of
various meaning
-lo držalo (penholder) /neut./, glačalo (iron)/ diminutive, pejorative,
neut./, huškalo (agitator) /mase. and neut./ tool, abstract nouns
smetalo (person who disturbs) /mase. and
neut./, sijelo (evening party in the village)
/neut.!, sedlo (saddle) /neut./

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Adjectives

322.

Main prefvces Examples Meaning

bez-l bezbožan (godless), bezuman (insane), deprivation
hes- bestjelesan (bodiless) (bez = without)
ne- nemaran (negligent), nevelik (small), neuk negative meaning
(ignorant), nesretan (unfortunate)
pre- prehladan (too/very cold), preblag (too/very too/very
softlgentle), prezauzet (too/very busy)
sve- sveprisutan (omnipresent), svemoguć "omni-... ," "pan. ., "
(omnipotent), svestran (many-sided) from many points
of view
vele- veleul:en (well-educated), velecijenjen "well-... ," highly
(highly esteemed), veleuman (very intelligent)
za- zaokrenut (turned), završen (finished), finished action
zatražen (requested), zasol·en (salted)

Prefixed adjectives can have comparative and superlative fonns.

The only prefix here with two allomorphs is "bez- : bes-," because it ends in
a consonant.

323. Nouns fonned from these adjectives mainly end in -ost and therefore they
are abstract nouns: besprijekornost (irreproachableness), neumjerenost
(intemperance), pretjeranost (exaggeration), svemogućnost (omnipotence),
veleučenost (a very high education), zamrznutost (frozenness).

Main sufftxes Examples Meaning

-aći* kupaći (bathing), crtaći (drawing), spavaći mainly the same
(sleeping) jedaći (eating), domaći (homemade, meaning as the verbs
domestic) from which the ad-
jectives are fonned
-(a)k! gladak (smooth), ljubak (likeable) plitak feature, dimension
-eki (shallow), dubok (deep), dalek (far)
-ok

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Main suffiXes Examples Meaning

-(a)nl ravan (flat), jadan (miserable), slabašan feature, in a certain
-aš(a)nl (sickly, weak, thin), zamašan (considerable), quantity
-eš(a)n izdašan (important), malešan (small)
-asi crnkast (blackish), crvenkast (reddish), in some measure,
-kast žućkast (yellowish), vitičast (curly, ringl ike) -like
-(a)vl mrtav (dead), ćorav (blind in one eye), mainly corpora!
-njav blatnjav (muddy), krastav (scabby), features
-unjav koštunjav (bony)
-al krcat (full), glavat (with a big head), rukat big, in abundance
(with big anns )
-en kršten (baptized), malen (small), vatren quality, feature
( enthusiastic)
-in* majčin (mother's), Ankin (Anka's), sestrin possession (of
(sister's), Ivin (Ivo's), Mujin (Mujo's),Jurin nouns or proper
(Jure's), strikin (uncle's) names in -a, -o, or -e)

-iv/jiv zanemariv (unimportant), ostvariv (feasible), which can be done,

-ljiv ranjiv (ran-jiv, vulnerable), zajedljiv able
(sarcastic), ugasljiv (extinguishable)
-ji/* djelji (children's), Božji (God's), pileći/from belonging to, in a
-iji* pilet-ji/ (chick's) đavolji (devil's), djetinji (in a manner of
-inji* child! ike manner), gospodnji (Lord's)
-ovi* Ivanov (lvan's), stričev (uncle's), vojnikov possession (of
-evl* (soldier's), kraljev (king's), majstorov nouns ending in
-ljev* (master's), Jakovljev (Jacob's), Mojsijev -0,-o or -e)
(Moses'), Hrvojev (Hrvoje's)
-itl pripit (drunk) jezovit (horrible), nabit (full), in a large quantity,
-oviti šumovit (timbered, wooded), znakovit full of..
-evit (indicative), krievit (rocky), kišovit (rainy)
-ski/* hrvatski (Croatian), engleski (English), possession, in a
-anski/* sarajevski (of Sarajevo, belonging to manner of
-čkil* Sarajevo), zagrebački (of Zagreb, belonging
-ački* to Zagreb), čovječanski (human), učenički
(students'), pričalački (narrative)

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324. The following are possessive or descriptive adjectives by the suffixation of

-ovl-ev (from masculine nouns ending in -0 or -e and -in for feminine and some
masculine nouns) in all three genders:

Ivan (Ivan-O)
Marko (Mark-o)
Hrvoje (Hrvoj-e)

Singular Plural
Mase. NeuL Fem. Mase. NeuL Fem.
Ivan-O Ivanov Ivanovo Ivanova Ivanovi Ivanova Ivanove
Mark-o Markov Markovo Markova Markovi Markova Markove
Hrvoj-e Hrvojev Hrvojevo Hrvojeva Hrvojevi Hrvojeva Hrvojeve
brat-O bratov bratovo bratova bratovi bratova bratove
sestr-a sestrin sestrino sestrina sestrini sestrina sestrine
Ank-a Ankin Ankino Ankina majčini majčina Anikine
majk-a/ majčin majčino majčina majčini majčina majčine
maj č-
Jur-e Jurin Jurino Jurina Jurini Jurina Jurine

Mase. NeuL Fem.

Ivanov (Ivan-O) kaput Ivanovo polje Ivanova škola Sing.
Ivanovi kaputi Ivanova polja Ivanove škole Pl.
Markov (Mark-o) kaput Markovo polje Markova škola Sing.
Markovi kaputi Markova polja Markove škole Pl.
Hrvojev (Hrvoj-e) kaput Hrvojeva polje Hrvojeva škola Sing.
Hrvojevi kaputi Hrvojeva polja Hrvojeve škole Pl.
o�ev (otac ote-: oc- oč-) kaput o�evo polje o�eva škola Sing.
o�evi kaputi o�eva polja o�eve škole Pl.
sestrin (sestr-a) kaput sestrino polje sestrina škola Sing.
sestrin i kaputi sestrina polja sestrine škole Pl.
Jurin (Jur-e) kaput Jurino polje Jurina škola Sing.
Jurini kaputi Jurina polja Jurine škole Pl.
strikin (strik-o) kaput strikino polje stri kina škola Sing.
stri kini kaputi strikina polja strikine škole Pl.

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Formation of Adverbs

325.

Su.ffrx Examples Meaning

·CC neprestance (steadily), naglavice (headlong), manner
-ance strrnoglav(i)ce (precipitously)
-čke naopačke (backwards), naglavačke (head- manner
-ačke long), objeručke (with both hands,
with enthusiasm)
-ećkel-ećki ležećkelležećki (lying), stojećke/stojećki position
(standing)
-ice krijomice (secretly), danomice (daily), time, place, often
-imice mjestimice (here and there), nemilice formed so that -ice is
-omice (ruthless), jatomice (in flocks, in swarms), added to instr. sing.
djelomice (partially)
-om jutrom (in the morning), krišom (secretly) time, manner
(Instrumental
singular)
-as noćas (tonight), ljetos (ljeto+s - ljeto ovo), time ("this... ), or
-os - during this summer), danas (dana+s = dana "during this ... "
-us ovog - today), zimus (zimu+s = zimu ovu
- during this winter)

326. Some adverbs are composed of prepositions + nouns in various cases:

uprazno /u + prazno/ = in vaio
usprkos /uz + prkosi = in spite
smjesta /s + mjesta/ = right away, right from there
nažalost /na + žalost! = unfortunately

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327. By adding different forms to the stems of demonstrative and other pronouns,
we can obtain various adverbs:

Quantity
Pronoun Place Direction* l to lime Manner
(how much,
(where) which place (when) (how)
how many)
ovaj/ov-aj ovdje - ovamo - in this (sad/a/) ovako - in ovoliko -
= this, that here direction, ovuda this way this much
= this way
tajit-aj tu = there tamo = in that tad(a) tako = toliko = that
= that direction /tuda = = then thus, so much, so
that way much
onaj/on-aj ondje = onamo = in that onda onako = in onoliko =
= that over over there direction, onud( a) = then that way that much
there = along that way
tko/t-k-o kamo = in which kad(a) kako = koliko = how
lk-t-o/ = direction, kuda = = when how many !how
who which way much
itko/ it-k-o igdje = ikamo = in any ikad(a)/ ikako = in ikoliko =just
ik-ig- anywhere direction, ikud(a)= igda = any way a bit
= anyone whichever way

netko/ negdje = nekamo = in a nekad(a)/ nekako nekoliko

net-k-o somewhere certain direction, negda = = somehow = some
nek-/neg- nekud(a) = to some sometimes
= someone place
svatko svugdje = svakamo = in all svagda = svakako = sva koliko
svat-k-o everywhere directions, always, all anyways, = in any
svak-svag-/ svukud(a) =to all the time in any case quantity
svu g- places
= everyone

• Ovamo, tamo, onamo, kamo, ikamo, nekamo and svakamo denote a direction while ovud( a), tud( a),
onud(a), kud(a), ikud(a), neked(a) and svukud denote a place one is going to.

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Verb Formation

328. Verbs can be fonned on the basis of various kinds of words:

a) Nouns:
daniti se (dan) = to get light, to dawn
noćevati (noć) = to stay ovemight
bit:evati (bič) = to whip
običavati (običaj) = to be used to
kraljevati (kralj) = to rule as a king

b) Adjectives:
čistiti (čist) = to clean puniti (pun) = to fill in
bijeljeti (bijel) = to whiten krasiti (krasan) = to decorate

e) Pronouns (very rarely):

svojevati (to take advantage of an action) : ponašiti (to translate into one's
own language)

d) Verbs:
dati (to give)
napasti (to attack)
propasti (to fail)
odlut:iti (to decide)
doći (to come, to arrive)
izići (to go out)
: davati (to give often)
: napadati (to attack more than once,
to attack from various sides)
: propadati (to fail more times)
: odlul!ivati (to decide more than once)
: dolaziti (to arrive often)
: izlaziti (to be going out)

e) Numera/s:
podvojiti (dvoji) = to split, to divide, to double
utrostut:iti (trostruk) = to triple

f) From exc/amations andparticles:

oj kati = to say "oy" often
nukati = to push, to encourage
ajmekati = to use the exel. "ayme" often, to complain
mu kati = to moo

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329. There are some verbal prefixes which are connected with specific meanings.
Completion ("complet.") relates to perfective (terminative) verbs while fre­
quency ("freq.") relates to imperfective (durative) verbs.

Preftx Feature Example

do- complet./ freq. dokazati /dokazivati (to prave), donijeti l donositi
approaching (to bring to)
iz- complet./freq. izigrati l izigravati (to outwit), izmaknuti se l
separation, izmicali se (to escape), izvikati se l izvikivati se
satiety (to yell one's fill), ižariti (to irradiate)
mimo- direction mimoići l mimoilaziti (to pass by)
na- inchoateness nagristi l nagrizati (to bite into, to corrode)
complet./freq., satiety
nad- position, nadnositi se l nadnašati se (to lean over), nadrasti
predominance l nadrastati (to over-grow)
o- complet./freq. obrati l obirati (to finish picking), ograditi l
separation ograđivati (to fence, to enclose)
ob- "around," from all sides, ophoditi l ophađati (to go around), obustaviti l
complet. freq. obustavljati (to stop)
od- complet.lfreq. odbaciti l odbacivati (to reject), odliti l odlijevati
partiality, (to pour off), obustaviti l obustavljati (to stop)
separation
po- complet./freq. poigrati se l poigravati se (to play a little, to play
inchoateness often), potrčati l potrčavati (to start running)
pod- complet./freq. potpisati l potpisivati (to sign), podmetnuti l
position podmetati (to place under )
pre- separation prenijeti l prenositi (to bring over, to carry over),
complet./ freq. prekinuti l prakidati (to interrupt), prejesti se l
excessiveness prejedati se (to overe at)
pri- addition, pridati l pridavati (to add),
approaching primaknuti l primicati (to bring closer), pribrati l
complet. l freq. pribirati (to collect, to gather)
pro- inchoateness progovoriti l pregovarati (to speak out), proteći l
complet. l freq. protjecati (to flow through)

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Preftx Feature Example

raz- completion, razlučiti l razlučivati (to discriminate, to discem),
"dis-" separation razgraditi l razgrađivati (to puli down, to destroy),
razmaknuti l razmicati (to move aside), raždžapati
se (to start quarrelling)
separation, spasti l spadati (to fall down, to decline), skupiti l
togethemess skupljati (to gather together)
u- "in-" (from outside to unijeti l unositi (to bring in),
inside) complet. l freq. uliti l ulijevati (to pour in)
uz- regression, uzmaknuti l uzmicati (to retreat),
inchoateness uznemiriti se l uznemirivati se (to get disturbed)
-za inchoateness complet. zaigrati se l zaigravati se (to be/come/ engaged in
l freq. play), zamaknuti l zamicati (to disappear)

330. The following prefixes have allomorphs:

iz-: iz-.iž-, iza-, is-, iš-, -i: izigrati (to cheat) , izabrati (to choose), istrgati
(to tear off), i§<!upati (to puli out), istražiti (to investigate, to explore),
ižđipiti (to jump out).
nad-: nad-, nado and nat-: nadvisiti (to be higher), nadodati (to add),
natkriliti (to cover).
ob-: o- , ob-, op-, oba-: omeđiti (to limit), obići (to go around), opstati (to
exist, to survive) ob8viti (to wrap).
od-: od-, oda- and ot-: odmicati (to move from), otjerati (to chase), odab­
rati (to select, to choose), otparati (to tear off).
pod-: pod-, poda- and pot-: podmetati (to put under), podastrijeti (to put
under), potcrtati (to under\ ine).
raz-: raz-, ra-, raza-, ras- and raš-, raž-: razmisliti (to think about), raza­
brati (to distinguish), rastati se (to take one's leave), raskrstiti (lo get
rid ot), ra§<!istiti (to clear), raždžapati se (to slart quarrelling).
s-: s-, sa- and su-: svezati (to tie), saznati (to find out), sustići (to catch
up).
uz-: uz-, uza-, us- and uš: uzigrati se (to start playing), uzavreti (to start
boiling), uspinjati se (to climb), u§<!uvati (to preserve).

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 WORD FORMATION

331. Various allomorphs can be taken as radica! morphemes:

knjig-a (book) knjiž-ev-nik (writer)
knjig-o-vod-stvo (accounting) knjiž-iti (to register)
knjig-etina (big book) knjiž-urina (big book)
knjig-ica (small book) knjiž-ica (booklet)

332. Ns far as phonetic changes are concerned in word formation, the most important
are the changes of voiced sounds into voiceless and vice-versa, and changes
of non-palatals into palatals:

a) Voicedness and voicelessness:

drug-i (another) : druk-či-ji (different)
nik-ad(a) (never) : nig-da (never)
niz-ak (low) : nis-k-ost (lowness)
pod-nositi (to endure) : pot-kupiti (to bribe)

b) Palatals and non-palatals:

list-je (leaves) : *!istje : "' lisće : lišće
nositi (to carry) : *nos-nja : nošnja ( costume)

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 SYNTAX

FUNCTION OF CASES

333. Nominative and Vocative

a) The Nominative is used as a subject or as part of a predicate.

Ivan je dobar učenik.

b) When the Nominative is used with the conjunction nego or with the con­
junction and adverb kao, it is considered as an adverbial detennination for

On mi je kao brat. (He is like a brother to me.)

Izgledao je kao mrtav. /Izgledao je kao mrtvac. (He looked like a dead man.)
To nije Petar nego Ivan. (That is not Peter but Ivan.)

e) The Nominative and Vocative are the only cases in Croatian that cannot
be used with prepositions. In the plural, they are always identical. In some
categories the only difference is the accent:

N. sing. brico (barber) : V. sing. brico

N. pl. žene : V. pl. žCne

d) If a feminine last name is accompanied by a title, the name itself does not
change in the Vocative form:
N. Gospođa Šimić V. Gospođo Š imić!
N. Profesorica Ivić V. Profesorice Ivić!
e) In folk poetry, the Vocative is occasionally used instead of the Nominative:
Beže muči, ne govori ngta, - Hasanaginica.
(The bey was silent, he didn 't say a word) - Hasan-aga S Wife

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Vinko Grubi�1ć, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

334. Genitive:
The Genitive without prepositions usually serves to indicate:

a) A direct object:
Pozajmite mu novaca. (Lend him some money)
Pozdravite ih sviju. (Greet all of them.)
Vidi ti nje! (Look at her!)
Tu nema vode. (There is no water here.)
U razredu nema ni učitelja ni učenika. (ln the classroom, there is neither a
teacher nor students.)
Negative statements are very often expressed with the Genitive:
Imam kaput. (l have a coat.) : Nemam kaputa. (l don't have a coat.)
Imam želju. (l have a wish.) : Nemam želje. (l have no wish.)
One imaju ispit. : One nemaju ispita.
(They have an exam.) (They have no exam.)

b) An attribute or a part ofan a/tribute:

On je bio čovjek velika znanja. (He was a man of great knowledge.)
Svi smo bili puni nade. (We were all full of hope.)
On je čovjek tužna srca. (He is a man with a doleful heart.)
e) Possession l Belonging:
Knjiga moga brata. (My brother's book.)
Muž nale susjede Ane. (The husband of our neighbour Ann.)
Šuma naših prijatelja. (Our friends' forest.)
Olovka tih učenika. (The pencil of these students.)

d) Time:
Peti dan ovog mjeseca. (The fifth day of this month.)
Prvi dan ove godine. (The first day of this year.)

�
e) Quantity, a part ofa whole:
malo brašna (a little flour)
malo kruha (a little bit ofb ead)
malo voća (a little bit of fruit) Genitive sing.
malo kiše (a little rain)
previše trave (too much grass)

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 SYNTAX

but:
malo ljudi (few people)
malo studenata (few students)
� Genitive pl.
mnogo kuća (many houses)
previše stolica (too many chairs)

If a nouo refers something that cannot be counted, it is used in the Genitive

singular. If a noun refers human beings. animals or objects that can be count­
ed, then the Genitive plural is used.

Novac can be used in Gen. sing. or in Gen. pl.

Imam novca. : Imam novaca. (l have some money.)

Note lhe absence ofa wordfor "of' in many cases:

Nou n + O + G. N oun + of+ G.

E.g. �aša �aja = cup of tea

grupa djece = group of children
komad sira = piece of cheese
miris mesa = smeli of meat

f) With the pronouns "što, " "nešto, " "svašta, " "ništa, " and"koješta, " we
can use either the Nom inative or Genitive:
Što ima novo/nova/novog? (What's new?)
Koješta zlo/zla/zlog se tu događa. (Many bad things are happening here.)
Ništa dobro/dobra/dobrog o njem nisam �ula. (l haven't heard anything
good about him.)

i) Some reflexive verbs are used only with the Genitive case:
osloboditi se (to get rid of)
sjećati se (to remember)
odreći se (to give up, to renounce)
bojati se (to fear, to be afraid ot)

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

335. Dotive

If the Genitive can be considered the "separation case," then the Dative case
can be considered the "approaehing case." lt can often express:

a) An indirect object:
Dođite svom prijatelju Ivanu. (Come to your friend Ivan.)
Oprostite mi moje neznanje. (Pardon my ignorance.)
Kažite joj koji tekst mora pročitati. (Tell her which text she has to read.)

b) Part ofan attribute:

Učitelj nam o tom nije govorio. (Our teacher did not speak about that.)
Majka mi sve to zna. (My mother knows all of that.)
Osobni Vam ponos to ne će dozvoliti. (Your personal pride will not allow
you to do that.)

e) "Ethic Dative "

Kako nam je pametan! (He is so smart!)
Što vam je on danas veseo! (He is so happy today! )
J a t i nemam pojma. ( l have n o idea.)

This form of the Dative is usually not translated into English.

d) Adverbial determination for place:

Ne idemo njegovoj �koli. (We are not going to his school.)
Primičemo se uzletištu. (We are approaching the airport.)

336. Accusotive

a) Direct object:
Sreli smo svog učitelja. (We met our teacher.)
Vratite mi moju knjigu. (Give me back my book.)
Kupujemo stroj za pranje. (We are buying a washing machine.)

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 SYNTAX

b) Time:
Svu noć smo hodali po gradu. (We walked through the city all night long.)
Č itavu jesen nisam telefonirao svojem bratu. (l didn 't telephone my
brother this whole autumn.)
Ovu nedjelju (or: Ove nedjelje - G. sing.) ne radimo. (This Sunday we
do not work.)

337. The locative is the only case in Croatian that can never be used without a
preposition.

338. Instrumental
a) An indirect object:
Oni se zanose lažnom nadom. (They put their trust into a false hope.)
Grad je pokriven snijegom. (The city is covered with snow.)

b) Adverbial determination for place:

Njegov je glas odjekivao brdom. (His voice echoed on the hill.)
Morem plovi mali brod. (A small ship sails on the sea.)
Ovim putom ne možete stići do nas. (You cannot reach us by this road.)

e) Adverbial determination for time:

Godinama se nismo vidjeli. (For years we didn't see each other.)
Ponedjeljkom imamo hrvatski jezik. (On Mondays we have Croatian
class.)
Noću neki ljudi ne vide dobro. (At night, some people don't see well.)

d) Adverbial determination for manner:

Trkom su došli do nas. (They came to us running.)
Masama su sudjelovali na štrajku. (They took part in the strike in masses.)
Zahvalno§ću se može mnogo postići. (By being grateful, one can obtain
many things.)

e) Part ofthe predicate:

Tomislav je postao prvim hrvatskim kraljem 925. (or: prvi hrvatski
kralj - N. sing.) (Tomislav became the first king of Croatia in 925.)

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Vinko Grubgić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Dok je bio momkom (or momak) nije volio studirati. (He did not like to
study when he was a young man.)
Josip Jelačić se smatra hrvatskim junakom. (or .. hrvatski junak).
(Josip Jelačić is considered a Croatian hero.)

USE OF TEN SES

339. The past time is not always expressed by the past tense, and the same could
be said for present and future time. There are actions that take place at vari­
ous points in the past and future; an action which is certainly going to be ac­
complished will be expressed in a different way from a merely desired action.
The most important feature of the Croatian verb is that the present tense of
the perfective verb cannot express a true present action. Therefore, the usage
of the present tense of perfective verbs is always related to the situation it
expresses.

340. Past lenses

a) The pluperfect expresses an action that preceded another past action.
Nakon što smo bili porazgovarali s njima, oti�li smo doma. (When we had
spoken with them, or Having spoken with them, we went home.)
Kad bijasmo bili u Splitu, vidjeli smo mnoge značajne spomenike. (When
we were in Split, we saw many important monuments.)

The pluperfect is usually used in dependent clauses. In the current spoken

language, it is often replaced by the continuous past tense.

b) The continuous past is a general past tense that tends to replace all other
past tenses.

Past (A) Gradio sam kuću osam godina. (l built my home over eight
years.)
Sagradio sam kuću prije osam godina. (l built my house eight
years ago.)

(B) Da nikad od sada o tomu nisi progovorio! (Don't ever again

mention that again!)

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 SYNTAX

e) The aorist expresses an action that is limited in time, be it in the past or in

the future.
Past On re�e da mora ići doma. (He said that he has to go home.)
On dođe k nama prije nego što smo počeli čitati. (He came to us be­
fore we started reading)

Future Ne re�e ti to nikada više. (You are not going to say that ever say it
again!)

d) The imperfect covers an action that can be entirely accomplished or nol

Past Oni nikad ne znađahu o čemu se tu radi.

Oni nikad ne znađahu o čemu se je tu radilo.
(They have never known what had been going on here.)

341. Present Tense

Past Prošle godine Ivan gradi kuću, kad odjednom sin mu dođe iz
Njemačke.
(Last year, Ivan was building his house, when suddenly his son came
from Germany.)

Present Sad Ivan gradi kuću u svom selu. (Now, Ivan is building a house in
his village.)

Future Ć im Ivan sagradi kuću u svom selu, uselit će u nju.

(As soon as Ivan builds his house in his village, he will move in.)

342. Future Tenses

The future anterior expresses an action which should be accomplished l»

fore the point when the succeeding action is meotioned, and consequently it
can be used only in dependent clauses.

Kad budemo imali (or: kad imadnemo) vremena, razgovarat ćemo o

zemljopisu.
(When we have some time, we will speak about geography.)

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

The future anterior can be replaced by the present tense of perfective verbs.
The future can express an action in past, present or future.

Past Sto će se onda dogoditi, to se je jasno vidjelo iz njegova dnevnika.

(What should have happened then could be clearly seen from his
diary.)
Present Bit će da sad nije veoma hladno. (lt is probably not very cold now.)
This usage of the future tense is limited to the future of the auxiliary verb
"biti" ("bit će") which expresses a probability.

343. Let's distinguish between two periods in the past, and two in the future. If the
present time be expressed with "sada" (now), then the sequence oftenses will
be as follows:

Past Future
(now)

ll. p ll.

Pluperfect + Continous past Continous past

A orisi
Aorist (certainty)
Jmpeifect
Present
Present Perf
Anterior Future + Future
Future
Anterior Future

present present

Present
Future

Unlike verbal tenses, moods (infinitives, imperatives, conditionals, and participles) are
not attached to a special point of time when they have to be accomplished.

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 SYNTAX

STATEMENTS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES

344. A statement in Croatian can be either positive, negative or interrogative.

Ana čita. Ana ne čita. Č ita li Ana?
(Ana reads.) (Ana doesn't read.) (Does Ana read?)

a) There are two ways of transfonning an affinnative statement into an inter­

rogative statement:

Affirmative lnterrogative
Intonation
Ana govori hrvatski. Ana govori hrvatski?
(Ana speaks Croatian.) (Ana speaks Croatian?)

Idete u školu. Idete u školu?

(You go to school.) (You go to school?)

Adding the interrogative particle "li" after the verb.

Ana govori hrvatski. Govori li Ana hrvatski?
(Ana speaks Croatian.) (Does Ana speak Croatian?)

Idete u školu. Idete li u školu?

(You go to school.) (Do you go to school?)
Questions may also be introduced by certain words, like zar ("is it? "re­
ally?") or zar ne ("isn't it?," "right?"), or by interrogative pronouns such
as tko, koji and �iji.

Idemo u školu. affirmative

Idemo u školu? question by intonation
Idemo li u §kolu? Question fonned with the interrogative
partic\e "li"
Idemo u §kolu? Question by intonation
Tko ide u školu? Question fonned with an interrogative
pronoun
Ide u školu? Question by intonation
Zar idemo u školu? Question introduced by "zar"
Idemo u školu. zar ne? Question fonned by the addition of"zar ne"

20 1
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

b) Negative Statements are formed by the addition of ''ne" before the verbal
fonu.
Ivan govori francuski. (Affirmative)
Ivan govori francuski. (Negative)

Mi znamo engleski. (Affirmative)

Mi ne znamo engleski. (Negative)

Negative statements used in the past tense bave special negative verbal fonns,
and in the future tense, bave negative future forms.

bili htjeli
Singular P/ural Singular P/ural
nisam nismo ne ću ne ćemo
nisi niste ne ćeš ne ćete
nije nisu ne će ne će

Ne moramo �itati tu knjigu. (We do not have to read that book.)

Nismo morali �itati tu knjigu. (We did not have to read that book.)
Ne ćemo morati �itati tu knjigu. (We will not have to read that book.)

In Croatian, a negative statement can contain more than one negative word:

Nikada nitko nigdje ni za Ito nije pitao. (Nobody ever asked for anything
anywhere.)

e) Affirmative, negative or interrogative statements can often consist of only

one word:
Znam. = I know.
Znal? You know?
Ne? No?
Nel No!
Ne. No.

Since conjugated verbal forms reveal the person who is the subject of the ac­
tion, it is perfectly normal to omi t pronouns.

202
 Znam. (Ja znam.)

345. One simple phrase, "Ui!enik čita" ("The student reads"), is already a complete
statement of infonnation which says what the student is doing.
However, that infonnation can become more elaborate in both the subject and
predicate.

Učenik čita.
/ "'
Subject Predicate

Učenik čita knjigu.

A
Direct object

Učenik sada čita knjigu.

A
Adverbial determinantfor time

Učenik sada čita i lista knjigu.

A
Conjunction and Predicate 2

Mladi učenik sada čita i lista knjigu.

/
Attribute of the subject

Mladi učenik Ivan sada čita i lista knjigu.

/
Apposition

Mladi učenik Ivan sada čita i lista zanimljivu knjigu.

/
Attribute to the direct object

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Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

This statement or phrase can be sectioned into six parts.

( l ) Mladi učenik Ivan

(2) sada
(3) čita
(4) i
(5) lista
(6) zanimljivu knjigu

Since "�ita" and "lista" are verbs whose action are performed by the same
subject, in the same circumstances, it is not necessary to repeal the parts that
are the same. The word "i" connects two verbs but it could also connect two
subjects or two objects.

Instead of "Mladi u�enik Ivan" we could say "U�enik Ivan, koji je mlad,"
and instead of sada, we could say "dok ovo govorimo." ln other words de­
pendent clauses can be substituted for some parts of speech.

346. Compare the following three statements:

( l ) Učenik čita. (A student reads.)
(2) Učenik spava. (A student sleeps.)
(3) Učeniku se spava. (A student wants to sleep.)

To sentence ( l ) we can add a direct object, while to (2) we cannot because the
verb Ntati is transitive and the verb spavati is not. In (3), we have a reflexi­
ve verb used with the Dative. We can add "sada" to all three statements, but
"mladi" only to (l) and (2).

347. The previous statement can be elaborated as follows:

Mladi u�enik, koji se zove Ivan, dok ovo govorimo, �ita i lista knjigu,
koja je zanimljiva.
(A young student, whose name is Ivan, while we are speaking reads and
leafs through a book that is interesting.)

Now we have one central, independent statement:

Mladi u�enik �ita i lista knjigu. (The young student reads and
leafs through a book.)

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 SYNTAX

and three dependent clauses:

( l ) koji se zove Ivan (whose name is Ivan)

(2) dok ovo govorimo (while we're speaking about this)
(3) koja je zanimljiva (which is interesting)

All statements in Croatian can be divided into two groups: independent and
dependent statements.

We can add further information to the statement:

Učenik čita.
Učenik čita brzo.
place Učenik čita u svomu vrtu.
quantity Učenik čita vrlo mnogo.
Učenik čita zbog svoje
znatiželje.
(The student reads.)
(The student reads fast.)
(The student reads in his garden.)
(The student reads a lot.)
(The student reads because of his
curiosity.)

348. Clauses in Croatian may be introduced by various conjunctions:

(and)
pa (and, then)
te (and)
ni(ti) ... niti (neither .. nor)
ili ... ili (either .. or)
nego (but)
već (but)
(and, but)
ali (but)
tek lto (as soon as)
dok (while)
samo (što) Uust)
jedino (što) (only)
dakle (as, thus, consequently)
stoga (lto) (hence, that's why, for that reason)

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Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

All of these conjunctions connect either two words, two syntactical units or
two clauses.

349. Each of these two statements is considered an independent sentence:

l oni i mi to znamo. (Both they and we know that.)

Oni to znaju. Mi to znamo. (They know that. We know that.)
Oni su ušli u naš razred, po su onda čitali. (They entered our classroom
and then they read.)
One su čitale, le su zatim zaspale. (They read and then they fell asleep.)
Ni oni ni mi nemamo tu knjigu. (Neither they nor we have that book.)
lli vi to mislite ili ne mislite. (Either you think that or you don't.)
Smijao se dugo, a zatim se umirio. (He laughed for a long time and then
quieted down.)
On ne misli tako, ati ipak tako govori. (He doesn't think that way; never­
theless, he speaks that way.)
Nije on to rekao, nego smo mi to rekli. (He did not say that; rather, we
said that.)
Ne pišemo to mi, već oni. (We are not writing that; they are.)
Ovamo smo došli, ali ne znamo što moramo raditi. (We came here, but
we don't know what we have to do.)
Tek što smo ušli u školu, lekcija je počela. (As soon as we entered the
school, the lesson started.)
Dok govorimo o zemljopisu, netko nas ne sluša. (While we are speaking
about geography, somebody isn't listening to us.)
Naš pasje slušao svaku našu riječ, samo što nije znao sudjelovati u govo­
ru. (Our dog listened to our every word, but he just couldn 't participate in
our conversation.)
Hladno je, dakle uskoro će snijeg. (lt is cold; consequently, it will snow
soon.)
Kiša pada već tri dana, stoga je mokro sve uokolo. (lt has been raining
for three days; that's why everything is wet all around.)

All these conjunctions could be omitted without changing the meanings of the
sentences substantially.

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 SYNTAX

Oni su ušli u naš razred. Onda su čitali.

One su čitale. Zatim su zaspale.
Mi nemamo knjigu. Oni nemaju knjigu.
Vi to mislite. Vi to ne mislite.
Smijao se dugo. Zatim se umirio.
On ne misli tako. Ipak tako on govori.
Nije on to rekao. Mi smo to rekli.
Mi ne pišemo. Oni pišu.
Tu smo došli. Ne znamo što moramo raditi.
Ušli smo u školu. Lekcija je počela.
Govorimo o zemljopisu. Netko nas ne sluša.
Naš pas je slušao svaku riječ. Nije znao sudjelovati u razgovoru.
Hladno je. Uskoro će snijeg.
Kiša pada već tri dana. Sve je mokro uokolo.

DEPENDENT CLAUSES

350. Subject clauses. l fa clause is an expansion of the subject, it is called a subject

clause.

Tko prvi dođe, dobit će nagradu. (Whoever comes first will receive
Prvi dolaznik će dobiti nagradu. the prize.)

Što se je očekivalo, to se i dogodilo. (That which was expected happened.)

Očekivano se i dogodilo.

Svi koji su prisutni mogu glasovati. (All who are present can vote.)
Svi prisutni mogu glasovati.

351. Predicate clauses:

Knjiga je n� bez &ga nema u&nja. (Without a book there is no studying.)
Knjiga je bez čega nema učenja.

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Vinko Grub1šić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Proslava je kad se pjeva. (It is a celebration when people sing.

Proslava je pjevanje. or A celebration is when people sing.)

Film je (to) §to se snima. (A movie is that which is filmed.)

Film je snimanje.

352. Object clauses.

Kazat ću vam kako su Romeo i Julija ( 1 ' 1 1 tell you how Romeo and
bili zaljubljeni jedno u drugo. Juliet loved each other.
Kazat ću vam zaljubljenost Romea i Julije. or 1'11 tell you how Romeo and
Juliet were in love with each
other.)

U�ili su nas kako izbjeći opasnosti. (They taught us how to avoid

Učili su nas izbjegavanje opasnosti. danger.)

ADVERBIAL DETERMINATION CLAUSES

353. Some adverbial clauses are derived from the adverbial determination for place.

Odakle: Zna li netko odakle su oni? (Does anyone know where they
are from?)

Odande: Odande se kamo su oni otišli (No one came back from the place
nitko nije vratio. they went to.)

Odavde: Odavde gdje stojimo vidi se (From where we are standing, one
čitav grad. can see the whole city.)

Gdje: Ne znam gdje se oni sad nalaze. (l do not know where they are now.)

Other adverbs functioning as conjunctions are: kamo, kud(a),odakle, dokle,

ovdje, ondje, odovud, etc. (See 288-289)

354. Other adverbial causes are derived from the adverbial determination for time.
Otkada: Ne znam otkada sam ovdje. (l don't know how long l 've been
here.)

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 SYNTAX

Kad. . .tada: Kad netko govori, tada (When somebody is speaking, then
se sluša. one listens.)

Kad... onda: Kad netko govori, onda (When somebody is speaking, at that
se sluša. time one listens.)

Other conjunctions of time are: �im (as soon as), tek što (when, as soon as),
nakon Ito (after, after that), dok l dokle (tili, until), kad (when) and otkad l
otkako (since).

Čim dođeš, javi mi se. (Let me know as soon as you

Javi mi se �im dođeš. arrive.)

Kad dođeš, javi mi se. (Let me know when you

Javi mi se kad dođeš. arrive.)

Tek Ito smo došli, telefon je zazvonio. (When we arrived, the

Telefon je zazvonio tek Ito smo došli. telephone rang.)

Nakon što smo došli, telefon je zazvonio. (The telephone rang after we
Telefon je zazvonio nakon Ito smo došli. had come.)

Dok ste u ovom gradu, bit ćete naši gosti. (You'll be our guests while
Bit ćete naši gosti dok ste u ovom gradu. you're in this city.)

Otkako ste tu telefonirao sam Vam (l have called you ten times
deset puta. since you have been here.)

Some other adverbs for time which function as conjuctions are: fim, netom, istom,
kad, otkad, otkako, tek, tek Ito (as soon as), nakon (after), nakon što (after that), etc.

355. Clauses derived from the adverbial detennination for cause:

Jer: Dobio je dobru ocjenu iz zemljopisa (He received a good mark in
jer je dobro znao taj predmet. geography because he knew that
subject well.)

Zato što: Nemojte se ljutiti zato Ito niste (Don't be mad because you
pozvani na svadbu. weren 't invited to the wedding.

209
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Budući da: Budući da ste sve dobro (Since you knew everything well,
znali, dobili ste dobru ocjenu. you got a good mark.)

Zbog toga što: Nismo govorili s njima (We didn't speak with them about
o povijesti zbog toga što nismo znali because we didn't know if they
zanima li ih povijest ili ne. were interested in history or not.)

356. Clauses derived from the adverbial determination for manner.

Tako da: Govori tako da ga svi čuju. (He speaks so that everyone can
hear him.)

Ovako ... kako: Ovako kako on govori (Nobody spoke in the way he
nitko nije govorio. speaks.)

Onako • . .kako: Onako kako on govori (ln the way that he speaks, nobody
nitko nije govorio. spoke.)

Koliko . . . toliko: Koliko radiš, toliko (You will earn as much as you
ćeš i zaraditi. work.)

These clauses are also called comparative clauses, because they often express
a comparison.

357. Some clauses are derived from the adverbial detennination forpurpose.

Da: Došli su d a b i s e nešto ovdje (They came to learn something

naučili. here.)

Kako: Došli su kako bi nešto ovdje (They came in order to learn

naučili. something here.)

S namjerom da: Idemo u školu (We're going to school with the

s namjerom da naučimo hrvatski. intention of learning Croatian.)

Samo da: Sve smo učinili samo da oni (We've done everything just to
budu sretni. make them happy.)

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 SYNTAX

358. Attributive clauses

a) Any relative pronoun.
Na!li smo knjigu koju moramo vratiti knjižnici danas. (We found the
book that we have to retum to the library today.)

Oslobodili smo se straha koji nas je mučio kroz mnogo mjeseci. (We freed
ourselves from the fear that tormented us throughout the many months.)

b) Da: Bila je to kuća da joj se nikad nisi mogao nadiviti. (lt was a house that
you could not admire enough.)
e) Adverbs: Zima je vrijeme kad se vježbaju zimski sportovi. (Winter is a
time when people practice winter sports.)
Rekli su nam kako se nisu usudili ići u šumu. /Rekli su nam
da se nisu usudili ići u šumu. (They to ld us that they didn't dare
go into the forest.)

Some subordinate clauses can be joined to the main clause by relative pro­
nouns or adverbs. These pronouns or adverbs usually refer to an antecedent in
the main clause.

Poznajem mjesto koje je opisano u Vašem tekstu. (l know the place that
is described in your text.)

Ne poznajem čovjeka koji je to rekao. ( I don't know the man who said
that.)

Oni ne će živjeti u ovolikom gradu koliki je vaš. (They're not going to live
in such a big city as yours.)

Učenik još ima olovku koju ste mu vi dali. (The student still has the pencil
that you gave him.)

Nemojte ostati tu gdje nitko ne živi. (Don 't stay here where nobody
lives.)

Ono pivo što smo ga pili u restaurantu "Marjan" nije bilo dobro. (The
beer that we drank in the restaurant "Marjan" was not good.)

Tu su knjige o kojih je vrijednosti naš profesor jučer govorio. (Here are

the books the quality of which our professor spoke yesterday.)

211
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

359. Concessive clauses

Jako: Iako sam to znao, nisam to nikomu rekao. (Although I knew that, I
didn't tell anybody.)

Jako. . . ipak: lako nije učio, ipak je dobio dobru ocjenu. (Even if he didn't
study, he still got a good mark.)

Premda: Svi smo znali da je on dobio nagradu, premda to nikom nije rekao.
(We all knew that he got a prize, even though he di dn 't tell any­
one.)

360. Conditional clauses can be divided into three groups.

a ) Clauses expressing a fulfilled condition.
b) Clauses expressing a condition which is realizable.
e) Clauses expressing an unrealizable condition.

a) A clause expressing a fulfilled condition or a condition which is realizable

may be introduced by the conjunction "ako" (it) or by a verb followed by
the particle "li"

Ako ste gladni, trebate jesti. (If you are hungry, you should eat.)
Ako ste gladni, jedite. (If you are hungry, eat.)
Jeste li gladni, jedite. (If you are hungry, eat.)

b) Clauses expressing a potentially realizable condition.

Ako budete gladni, trebat ćete jesti. (If you are going to be hungry,
Budete Ii gladni, trebat ćete jesti. you will have to eat.)

The future in these "if clauses" is expressed by the present of the perfective
verb.

Dođem li k vama, o tomu ćemo (If I come to your place, we will

opširno govoriti. talk about that in detail.)

I f a conditional clause is introduced by a verb + li, that verb is usually a perfec­

tive verb used in the present tense.

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 SYNTAX

e) Clauses expressing an unrealizable condition are usually introduced by

"da" and "kad" (both meaning "if'').

Da sam gladan, jeo bih. (!fl were hungry, l would have eaten.)
Da sam bio gladan, bio bih jeo. (If l had been hungry, l would have eaten.)
Kad bih bio gladan, jeo bih. (If I were hungry, l would eat.)

The tenses, sequences of time and if-clauses are as follows.

Main clause If-clause

Fulfilled or realiztJble condition
Present tense Present tense
Zašto mi to ne kažete . . . . . . ako možete?
(Why don 't you tell m e that . . ) . . ifyou can?)
Present Tense l Future Continuous past tense
Trebate mi reći . . . . . . ako ste to čuli.
Trebat ćete m i reći . . . . . . ako ste to čuli.
(You ought to tell me . . . ) . .ifyou have heard that.)
Future Present l Future Anterior
Hoćete li doći sutra . . . . . . ako vas pozovemo?
Hoćete li doći sutra .. . . . . ako vas budemo pozvali'?
(Will you come tomorrow . . ) . . if we invite you?)
imperative Present l Future Anterior
Recite mi . . . . . . ako to doznate.
Recite mi . . . . . ako to budete znali.
(Tell m e . . . ) . .ifyou know that.)
Conditional Present l Future Anterior l Conditional
Čitao bih . . . . . . ako dobijem tu knjigu.
Čitao bih . . . . . . ako budem dobio tu knjigu .
(l would read . . ) . . . kad bih dobio tu knjigu.
(. . if I received the book.)
UnrealiztJble condition
Conditional / Past conditional ll Present tense !Continous past tense
Znao bih to . . . . . . da učim.
Bio b i h t o znao . . . . . . da sam učio.
( l would know that . . ) ( . . i f l were studying.)

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Vinko Grubišić. CROATIAN GRAMMAR

DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

361. If we quote a person 's words verbatim, then we use direct speech. Indirect
speech refers to reporting or paraphrasing somebody's speech with our own
words. When direct speech is rendered into indirect speech, the following
changes occur: if the speaker reports previously spoken words, then these are
connected with the rest of the speech by the conjunction "da."

Rekao sam: "Ja n e mislim tako." ( l said: "I don't think so.")
Rekao sam da (ja) ne mislim tako. (l said [that] I didn't think so.)

Rekli su: "Mi ne mislimo tako." (They said: "We don't think so.")
Rekli su da (oni) ne misle tako. (They said [that] they didn't think so.)

Ti si mi rekao: "Doći ću." (You said to me: ''1'11 come." )

Ti si mi rekao da ćeš (ti) doći .. (You told me [that] you'd come.)

On je rekao: "Ne volim to." (He said: "I don't like it.")
On je rekao da (on) to ne voli. (He said [that] he didn't like it.)

M i smo odgovorili: "To ćemo (We replied:"We shall see that

vidjeti sutra." tomorrow.")
Mi smo odgovorili da ćemo to (We replied [that] we would
vidjeti sutra. see that tomorrow.)

Oni kažu: "Ne ćemo u�iti iz te (They said: "We are not going to study
knjige." from that book.")
Oni kažu da ne će u�iti iz te (They said [that] they were not going
knjige. to study from that book.)

Unlike the English "that," the conjunction "da" cannol be omitted.

There are some exceptions when direct speech is exactly the same as indirect
speech. The only difference is the omission of the quotation marks and the
colon.

214
 SYNTAX

Vi ste pomislili: "Tko to tako (You thought: "Who is knocking so

kasno kuca?" late?")
Vi ste pomislili tko to tako kasno (You wondered who would knock so
kuca. late.)

Unlike in English, in Croatian the use of lenses does not change if dilect
speech is rendered into indirect speech or vice-vena.
Ona je rekla: "Doći ću." (She said: "I will come.")
Ona je rekla da će doći. (She said she would come.)

As in English, when direct speech is transformed into indirect speech, the

person whom we address changes.
Ona im govori: "To ću vam sutra (She is telling them: "I will retum it
vratiti." to you tomorrow.")

Ona im govori da će im to sutra (She is telling them that she will

vratiti. retum it to them tomorrow.)

Ja im govorim: "Nemojte se vi (l am telling them: " You don't need

brinuti o tomu." to worry about that.")

Ja im govorim da se oni ne brinu ( l am telling them not to worry

o tomu. about that.)

215
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

WORD ORDER

362. a) Statements can be introduced by any stressed word. Thus, the following
statement can be said or written in six various ways: By intonation we can

room'1.
hear which word is emphasized ("the student," ''is sitting" or "in the class­

Učenik sjedi u razredu. • The student is sitting in the classroom.

Učenik u razredu sjedi.
Sjedi u razredu učenik.
Sjedi učenik u rauedu
U razredu učenik sjedi.
U razredu sjedi učenik.

b) Subordinate clauses follow the same rules as independent statements.

Nisi došao. You didn't come.
Došao nisi.

Znam zašto nisi došao. l know why you didn 't come.
Znam zašto došao nisi.
Zašto nisi došao, znam.
Zašto došao nisi, znam.

When a subordinate clause precedes the main clause, they are separated by a
comma.

e) In word order, present enclitics cause special difficulties. First we use the
pronominal and then the verbal ene litic "Je." Other verbal enclitics pre­
cede pronominal enclitics.

Dative + Accusative + verbal enclitic "je"

but
Verbal enclitics + Dative + Accusative: Verb + li

' Each variant has a nuanced meaning.

216
 SYNTAX

On mi je pokazao taj stol. (He showed that table to me.)

On mi ga je pokazao. (He showed it to me.)

Ona mu se je suprostavila. (She opposed him.)

Ja sam im se javio telefonom. (l called them by telephone.)
On će joj sve reći. (He will tell her everything.)
Znaš li gdje ga mogu naći? (Do you where could l find him?)

AGREEMENT

363. Naš lijepi veliki grad je udaljen od najbliže talijanske granice nekih 250 km
(= dvjesto pedeset kilometara). Our big, beautiful city is some 250 km from the
closest Italian border.)

Na!
lijepi
� modifers for "građ'
veliki

najbliže -------­
modifiers for "granice"
talijanske ------ -

Modifiers and the words they modify agree in gender (masculine, feminine,
neuter), number (singular and plural) and in case (Nominative, Genitive, Da­
tive, Accusative, Vocative, Locative and Instrumental). In other categories,

be in agreement. ("Dal Ujep veliki . . .'). If the subject is in the singular, the
such as the definite and indefinite aspect of adjectives, modifiers need not

predicate has to be in the singular; if the subject is in plural, the predicate has
to be used in the plural.

Marko je dobar u�enik. (Marko is a good student.)

Marko i Ivan su dobri u�enici. (Marko and Ivan are good students.)

When the subject consists of several nouns used in the singular, it can agree
with all ofthem and be used in the plural, or it can agree with the part of sub­
ject that is closest to the verb.

217
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Velik snijeg i magla bila je u

našem selu.
(A lot of snow and fog were in our
village.)
Velik snijeg i magla bili su u
našem selu.
Pred nama se pokazalo more,
brodovi, ribari i daleki grad.
(Before us appeared the sea, ships,
Pred nama su se pokazali more, fishermen and a distant city.)
brodovi, ribari i daleki grad.
Nestade novac i veselje.
or (The money and good times ran out.)
Nestadoše novac i veselje.
Sela i polja se nalaze daleko od (The villages and fields are far
našeg grada. from our city.)

364. If the subject is a compound of mixed genden, the verbs and adjectives will
be in the masculine plural

Učitelj i učenik s u ušli u razred. (A teacher and a student entered

the classroom.)
(mase. + mase. = mase.)
U<!iteljica i u<!enik su ušli u razred. (A teacher and a student entered
the classroom.)
(fern. + mase. = mase.)
Majka i njeno dijete su ušli u kuću. (A mother and her child entered
the house.)
(fern. + neut. = mase.)

but

Majka i njena kći su ušle u kuću. (A mother and her daughter entered
the house.)
(fern. + fern. = fern.)

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 SYNTAX

365. Sometimes. the predicate can agree with the closest part of the subject:

Čule su se ptice i hrčci. (Birds and crickets could be heard.)

Oblaci i magle su prekrile (Clouds and fog covered the horizon.)
horizont.
Oblaci i magle su prekrili horizont.

366. With the collective noun in -ad all related adjectives. pronouns and verbal
fonns are in the singular.

Izvrsna momčad "Dinamo" (The excellent team "Croatia"

pobijedila je "Rijeku." defeated "Rijeka.")
Sva njihova pastorčad ide u školu. (All their stepchildren go to school.)

367. The polite fonn ..Vi," even when the addressee is masculine singular. femi­
nine singular, or feminine plural, is always in the masculine plural.

Vi ste, draga gospođo, trebali (You, dear Madam, should have

doći jučer. come yesterday.)

368. If a masculine noun ending in -a means only a male person. then the modifi­
ers as well as the verbs that agree with it are also masculine when used in the
singular:

Ilirska kraljica Teuta bila je (The Illyrian Queen Teuta was a real
pravi vojskovođa. military leader.)

However, in the plural modifiers as well as verbal forms are feminine:

Naše vojskovođe su veoma hrabre. (Our military leaders are very

courageous.)

369. Nouns ending in -a, which can relate to both masculine and feminine genders
can be used in both the masculine and feminine:
On je velika kukavica. (He is a big coward.)
On je veliki kukavica.

219
Vinko Grubi!ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Ona je velika kukavica. (She is a big coward.)

To je dijete velika kukavica. (That child is a big coward.)

The p/ural is usually onlyfeminine.:

Oni su velike kukavice.

One su velike kukavice.
Ona (djeca) su velike kukavice. (They are big cowards.)

370. Special difficulties are presented by nouns used with various numerals:

a) l + Nom. sing.
2 - 4 + Gen. sing. for the masculine and neuter. For fern. we use N. pl.:
Tu je jedan �ovjek. (There is a man.)
Tu su dva polja. (There are two fields.)
Tu su dva �ovjeka. (There are two men.)
Tu su dvije žene. (There are two women.)
Tu su tri �ovjeka. (There are three men.)
Tu su �etiri �ovjeka. (There are four men.)
Tu su tri ili �etiri žene. (There are three or four women.)

S ... + Gen. pl. Tu je pet ljudi. (There are five men.)

Tu je petero ljudi (There are five people.)
Tu je osam ljudi. (There are eight men.)
Tu je osmero ljudi (There are eight people.)
Tu je sedam žena. (There are seven women.)

''Pet" is the turning point in the agreement. The number "pet" and the num­
bers following it are used with the verb in the singular but modified words are
in the G. pl. When composed, modified words always agree with the last digit
of a number.

Prema popisu pu�anstva 1991. u Hrvatskoj živi �etiri milijuna sedamsto

osamdeset �etiri tisuće dvjesto �ezdeset pet stanovnika. (4 784 265) (After
the 1 9 9 1 census, in Croatia there live four million, seven hundred eighty-four
thousand, two hundred sixty-five inhabitants. [4 784, 265].)

220
 SYNTAX

Pronouns modifying cardinal numbers are used in the Genitive plural: nas
dvije (we two), vas sedam (you seven), njih dva miljuna (two million of
them) . .

b ) Feminine nouns ending i n -ica (dvojica, trojica, jedanesterica) can be

used instead of the cardinal numbers dva, tri, jedanaest . . in groups com­
posed of the masculine gender.

nas peterica five of us

vas trojica three of you
njih jedanaesterica eleven of them

e) When the gender of a group is mixed or unspecified, then the number (dvo­
je, troje, �etvero, osmero, devetnastero) is used with the verbal form in
the neuter gender. Numerals related to masculine or feminine nouns be­
come, in the neuter singular, jedno, drugo . .

Dvoje djece se igra. (Two children are playing.)

Njih petero živi u hotelu (Five of them live in the hotel

"Esplanade." "Esplanade.")

Osermo u�enika nije došlo u (Eight students did not come

školu. to school.)

Romeo i Julia su voljeli jedno (Romeo and Juliet loved one

drugo. another.)

Marija i Marko nisu poznavali (Marc and Mary did not know
jedno drugo. one another.)

d) With the unchangeable number "pet" the neuter gender is used with singu­
lar forms.

Pet momaka je došlo u školu. (Five ymmg men came to the school.)

Osam djevojaa radi u hotelu (Eight girls work at the hotel

''Intercontinental." "Intercontinental.")

U našoj školi je bilo tristo (There were three hundred

devedeset devet u�enika. ninety-nine students in our school.)

22 1
 APPENDICES

PUNCTUATION

371. Periods, interrogative marks and exclamation marks.

a) A period is used at the end of declarative sentences. Following interroga­

tive sentences, a question mark ("?") is used instead of a period. After
words or sentences expressing some form of exclamation, an exclamation
mark ("!") is used:

To mi se sviđa. ( I like that.)

Sviđa li ti se to? (Do you like that?)
Njoj se to sviđa! (She likes that! )

b ) A period i s also used after ordinal numerals:

5. travnja 1831. (S. IV. l831) (April 5. 1 83 1 )
O n j e 25. po abecednom redu u svojem razredu. (He i s 251h i n his class
according to alphabetical order.)

e) A period is used after some abbreviations:

A. G. Matoš je hrvatski pisac. (Antun Gustav Matoš is a Croatian writer.)

o. g. = ove godine (this year)
n p r. = na primjer (for example)
tj. = to jest (i.e., that is)
itd. = i tako dalje (and so on, etc.)

372. a) A comma is used mainly to separate words or clauses in a sentence when

they are not connected by conjunctions.

223
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

On, njegova žena, njihova kći i njihov stric putuju s nama. (He, his wife,
their daughter and their uncle travel with us.)

a) Before some conjunctions connecting two independent sentences, we use

a comma:

Nismo to mogli uraditi, već smo samo o tom govorili. (We couldn't do it,
we just spoke about it.)
Nisu jol došli, dakle idemo bez njih. (They haven 't arrived, so we are go­
ing without them.)
Sve smo to prije znali, jedino što to nismo bili zapisali. (We knew all that
before, we just had not written it down.)

e) When a subordinate clause precedes the main clause, they are separated by

Kad budd došao, javi se. (When you arrive, let us know.)
Ako budete došli u dogovoreno vrijeme, putovat ćemo zajedno. (If you
arrive at the agreed-upon time, we will travel together.)

d) ln a statement, a comma separates something that is felt to be an addition,

an explanation or an enumeration:

Što bi se o njima, o kojima nam je sve dobro poznato, još moglo reći?
(What more could be said about them, when we know everything about
them well.)
Spomenuli su Ivana, Markova mlađeg brata. (They mentioned Ivan,
Mark's younger brother.)

Za putovanje u Hrvatsku su zainteresirani: Ivan, njegova majka, nje­

gov otac, susjed mu Ante, i još neki drugi. (Ivan, his mother, his father,
his neighbour Ante and some others are interested in travelling to Croatia.)

e) The Vocative case is always separated by commas:

Nisi li, Marko, nikad bio u našem gradu? (Mark, haven't you ever been
in our city?)

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 APPENDICES

When a period should be followed by a comma, the comma is omitted. When

a period is followed by a parenthesi s, the period is omitted:

August Šenoa je rođen 14. studenog 1 938. u Zagrebu. (August Šenoa

was born Nov. 1 4, 1 838, in Zagreb.)
August Šenoa, rođen 14. studenog 1838, napisao je roman Seljačka
buna.
August Šenoa (rođen 14. studenog 1838) napisao je roman Seljačka
buna.
(August Šenoa, born Nov. 1 4, 1 838, wrote the novel Peasants · Uprising.)

373. The apostrophe is used instead of an omitted grapheme:

Da j' sad on tu! (If he were here!)

ll' to učinimo, ili o tom ne govorimo. (Either we do it, or we don 't talk
about it anymore.)
Al' nakon toga, bilo je kasno i morali smo ići u grad. (After that, it was
late and we had to go to the city.)

374. Colon Usage

a) Before a quotation:

On je rekao: "Prijatelji moji, ja sutra idem u Kanadu." (He said: " My

friends, tomorrow I am leaving for Canada.")

b) Before an enumeration:

Svi su tu: profesori, učenici, sportaši, vatrogasci . . (They are all here: pro­
fessors, students, athletes, firemen . . . )

e) In expressing a ratio or a proportion:

"Hajduk" je igrao protiv "Osijeka" 3 : 2. ("Hajduk" beat "Osijek" three

to two.)
U naioj je ikoJi studenata koji uče francuski prema onima koji uče eng­
leski 60% : 40% . (ln our school the ratio of students studying French versus
students English is 60% to 40%.)

225
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

375. Semicolons are used to separate the two parts of speech or two independent­

shorter than that marked by a period.

clauses when the duration of a pa.use is longer than that marked by a comma and

Illi smo u trgovinu; tu ipak nismo sve kupili što smo htjeli. (We went to
the shop; we didn't buy everything we were looking for.)

376. Dashes are sometimes used instead of commas or quotation marks:

Kao prevoditelj - a prevođenjem se je bavio tridesetak godina - nije

pokazao dobro poznavanje stranih jezika. (As a translator - and he was
involved in translating for some thirty years - he didn 't show a good know­
ledge of foreign languages.)
Ponavljam: - Ne želim više o tomu govoriti. (l repeat: - l don't wanl to
talk about it any more.)

377. Capital Letters

a) The first letter in a sentence

Oni putuju s nama. (They travel with us.)

b) Proper names (anthroponyms and toponyms): Marko, Ivan, Višnja ..

Amerikanac, Irac, Split, Madrid, Frankfurt . . .) and adjeclives derivedfrom
proper names ofhuman beings (Markov, ivanov, Yišnjin . . .) .

Adjectives derived from place names are written with lower-case letters:
Zagreb: zagreba�k.i, zagreba�ka, zagreba�ko. . .
Mostar: mostarski, mostarska, mostarsko . . .
Hrvatska : hrvatski
Amerika : ameri�k.i

Adjectives and adverbs derived from personal names ending in -ski are written
with lower case letters.

Šenoa : Šenoin (Šenoa's) : šenoinski (in the way of šenoa's writing)

Star�ević : Star�evićev : star�evićevski
Tolstoj : Tolstojev : tolstoj evski
Goethe : Goetheov : goetheovski

226
 APPENDICES

Some words related to religion are written with capital letters: Alah (Allah),
Bog (God), Blažena Djevica Marija (Blessed Virgin Mary).

e) Words which mark some special respect ("Obraćam se Vama . . . " - "l am
writing to you" - polite/fonnal)

Gospodine Predsjedniče! (Mr. President!)

d) If proper names or names of organizations, associations, periodicals etc.

are compounds of two or more parts, then only the first part as well as the
toponyms and anthroponyms are capitalized:

Plitvička jezera (Plitvice Lakes)

Kamenita vrata u Zagrebu /Kamenita vrata/ (The Stone Gate in Za­
greb)
Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti (The Croatian Academy of
Sciences and Arts)
Filozofski fakultet (The Faculty of Arts)
Nogometni savez Hrvatske (The Croatian Soccer Federation)
Dubrovačke ljetne igre (Dubrovnik Summer Plays)
Hrvatska demokratska zajednica (The Croatian Democratic Union)
Večernji list (Croatian daily newspaper)
Hrvatsko slovo (Croatian weekly newspaper)

However, the title of a book, paper or brochure is different:

Institution or Place Title ofa Newspaper, Brochure, or Book

Hrvatsko sveučilište Hrvatsko Sveučili�te
(The University of Zagreb) (title of a student newspaper)
Plitvička jezera Plitvička Jezera
(a place) (a brochure about the place)
Jadransko more Jadransko More
(Adriatic Sea) (a book called The Adriatic Sea)

227
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

FOREIGN NAMES

In using the foreign names of people and places, Croatian attempts to retain
the original forms as much as possible.

378. Classical languages: the names of classical languages are always adapted to
the Croatian phonetic and morphologic systems.

Greek
Danaos Danaj
Kadmos Kadmo
Alexandros Aleksandar
Homeros Homer
Leonidas Leonida (mase. ending in -a)
Penelope Penelopa
Thebai (pl.) Teba (sing.)
Athenai (pl.) Atena (sing.)
Xerxes Kserso l Kserkses

Latin
Ovidius Ovidije
Horatius Horacije
Cicero Ciceron
Venus Venera
Julius Julije
Titus Livius Tit Livije

379. Proper names taken from Slavic languages, whether originally written in the
Cyrillic or in the Latin alpbabe� are Croatianized.

Nominative Genitive
Njekrasov Njekrasova
Tolstoj Tolstoja
Marina Cvjetajeva Marine Cvjetajeve
Lukijan Mušicki Lukijana Mušickog(a)
Dostojevski Dostojevskog( a)
N. Nabokov Nabokova

228
 APPENDICES

Moskva Moskve
Varšava Varšave
Krakov Krakova
Dragotin Kette Dragotina Kettea
Prag Praga
Jagielowicz Jagielowitza
Krupska Krupske
Walewska Walewske
Kosta Racin Koste Racina
Penjo Penjev Penje Penjeva
Peter Kepeski Petra Kepeskog(a)
Srečko Kosovel Srečka Kosovela
H arkov H arkova
Tjutčev Tjutčeva

380. Place names from European and other languages are transcribed as closely as
possible to the original fonns, although their spelling timds to be closer to the
Croatian phonetic spelling in forms derived from the nouns.

Noun Adjective
Mtinchen miinchenski
Oxford oxfordski
Kopenhagen kopenhagenski
Sierra Leone sierraleonski
Pariz pariški
Ottawa ottawski l otavski
Vancouver vancouverski
New York newyorški l njujorški
KOl n kOlnski

381 . Proper names often show some important differences between the Nominative
and other cases.

Nom inative Other

Mallorca G. Mallorke L. u Mallorki/Mallorci
Gioconda G. Gioconde D. Giocondi
Boccaccio G. Boccaccia s Boccacciem /s Boccacciom

229
Vinko Grubišić. CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Francesco Petrarca G. Franceska Petrarke s Francesom

Petrarkom
Antonin Artaud G. Antonin(a) Artauda D. Antoni nu
Artaudu
Claude Debussy G. Claudea Debussyja s Claudeom
Debussyem
Sommerset Maugham G. Sommerseta Maughama
Victor Hugo G. Victora Hugoa
Jean-Louis Barrault D. Jean-Louisu Barraultu

382. There are some feminine names that are usually indeclinable.

Daj tu knjigu Carmen ... Nives . . . (Give that book to Carmen Nives . . .
Ingrid... Ingrid . . . )

The tendency is to put a modifying noun in the front of such non-Croatianized

names when undeclined.

Daj tu knjigu gospođici l gospođi (Give that book to Mrs J Miss

Carmen ... Nives ... Ingrid... Carmen .. Nives . . . Ingrid . . . )

383. The date is expressed with ordinal numera! s.

January 1 8, 1 843 20. siječnja 1843. J dvadesetog(a) siječnja tisuću

osamsto četrdeset treće [godine]

February 2, 9 1 8 2. veljače 9 1 8. / drugog(a) veljače devetsto

osam neste

March 3 1 , 1 226 3 1 . ožujka 1 226. /trideset prvog(a) ožujka tisuću

dvjesto dvadeset šeste

April 5, 1 956 S. travnja 1956. / petog(a) travnja tisuću devetsto

pedeset šeste

May 1 6, 1 7 1 2 16. svibnja 1 7 1 2. / šesnaestog(a) svibnja tisuću

sedamsto dvanaeste

June l , 1 663 l . lipnja 1663. / prvog(a) lipnja tisuću šesto

šezdeset treće

230
 APPENDICES

July 22, 1 970 22. srpnja 1 970. / dvadeset drugog(a) srpnja

tisuću devetsto sedamdesete

August 15, 1 1 68 IS. kolovoza 1 1 68. / petnaestog(a) kolovoza tisuću

sto šezdeset osme

September 9, 1 990 9. rujna 1990. l devetog(a) rujna tisuću devetsto

devedesete

October l l , 1 3 8 1 l l . listopada 1381. / jedanaestog(a ) listopada

tisuću tristo osamdeset prve

November 7, 1 482 7. studenog(a) 1482. /sedmog(a) studenog(a) tisuću

�etiristo osamdeset druge

December 25, 1 993 25. prosinca 1993. /dvadeset petog(a) prosinca

tisuću devetsto devedeset treće

384. Telling the time: in response to the question "KoUko je sati?'' ("What time is
it?''), several expressions may be used.
,
pol noć ("ponoć, . or "pola noći") midnight
jedan sat l A. M. or P.M.
dva sata 2 A. M. or P.M.
tri sata 3 A. M. or P. M.
<!etiri sata 4 A. M. or P.M.
pet sati 5 A.M. or P. M.
dvanaest sati or podne
dvadeset i �etiri sata (ponoć) 12 A. M (midnight)

If it is one to 30 minutes past the hour, then minutes are added to the hour.
dva i dvanaest 2:12
osam i deset 8:10

If it i s 3 0 t o 5 9 minutes past the hour, then these minutes are substracted from
the following hour.
dva manje dvadeset 1 :40
osam manje deset 7:50

231
Vinko Grubišić. CROATIAN GRAMMAR

There are other expressions related to telling the time.

dvadeset do dva 1 ;40

deset do osam 7:50

četvrt or petnaest a quarter

pol(a) or trideset a half

U koliko sati . . . ? At what time . . . ?

The following forms are primarily used in official and administrative lan­
guage.

trinaest sati 1 3 :00

četrnaest sati 1 4:00
petnaest sati 1 5 :00
dvadeset (i) jedan sat 21 :OO
dvadeset (i) dva sata 22:00

Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u The Croatian National Theatre in

Zagrebu prikazuje dramu Ive Zagreb will perform Ivo Vojnović 's
Vojnovića ''Dubrovačka Trilogi­ play "The Dubrovnik Trilogy," on
ja" 9. listopada 1 993. u 20 sati. October 9, 1 993, at 8 P.M.

Instead of "trinaest sati" or "devetnaest sati" etc. (l P.M., or 7 P.M. etc.),

Croatians use "jedan sat popodne" ("one o'clock in the afternoon"), or "se­
dam sati navečer" ("seven o'clock in the evening"), etc.

232
 APPENDICES

VERBS WITH VARYING DEGREES OF DIFFICULTIES

385. ln order to be able to recognize all verbal fonns, it is important to know, in ad­
dition to the infinitive, the following fonns of a verb.

(l) The first person singular and the third person pl ural of the present tense;
(2) The second person singular of the imperative;
(3) The active past participle;
(4) The first person singular (and eventually other persons) of the aorist (a)
and the imperfect (i);
(5) The passive participle;
(6) The past verbal adverb.

Since compound verbs predominaotly bave tbe same forms as tbeir basic
verbs in all tenses and moods, all tbe forms oftbose compound verbs will be

fect, passive participle and verbal adverb are in parentheses.

easy to assimilate. Forms of a compound verb tbat can have aorist or imper­

If a basic verb does not have all tenses and moods, then a compound verb is
taken into consideration.

Baktati se (intrans.,* s nekim / nečim, l) = to be bothered; l . bakćem se . . . bakću se, 2.

bakći se, 3. baktao se - baktala se - baktalo se, 4. a dobaktah se; i baktah se (bahtaše se,
bahtaše se, bahtasmo se, bahtaste se, bahtahu se), 5. (dobaktan), 6. (dobaktavši).
Bdjeti (intrans., nad nekim l nečim, l) = to watch, to sit up late, to keep vigil; l . bdim l
bdijem - bdiju, 2. bdi / bdij, bdijte, 3. bdio-bdjela- bdjelo, 4. aprobdjeh (probdje,prob­
dje,probdjesmo,probdjeste,probdješe), i bdijah, 5. (probdjeven), 6. (probdjevši).
Biti (irreg., intrans., aux., l and P) = to be; ! . jesam (sam) l budem . . . jesu / su, budu, 2.
budi, 3. bio - bila - bilo, 4. a bih l bjeh, i bijah, 5 . -, 6. -.
Biti (trans., nekoga/nešto, l) = to beat, to hit; -se (s nekim) = to fight; l. bijem . . . biju,
2. bij, 3. bio - bila - bilo, 4. a ubih, i bijah, 5. bijen, 6. (ubivši).
Bjesnjeti (intrans., na nekoga l na nešto, nad nekim l nad nečim, l) = to get mad; l .
bjesnim . . . bjesne, 2 . bjesni, 3 . bjesnio l bijesnio - bjesnjela l bijesnjela - bjesnilo l
bijesnila, 4. a pobjesnjeh, i bješnjah, 5. (pobješnjen), 6. (pobjesnivši l pobjesnjevši).

i = imperfective p = perfective
trans. = transitive intrans. = intransitive
i = imperfect a = aorist

233
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Blagoslivljati (trans., nekoga/nešto, I) = to bless; l. blagoslivljam l blagoslivljem . . . -

blagosivlju l blagoslivljaju, 2.blagoslivljaj, 3. blagoslivljao - blagosivljala - blagosliv­
ljalo, 4. a izblagosljivah, i blagosljivljah, 5. blagosljivljan, 6. (izblagosljivavši).
Blebetati (trans., nešto, protiv nekoga, l) = to chatter, to have a Joose tongue; l .
blebećem . . . blebeću, 2 . blebeći, 3 . blebetao - blebetala - blebetalo, a izblebetah, i
blebetah, 5. (izblebetan), 6. (izblebetavši).
Bojati se (trans., nekog/nečeg, l) = to be afraid; l . bojim se . . . boje se, 2. boj se, 3.
bojao se - bojala se - bojalo se, 4. a pobojah se, i bojah se, 5. -, 6. (pobojavši se).
Boljeti* (incomplete, impers., intrans., l) = to be in pain, to hurt, to ache; l . boli me . .
boli ih, 2 . -, 3 . boljelo - boljela - boljelo me . . . , 4 . a-, i boljaše me, 5 . (preboljen), 6.
(preboljevši).
Bosti (trans., nekog/ nešto, nečim, l) = to prick, to sting, to pierce, to stab; -se (s nekim)
= to prick oneself, to stab each other, l . bodem . . . bodu, 2. bodi, 3. bo - bola - bolo (se),
4. a izbodoh, i bodijah, 5. boden, 6. (izbovši/izbodavši).
Brati (trans., nešto, l) = to pick, to gather; l. berem . . . beru, 2. beri, 3. brao - brala
- bralo, 4. a probrah, i brah l berah, 5. bran, 6. (probravši).
Briti l brijati (trans., nekog l nešto, nečim, l) = to shave; -se = to shave oneself; l .
brijem . . . briju, 2 . brij, 3 . brijao - brijala - brijala, 4 . a obbrijah, i brijah, 5 . brij an, 6.
(obbrivši l obbrijavši).
Brojati l brojiti (trans., nešto, l ) = to count, to enumerate; se = to be taken into account;
l . brojim . . . broje, 2. broj (i), 3. brojao l brojio - brojala l brojila - brojala l brojilo, 4. a
dobrojah, i brojah, 5. brojen, 6. (dobrojivši/dobrojavši).

Ciktati (intrans., l) = to utter, to squeak; l. ciktam l cikćem . . . ciktaju l cikću, 2.

ciktaj l cikći, 3. ciktao - ciktala - ciktala, 4. a prociktah, i ciktah, 5. (isciktan), 6.
(prociktavši).
Crći l crknuti (intrans., od nečeg, P) = to starve, l . crknem . . . crknu, 2. crkni, 3. crkao l
crknuo - crkla l crknula - crkla l crknulo, 4. a crkoh l crknuh (crče l crknu, crče J crknu,
crkosmo l crknusmo, crkoste l crknuste, crkoše J crknuše), i -, 5. crknut, 6. crkavši J
crknuvši.
Crpsti l crpiti (trans., nešto, nečim, l) = to absorb, to pump, to exhaust, to bail, to ex­
tract; l . crpem . . . crpu, 2. crpi, 3. crpao - crpla - crpio, 4. a iscrpih, i crpljah, 5. crpen
l crpljen, 6. (iscrpivši).

"' Future: boljet će me

234
 APPENDICES

Cvasti (intrans., l) = to blossom, to flourish; l . cvatem . . . cvatu, 2. cvati, 3. cvao - cvala

- cvalo, 4. a procvah l procvatoh (pmcva l procvate, procva l procvate, procvasmo l
procvatosmo, procvaste l procvatoste, procvaše l procvatoše), i cvaćah, 5. (procvatan),
6. (procvatavšilprocvavši).
Cvrkutati (intrans., l) = to twitter; l . cvrkućem . . . cvrkuću, 2. cvrkući, 3. cvr­
kutao - cvrkutala - cvrkutalo, 4. a rascvrkutah se, i cvrkutah, 5. (rascvrkutan), 6.
(rascvrkutavši se).

ČihatiJčijati (trans., perje = feathers, l) = to pick . . . feathers, wool, etc.; l. čiham l

čijam . . . čihaju l čijaju, 2. čihaj l čijaj, 3. čihao l čijao - ćihala l čijala - čihalo l čijalo,
4. a iščijah, i čihah l čijah, 5. čihan l čijan, 6. (iščihavšiliščijavši).
Čuti (trans. nekog l nešto, P) = to hear; -se = to hear oneself l each other, to smeli, l .
čujem . . . čuju, 2 . čuj, 3 . čuo - čula - čulo, 4 . a čuh, i -, 5 . (čuven = famous), 6 . čuvši.

Dahtati (intrans., l) = to breath hard; l. dašćem J dahćem . . . dačću l dahću, 2. dašći

J dahći, 3. dahtao - dahtala - dahtalo, 4. a uzdahtah se; i dahtah (dahtaše, dahtaše,
dahtasmo, dahtaste, dahtahu), i -, 5. (uzdahtan), 6. (uzdahtavši se).
Dati (trans., nešto, nekomu, P) = to give; -se = to give up; ! .dam l dadem l dadnem . .
daju l dadu l dadnu, 2. daj l dadni, 3. dao - dala - dalo, 4. a dah l dadoh, i -, 5. dat/dan,
6. davši.
Dići l dignuti (trans., nešto, P) = to lift up, to elevate; -se = to get up; l. dignem . .
dignu, 2 . digni, 3 . digao - digla - diglo, 4. a digoh l dignuh (diže l dignu, diže l dignu,
digosmo l dignusmo, digoste l dignuste, digoše l dignuše), i -, 5. dignut, 6. (dignuvši l
digavši).
Doći (intrans., nekomu/nečemu, P) = to arrive, to come to; l . dođem . . . dođu, l . dođi,
3. došao - došla - došlo, 4. a dođoh, i -, 5. -, 6. došavši.
Dodijati (intrans., nekomu, P) l . dodijem . . . dodiju, 2. -, 3. dodijao - dodijala - dodi­
jalo, 4. a dodijah, i -, 5. - , 6. dodijavši.
Doimati se (nekog l nečeg, l) = to make an impression; l . doimam l doimljem se . .
doimaju l doimlju se, 2 . doimlji se, 3 . doimao se - doimala se - doimalo se, 4 . a -, i
doimah se, 5. -, 6. -.
Donijeti l donesti (trans., nekog/nešto, P) = to carry, to bring to; l . donesem . . . done­
su, 2. donesi, 3. donio l donesao - donijela l donesla - donijelo l doneslo, 4. a done­
soh l donijeh, (donese l donije, donese l donije, donesosmo l donijesmo, donesoste l
donijeste, donesoše, doniješe), i -,5. donesen l donešen, 6. donijevši.
Doprijeti (intrans., do nekog/do nečeg, P) = to reach; l . doprem . . dopru, 2. dopri, 3.
dopro - doprla - doprlo, 4. a doprijeh, i -, 5. -, 6. doprijevši.

235
Vinko Grubi§iC, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Doseći l dosegnuti (trans., nekog l nešto, nečim, P) = to reach; l. dosegnem . .

dosegnu, 2 . dosegni, 3 . dosegnuo l dosegao - dosegnula l dosegla - dosegnulo l dose­
glo, 4.a dosegoh/dosegnuh (doseže/dosegnu, doseže/dosegnu, dosegosno l doseg­
nusmo, odsegoste/dosegnuste, dosegoše/dosegnuše), i -, 5 . dosegnut, 6. dosegavši l
dosegnuvši.
Dospjeti (intrans., do nekog/do nečeg, P) = to arrive, to reach; l . dospijem . . . dospiju,
2. dospij, 3. dospio - dospjela - dospjelo, 4. a dospjeh, i -,5. -, 6. dospjevši.
Dosuti (trans., nešto, P) = to add by pouring; l . dospem . . . dospu, 2. dospi, 3. dosuo
- dosula - dosulo, 4. a dosuh, i -, 5. dosut, 6. dosuvši.
Doteći l dotegnuti (trans., nešto, P) = to puli to; l . dotegnem . . . dotegnu, 2. dotegni, 3.
dotegao l dotegnuo - doetgla l dotegnula - doteglo l dotegnulo, 4. a dotegoh l dotegnuh
(doteže l dotegnu, doteže l dotegnu, dotegosmo l dotegnusmo, dotegoste l dotegnuste,
dotegoše l dotegnuše), i -, 5. dotegnut, 6. dotegavši.
Doteći (intrans. nečeg, P) = to suffice (used mainly as an impers. verb, P); ! .Pres.:
Meni dotječe = lt's sufficient to me, 2. Past: Meni je doteklo = lt was sufficient to
me, 3. Future: Meni će doteći = I will have enough . . . , 4. a Jrd p. doteče; i -, 5. -, 6.
dotekavši.
Dotepsti se (do nekog/do nečeg , P) = to come wandering; l . dotepem se . . . dotepu
se, 2. dotepi se, 3. dotepao se - dotepla se - doteplo se, 4. a dotepoh se, i -, 5. -, 6.
dotepavši se.
Dovesti* l vesti l (trans. nekog l nešto, do nekog l do nečeg, P) = to drive to; l . dove­
zem . . . dovezu, 2. dovezi, 3. dovezao - dovezl a - dovezlo, 4. a dovezoh, i -, 5. dovezen,
6. dovezavši.
Dovesti (trans., nekog l nešto, do nekog l do nečeg, P) = to lead to; l . dovedem . . . dove­
du, 2. dovedi, 3. doveo - dovela - dovelo, 4. a dovedoh, i- , 5. doveden, 6. dovevši.
Dozivati / dozivati (trans., nekog l nešto, l) = to call; ! .dozivam l dozivljem . . . dozivaju
l dozivlju, 2. dozivaj l dozivlji, 3. dozivao - dozivala - dozivalo, 4. a nadozivah se, i
dozivah, 5. dozivao, 6. (nadozivavši - se).
Drhtati l drhtjeti (intrans., od nekog/nečeg, pred nekim/nečim, I) = to tremble, to
shake; l . drhtim l dršćem . . . drhte l dršću, 2. drhti J dršći, 3. drhtao - drhtala - drhta­
lo, 4. a prodrhtah, i drhtah, (drhtaše, drhtaše, drhtasmo, drhtaste, drhtahu), 5. -, 6.
(prodrhtavši).

Dobiti l dupsti (intrans., na nečemu, I) = to stand straight; l . dubim . . . dube, 2. dubi, 3.

dubio - dubila - dubila, 4. a produbih, i dubijah, 5. -, 6. (produbivši).

• "DOvesti" (to drive to) and "dOvesti" (to lead to) have the same accent in the infinitive.

236
 APPENDICES

Dupsti (trans., nešto, l) = to dig in, to hollow out; l. dubem. . . dubu, 2. dubi, 3. dubao
- dubla - dubio, 4. a produboh, i dubijah, 5. dubljen, 6. (produbljivši).

Faliti (impers., I ) = to miss, to be missing; l . Pres. fali mi = I miss; Past: Falilo mi je,
Future: Falit će mi, 2. fali, 3. falio - falila - falilo, 4.a uzfali mi, i falijaše mi . . . , 5. -, 6.
(uzfalivši).

Gibati (trans., nekog/nešto, l) = to move, to put in motion; -se = to move oneself; l .

gibam l gibljem . . . gibaju l giblju, 2 . gibaj se l giblji, 3 . gibao - gibala - gibalo, 4 . a
progibah, i gibah se, 5. (progiban), 6. (progibavši se).
Gnjesti (trans., l) = to squash, to crush; l . gnjetem . . . gnjetu, 2. gnjeti, 3. gnjeo - gnjela
- gnjelo, 4. a izgnjetoh, i gnjah, 5. gnjeten, 6. (izgnjevši).
Grepsti (trans., nekog/nešto, l) = to scratch, to scrape, to grate; -se = to scrape oneself,
l. grebem . . . grebu, 2. grebi, 3. grebao - grebla - greblo, 4. a izgreboh, i grebijah, 5.
greben, 6. (izgrebavši).
Gristi (trans., nekog/nešto, l) = to bite, to torment; -se = to torment oneself; l. gri­
zem. . . grizu, 2. grizi, 3. grizao - grizla - grizlo, 4. a zagrizoh, i grizah, 5. grizen,
6.(zagrizavši).
Gugutati (trans. nešto, l) = to coa, l . gugućem . . . guguću, 2. gugući, 3. gugutao - gu­
gutala - gugutalo, 4. a progugutah, i gugutah, 5 . - , 6. (progugutavši).

Hramati (intrans., l) = to limp, to walk with a limp; l . hramam l hramljem . . . hramaju

/ hramlju, 2. hramaj l hramlji, 3. hramao - hramala - hramalo, 4. a dohramah, i hramah,
5. -, 6. (dohramavši).
Htjeti (irreg. and aux., trans., nešto, I and P) = will, to want;l .(ho)ću l htjednem . .
(ho)će l htjednu, 2. htjedni,3. hti o - htiela - htielo, 4. a htieh l htiedoh (htje / htjede, htie
l hti ede, hti esmo l htjedosmo, htjeste l htjedoste, htješe l htiedoše), i hoćah l hotijah, 5.
-, 6. (prohtjevši se).

Ići (intrans., l) = to go, l . idem . . . idu, 2. idi, 3. išao - išla - išlo, 4. a idoh, i iđah, 5. -,
6. išavši.
Imati (trans., nekog l nešto, I and P) = to have, to possess, to own; l .imam l imadem
l imadnem . . . imaju l imadu l imadnu, 2. imaj l imadni, 3. imao - imala - imalo, 3. a
imadoh, i imah, 5. -, 6. imavši.
Izaći (intrans., iz, P) = to come out, to go out, to get out (see doći).
Izbjeći (trans., nekog/nešto, P) = to avoid, to run away from; l . izbjegnem . . . izbjegnu,
2. izbjegni, 3. izbjegao - izbjegla - izbjeglo, 4. a izbjegoh, izbježe, izbježe, izbjegosmo,
izbjegoste, izbjegoše), i -, 5. izbjegnut, 6. izbjegavši.

237
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Izići (intrans., iz, P) = to come out, to go out, to get out (see doti).
Izuti (trans., nešto, P) = to take footwear off; -se = to remove one's footwear; l . izujem
. . . izuju, 2. izuj, 3. izuo - izula - izulo 4. a izuh, 5. izuven, 6. izuvši.

Jahati (trans., konja, magare . . . , intrans., na, l) = to ride (a horse);jašem . . . jašu, 2. jaši,
3. jahao - jahala - jahalo 4. a projahah, i j ahah, 5. jahan, 6. (projahavši).
Jesti (trans., nešto, l) = to eat; l . jedem . . . jedu, 2. jedi, 3. jeo - jela - jelo, 4. a izjedoh;
ijeđah, 5. (izjeden), 6. (izjevši).

Kapati (intrans., l) = to drop, to drip; l . kapam l kapljem . . . kapaju l kaplju, 2. kapaj, 3.

kapao - kapala - kapalo, 4. a iskapah, i kapah 5. (iskapan), 6. (iskapavši).
Klati (trans., nekog l nešto, nečim, I) = to slaughter; -se = to slaughter each other, to
argue bitterly, l . koljem . . . kolju, 2. kolji, 3. klao - klala - klalo, 4. a poklah, i klah, 5.
klan, 6. (poklavši).
Klepetati (intrans., nečim, l) = to clatter; l . klepećem . . . klepeću, 2. klepeći, 3. klepetao
- klepetala - klepetalo 4. a isklepetah, i klepetah, 5. (isklepetan), 6. (isklepetavši).
Kleti (trans., nekog/nešto, I) = to swear, to curse; -se = to take an oath; l . kunem . . .
kunu, 2 . kuni, 3 . kleo - klela - klelo, 4 . a prokleh, i kunijah, 5 . klet, 6 . (proklevši).
Krasti (trans., nešto, l) = to stea!; l . kradem. . . kradu, 2. kradi, 3. krao - krala - kralo,
4. a ukradoh, i kradijah, 5. kraden, 6. (ukravši).

Leći / legnuti (intrans., P) = to lie down; l . legnem . . . legnu, 2. legni, 3. legao - legla
- leglo, 4. a legoh (leže, leže, legosmo, legoste, legoše), i -, 5. (polegnut), i -, 6. legav�i
/ legnuvši.
Leći (jaja, piliće, ptiće, zmije . . . , l) = to hatch; l . ležem . . . legu, 2. leži, 3. legao - legla
- leglo, 4. a izlegoh (izleže, izleže, izlegosmo, izlegoste, izlegoše), i ležah, (izležen), 6.
(izlegavši).
Lijegati (intrans. I) = to be lying down; l . liježem . . . liježu, 2. liježi, 3. lijegao - lijegala
- lijegalo, 4. a polijegah, i lijegah, 5. - 6. (polijegav�i),

Maći l maknuti (trans., nekog!ne�to, P) = to move; -se = to move; l . maknem . .

maknu, 2 . makni, 3 . makao l maknuo - makla l maknula - maklo l maknulo, 4 . a
makoh l maknuh (mače l maknu, mače l maknu, makosmo l maknusmo, makoste J
maknuste, makoše l maknuše), i -, 5. maknut, 6. maknuvši.

238
 APPENDICES

Mfsti (trans., nešto, nečim, I) = to sweep, to clean; L metem .. metu, ! .meti, 3. meo
- mea - melo, 4. a izrnetoh, i metijah, 5. meteo, 6. (izrnevši).
Mesti (trans., nešto, nečim, I) = to mix; l . metem . . . metu, 2. meti, meo - mela - melo,
4. a izrnetoh, i metijah, (i) -, 5. meteo, 6. (izmevši).
Micati (trans., nekog l nešto, l) = to move; -se - to move; l . mičem . . . miču, 2. miči, 3.
micao - micala - micalo, 4. a pomicah, i micah, 5. mican), 6. (pomicavši).
Mimoići (trans., nekog/nešto, P) = to pass, to avoid; l. mimoiđem . . . mimoiđu, 2.
mimoići, 3. mimoišao - mimoišla - mimoišlo, 4. a mimoiđoh, i -, 5. mimoiđen, 6.
mimoišavši.
Mljeti (trans., nešto, nečim, l ) = to grind; l . meljem . . . melju, 2. melji, 3. mlio - mljela
- mljelo, 4. a samijeh, i meljah 5. mljeven 6. (sarnljevši).
M niti (trans., nešto, l) = to think, to opine; l . mnim l mnijem . . . mniju, 2. mnij, 3. mnio
- mnila - mnilo, 4. a pomnih, i mnjah, 5. -,6. (pomnivši).
Moći (trans., nešto, nečim, I and P) = can, to be able; l . mogu l mognem (možeš l
mogneš, može l mogne, možemo l mognemo, možete l mognete, mogu l mognu), 2.
(mogni), 3. mogao - mogla - moglo, 4. a pomogoh (pomože, pomože, pomogosmo,
pomogoste,pomogoše), i mogah, 5. -, 6. (pomogavši).
Mrijeti (intrans., od nečeg, l) = to die, to be dying; l . mrem l mrijem . . . mru l mriju, 2.
mrij(i), 3. mro - mrla - mrlo, 4. a umrijeh, i mrah, 5. -, 6. (umrijevši).
Musti (trans., kravu, ovcu, kozu . . . , l) = to milk; l . muzem . . . muzu, 2. muzi, 3. muzao
- muzla - muzlo, 4. a pomuzoh, i muzijah, 5. muzen, 6. (pomuzavši).

Načeti /*četi (trans., nešto, P) = to begin; l . načnem .. načnu, 2. načni, 3. načeo -

načela - načelo, 4. a načeh, i -, 5. načet, 6. načevši.
Naći (trans., nekog/nešto, P) = to find; -se = to find oneself (see doći); 5. nađen, 6.
našavši.
Nadrijeti l *drijeti (intrans., P) = to make inroads, to invade; l . nadrem . . . nadru, 2.
nadri, 3. nadro - nadrla - nadrlo, 4. a nadrijeh, i -, 5. -, 6. nadrijevši.
Naduti (trans., nekoga l nešto, nečim, P) = to inflate; -se = to become arrogant; l .
nadmem . . . nadmu, 2 . nadmi, 3 . naduo - nadula - nadulo, 4 . a naduh, i -. 5 . nadut, 6.
naduvši.
Naići (intrans., na nekoga l na nešto, P) = to come across, to meet (see doći); 6.
naišavši.
Napeti l peti (trans., nešto, P) = to tighten up; -se = to strain; l. napnem .. napnu; 2.
napni, 3. napeo - napela - napelo, 4. a napeh, i -, 5. napet, 6. napevši.

239
Vinko Grubi�ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Nazreti l zreti (trans., nekog l nešto, nećim, P) = to see, to perceive; l . nazrem . . . nazru,
2. nazri, 3. nazrio l nazreo - nazrela - nazrelo, 4. a nazreh, i -, 5. nazreo, 6. nazrevši.
Nažeti l teti (trans. nešto) = to press, to squeeze; l. nažmem .. nažmu, l. nažmi, 3.
nažeo -nažela -naželo, 4. a nažmoh, i -, 5. -, 6.-.
Nići l niknuti (intrans., I ) = to genninate; l . niknem . . . niknu, 2. nikni, 3. nikao l niknuo
- nikla l niknula - niklo l niknulo, 4. a nikoh l niknuh (niče, niknu, niče l niknu, oikos­
mo l niknusmo, nikoste/niknuste, nike/nikoše), i -, 5. niknut, 6. nikavši/niknuvši.

Obići (trans., nekog l nešto, P) = to go around, to visit (see doći); 5. obiđen, 6.

obišavši.
Obući (trans., nešto/ nekoga, nečim, P) = to dress; -se = to dress (oneself); l . obučem . .
obuku, 2 . obuci, 3. obukao - obukla - obuklo, 4 . a obukoh, (obuče, obuče, obukosmo,
obukoste, obukoše), i -,5. obučen, 6. obukavši.
Oprijeti se l *prijeti se (nekomu/nešto, nekomu, P) = to resist; l . oprem se . . . opru se,
2. opri se, 3. opro se - oprla se - oprla se, 4.a oprijeh se, i -, 5. -, 6. oprijevši se.
Oteti (trans., nekoga l nešto, nekomu, P) = to seize, to abduct; -se = to get away, to es­
cape; l . otmem . . . otmu, 2. otmi, 3. oteo - otela - otelo, 4. a oteh, i -, 5. otet, 6. otevši.
Otići (intrans., od nekog l nečeg,P) - to go away, to leave; l . odem l otiđem . . . odu l
otiđu, 2. otiđi, 3. otišao - otišla - otišlo, 4.a odoh l otiđoh (ode l otiđe, ode l otiđe, od­
osmo l otiđosmo, odoste l otiđoste, odoše l otiđoše), i -,5. -, 6. otišavši.

Pasti (intrans., P) = to fall down; l. padnem . . . padnu, 2. padni l pani, 3 . pao - pala
- palo, 4. a padoh, i -, 5. padnut, 6. pavši l padnuvši.
Pisti (trans., nešto, l) = to graze, to pasture; l . pasem . . . pasu, 2. pasi, 3.pasao - pasla
- paslo, 4. a popasoh, i pasijah, 5. (popasen), 6. (popasavši).
Peći (trans., nešto, l) = to bake; -se = to be exposed to heat, l. pečem, pečeš, peče,
pečemo, pećete, peku, 2. peci, 3. pekao - pekla - peklo, 4. a ispekoh, ispeče, ispeče,
ispekosmo, ispekoste, ispekoše, i pecijah, 5. pečen, 6. (ispekavši).
Peti l penjati se (do, na, k, prema, l) = to climb; l . penjem se . . . penju se, 2. penji se,
3. penjao se - penjala se - penjalo se, 4. a ispenjah se, i penjab se, 5. (ispenjan), 6.
(ispenjavši se).
Piti (trans., nešto, l) = to drink; l . pijem . . . piju, 2. pij, 3 . pio - pila - pilo, 4. a ispih, i
-, 5. (ispijen), 6. (ispivši).

240
 APPI:::N IJICCS

Plesti (trans., nešto, l) = to knit; -se (u nešto) = to get involved; l. pletem . . . pletu, 2.
pleti, 3. pleo - plela - plelo, 4. a ispletoh, i pletijah, 5. pleten, 6. (ispletavši).
Početi (trans., nešto, P) = to start, to begin; l . počnem . . . počnu, 2. počni, 3. počeo
- počela - počelo, 3. a počeh, i -, 5. počet, 6. počevši.
Poći (intrans., do, k, prema, P) = to leave, to depart (see doći).
Pomoći (trans., nekoga l nešto, nekomu, P) = to help; pomognem . . . . pomognu, 2.
pomozi, 3. pomogao - pomogla - pomoglo, 4. a pomogoh (pomože, pomože, pomo­
gosmo, pomogoste, pomogoše), I -, 5. pomognut, 6. pomogavši.
Prati (trans., nekoga l nešto, nečim, l) = to wash; -se = to wash oneself; l . perem . .
peru, 2 . peri, 3 . prao - prala - prala, 4. a isprah, i prah, 5. pran, 6. (ispravši).
Prići (intrans., nekomu l nečemu, P) = to walk up to, to approach (see doći).
Presti (trans., nešto, l) = to spin (yam, etc.); l . predem . . . predu, 2. pređi, l . preo - prela
- prelo, 4. a ispredoh, i predijah, 5. preden, 6. (isprevši).
Proći (intrans., P) = to go through, to pass through (see doći).
Prostrijeti l *strijeti (trans., nešto, P) = to spread; l . prostrem . . . prostru, 2. prostri, 3.
prostro - prostrla - prostrlo, 4. a prostrijeh, i -, 5. prostrt, 6. prostrijevši.
PrOžeti (nekog, nešto, P) = to perrneate, to imbue; l . prožmem . . . prožmu, 2. prožmi,
3. prožeo - prožela - prožela, 4. a prožeh, i -, 5. prožet, 6. proževši.
Poći l puknuti (intrans., P) = to burst; l . puknem . . . puknu, pukni, 2. pukni; 3. pukao l
puknuo - puk la l puknula - puklo l puknula, 4. a pukoh l puknuh (puče l puknu, puče
l puknu, pukosmo l puknusmo, pukoste l puknuste, pukoše l puknuše), i -, 5. puknut,
6. puknuvši.

Rasti (intrans., l) = to grow; l . rastem. . . rastu, 2. rasti, 3. rastao - rasla - raslo, 4. a

narastoh, i rastijah, 5. -, 6. (narastavši).
Reći (trans., nešto, nekomu, P) = to tell, to say; l . rečem l reknem . . . reku l reknu, 2.
reci, 3. rekao - rekla - reklo, 4. a rekoh (reče, reće, rekosmo, rekoste, rekoše), i -, 5.
rečen, 6. rekavši.
Sjeći (trans., nešto, nečim, l) = to cut, to chop; l . siječem . . . sijeku, 2. sijeci, 3. sjekao
- sjekla - sjeklo, 4. a posjekoh (posiječe, posiječe, posjekosmo,posjekoste,posjekoše),
i sijecijah, 5. sječen, 6. (posjekavši).
Sjesti (intrans., P) = to sit down; l . sjednem . . . sjednu, 2. sjedni, 3. sjeo - sjela - sjelo,
4. a sjedoh, i -, 5 . -, 6. sjednuvši.

241
Vinko GrubišiC, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Skitati se (l) = to roam, to wander; l. skitam se l skićem se . . . skitaj u se l skiću se, 2.

skitaj se l skići se, 3. skitao se - skitala se - skitalo se, 4. a doskitah se, i skitah se, 5. -,
6. (doskitavši se).
Slati (trans., nekog l nešto, nekomu l) = to send; l. šaljem .. šalju, 2. šalji, 2. slao
- slala - slalo, 4. a poslah, i slah, 5. (poslan), 6. (poslavši).
Smijati se (nekom/nečem, l) = to laugh; l . smijem se . . . smiju se, 2. smiji se, 3. smijao se
- smijala se - smijalo se, 4. a nasmijah se, i smijah se, 5. (nasmijan), 6. (nasmijavši se).
Smjeti (trans., nešto, P and l) = to dare; l . smijem l smjednem . . . smiju l smjednu, 2.
smjedni, 3. smio - smjela - smjelo, 4. a smjeh l smjedoh (smje l smejde, smje l smjede,
sjesmo l smjedo smo, smjeste l smjedoste, smjeeše l smjedoše), i -, 5. -, 6 -.
Spati (intrans. l) = to sleep; l . spim . . . spe, 2. spi(j), 3. spao - spala- spalo, 4. a zaspah,
i spah, 5. -, 6. (zaspavši).
Sresti (trans., nekog, nešto, P) = to meet, to encounter; l . sretnem . . . sretnu, 2. sretni,
3. sreo - srela - srelo, 4. a sretoh, i -, 5. sretnut, 6. (susrevši).
Stajati (intrans., l) = to step; l . stajem . . . staju, 2. staji, 3. stajao - stajala - stahalo, 4.
a -, i stajah, 5. -, 6. (zastajavši).
Stajati l stiti (intrans. l) = to stand; l . stojim . . . stoje, l . stoj, 3. stajao - stajala - staja­
lo, 4. a nastajah se, i stajah 5.-, 6. (nastajavši se).
Stati (intrans., P) = to start, to stopt; l . stanem . . . stanu, l . stani, 3. stao - stala - stalo,
4. a stadoh l stah (stade l sta, stade l sta, stadosmo l stasmo, stadoste l staste, stadoše l
staše), i -, 5. -, 6. stavši.
Steći (trans., nekog/nešto, P) = to eam; l . steknem . . . steknu, 2. stekni l steci, l . stekao
- stekla - steklo, 4. a stekoh (steče, steče, stekosmo, stekoste, stekoše), i -, 5. steknut,
6. stekavši.
Steći l stegnuti (trans., nekog/nešto, nečim, P) = to tighten, to restrict, to restrain; l .
stegnem . . . stegnu, 2 . stegni, 3 . stegao - stegla - steglo, 4 . a stegoh l stegnuh (steže l
stegnu, steže l stegnu, stegošmo l stegnušmo, stegošte l stegnušte, stegoše l stegnuše),
i -, 5. stegnut, 6. stegnuvši l stegavši.
Stići l stignuti (trans., nekog P) = to arrive, to come to; l . stignem.. stignu, 2. stigni,
l . stigao - stigla - stiglo, 4. a stigoh l stignuh (stiže l stignu, stiže l stignu, stigosno l
stignušmo, stigošte l stignušte (stigoše l stignuše), i -, 5. stignut, 6. stigavši.
Strići (trans., nekog/nešto, l) = to shear; l. strižem, strižeš, striže strižemo, strižete,
strigu, 2. strižilstrizi, 3. strigao - strigla - striglo, 4. a odstrigoh (odstriže, odstriže,
odstrigosmo, odstrigoste, odstrigoše), i strizijah 5. strižen, 6. (odstrigavši).

242
 APPENDICES

šetati (se) (intrans., l) = to walk, to take a walk; l. šetam l šećem (se) . . . šetaju l šeću
(se), 2. šetaj l šeći (se), 3. šetao (se) - šetala (se) - šetalo (se), 4. a prošetah, i šetah (se),
5. (prošetan), 6. (prošetavši).

Taći l taknuti (trans., nekog, nšto, nečim, P) = to touch, to tackle; l . taknem. . . taknu,
2. takni, takao - takla - taklo, 4. a takoh l taknuh (tače l taknu, tače l taknu, takosmo l
taknusmo, takoste l taknušte, takoše l taknuše), i -, 5. taknut, 6. takavši!taknuvši.
Teći (intrans., l) = to run, to flow, l . tečem . . . teku, 2. teci, 3. tekao - tekla - teklo;
4. a istekoh (isteče, isteče, istekosmo, istekoste, istekoše), i tecijah, 5. (istečen), 6.
(istekavši).
Tkati (trans., nešto, l) = to weave; l . tkam l tkem . . . tkaju l tku 2. tkaj, 3. tkao - tkala
- tkalo, 4. a otkah; i tkah, 5. tkan, 6. (otkavši).
Tresti (trans., nekog l nešto, l) = to shake; l . tresem . . . tresu, 2. tresi 3. tresao - tresla
- treslo, 4. a stresoh, i tresijah, 5. tresen, 6. (stresavši).
Trći l trgnuti se (P) = to start, to puli oneself; l . trgnem se . . . trgnu se, 2. trgni se, 3.
trgao se - trgla se - trglo se, a trgoh l trgnuh se (trže se l trgnu se, trže se l trgnu se,
trgosmo se l trgnusmo se, trgoste se l trgnuste se, trgoše se l trgnuše se), i -, 5. trgnut,
6. trgnuvši se l trgavši se.
Trti (trans., nešto, l) = to rub, to rub out, to massage; l . tarem . . . taru, 2. tari, 3. tro - trla
- trio, 4. a istrh (istr, istr, istrsmo, istrste, istrše), i trah, 5. trt/trven, 6. (istrvši).
Thći (trans., nekom/nešto, nečim, l) = to hit, to beat; -se = to fight; l . tučem . . . tuku,
2. tuci, 3. tukao - tukla - tuklo, 4. a potukoh (potuče, potuče, potukosmo, potuk.oste,
potukše), i tucijah, 5. tučen, 6. (potuk.avši).

Ući (intrans., u, na, P) = to enter, to come in, to get into (see "doći").
Umjeti (trans., nešto, l) = to know, to be able to; l. umijem. . . umiju, l. (umij . . . ), 3.
umio - umjela - umjelo, 4. a naumjeh, i -, 5. (naumljen), 6. (naumjevši).
Uzeti (trans., nekog/nešto, P) = to take; l . uzmem . . . uzmu, 2. uzmi, 3. uzeo - uzela
- uzelo, 4. a uzeh, i -, 5. uzet, 6. uzevši.

Vesti (trans., nešto, l) = to embroider; l . vezem . . . vezu, 2. vezi, 3. vezao - vezla - ve­
zla, 4. a izvezoh, i vezijah; 5. vezen, 6. (izvezavši).
Vići (trans., nešto, l ) = to thresh, to separate grain from straw; l . vršem . . vrhu, 2. vrši,
3. vrhao - vrhla - vrhlo, 4. a izvršoh, i vrsijah, 5. vršen, 6. (izvrvši).

243
Vinko Grubiiić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Viti/vrgnuti (trans., nekog/nešto, P) = to put; -se (u koga, na koga) = to look like, to

resemble; l. vrgnem . . . vrgnu, 2. vrgni, l. vrgao - vrgla - vrgla, 4. (a) vrgoh/vrgnuh
(vrže/vrgnu vrže/vrgnu, vrgosmo/vrgnusmo, vrgoste/vrgnuste, vrgoše/vrgnuše), (i) -,
5. vrženlvrgnut, 6. vrgavši.
Vreti (intrans., 1.) = to boil to spring, to well up; l . vrijem/vrim . . . vrijulvru, 2. vrij, 3.
vreo/vrio - vrela - vrelo, 4.a provtjeh, i -, - 5. -.6. (provtjevši).
Vrsti se/vrzati se (intrans., l) = to move around; l. vrzem se . . . vrzu se, 2. vrzi se, 3.
vrzao se - vrzla se - vrzlo se, 4. a dovrzoh se (dovže se, dovrže se, dovzosmo se, dovr­
zoste se, dovrzoše se), i vrzah se, 5. -, 6. (dovrzavši se).
Vući (trans., nekog/nešto, l) = to puli, to drag; l. vučem . . . vuku, 2. vuci, 3. vukao
- vukla - vuklo, 4. a dovukoh, dovuče, dovuče, dovukosmo, dovukoste, dovukoše, i
vucijah, 5. vučen, 6. (dovukavši).

Zepsti (intrans., od, l) = to freeze, to be cold; l . zebem . . . zebu, 2. zebi, 3. zebao - zebla
- zeblo, 4. a prozeboh, i zebijah, 5. -. 6. (prozebavši).
Znati (trans., nekog/nešto, P and l) = to know; l. znam/znadem/znadnem . . . znaju/
znadulznadnu, 2. znaj/znadni, 3. znao - znala - znalo, 4. a znadoh, i znah, 5. znan/znat,
6. (doznavši).
Zreti (intrans., l) to ripen, to mature; l . zrijem/zrim . . . zrijulzru, 2. zrij, 3 . zrio/zreo
- zrela - zrelo, 4. a dottjeh, i zrijah, 5. - , 6. (doztjevši).
Zvati (trans., nekog!neštol) = to call, to name; - se = to be named; l . zovem . . . zovu, 2.
zovi, 3 . zvao - zvala - zvalo, 4. a dozvah, (i) zvahlzovijah, 5. zvan, 6. (dozvavši).

žeći (trans., nekog! nešto, l) = to bum, to scorch; l . žežem. . . žegu, 2. žeži, 3 . žegao
- žegla - žeglo, 4. a požegoh, požeže, požeže, požegosmo, požegoste, požegoše, i
žezijah, 5. žežen, 6. (požegavši).
žeti (trans., nešto, l) = to reap; l. žanjem/žnjem . . . žanjulžnju, 2. žanji! žnji, 3. žeo
- žela - želo, 4. a -, i žanjah/žnjah, 5. žeti žnjeven, 6. (poževši).

244
 APPENDICES

Bibliography

Babić, Stjepan. Tvorba riječi u hrvatskom književnom jeziku. Zagreb: Jugoslavenska akadmija
znanosti i umjetnosti & Globus, 1986. 5 5 1 pp.
-. Sroćnost 11 suvremenome hn•atskome književnome jeziku. Zagreb: Matica hrvatska,
1 998.

Babić, Stjepan, Dalibor Brozović, Milan Moguš, Slavko Pavešić, Ivo Škarić and Stjepko Težak.
Povijesni pregled, glasovi i oblici hrvatskoga književnog jezika. Zagreb: Hrvatska aka­
demija znanosti i umjetnosti and Globus, 1 99 1 . 741 pp.
Babić, Stjepan, Milan Moguš and Božidar Finka. Hrvatski Pravopis. 5 lh ed. Zagreb: Školska
knjiga, 2000. 496 pp.
Babić, Zrinka. "Pravopis i sklonidba stranih imena." Jezik 36.5 ( 1 99 1 ): 1 3 5 - 45.
Barić, Eugenija, Mijo Lončarić, Dragica Malić, Slavko Pavešić, Mirko Peti, Vesna Zečević and
Marija Zn ika. Hrvalska gramatika. Zagreb: Školska knjiga, 1 997. 698 pp.
Ham, Sanda. Školska gramatika hrvatskogajezika. Zagreb: Školska knjiga, 2002. 1 68 pp.
Katičić, Radoslav. Sintaksa hrvatskoga književnog jezika. Zagreb: Jugoslavenska akademija
znanosti i umjetnosti & Globus, 1 986. 529 pp.
Kunzmann-MU\Ier, Barbara. Grammatikhandbuch des Kroatischen unter Einsch/ufl des Serbi­
schen2. Berlin - Bern - New York - Pari s - Wien: Peter Lang, 1 999. 3 1 8 pp.

Težak, Stjepko and Stjepan Babić. Gramatika hrvatskogajezika1. Zagreb: Školska knjiga, 1992.
296 pp.

Pavešić, Slavko and Zlatko Vince. "Gramatika." Jezični savjetnik s gramatikom. Zagreb: Ma-
tica hrvatska, 1 97 1 . 329 - 446.
Pranjković, Ivo. Hrvatska sk/adnja. Zagreb: Hrvatska sveučilišna naklada. 1 993. 256 pp.
Raguž, Dragutin. Praktično hrvalska gramatika. Zagreb: Medicinska naklada, 1 997. 466 pp.
Rosandić, Dragutin and Josip Silić. Osnovefonetike ifonologije hrvatskog književnogjezika. 4lh
ed. Zagreb: Šolska knjiga, 1 977. 86 pp.
-. Osnove fonetike ifonologije hrvarskog književnogjezika. Priručnik za naslavnike. 2nd
ed. Zagreb: Školska knjiga, 1 977. 272 pp.

245
Vinko Grubi§ić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

-. Osnove morfologije i moifostilistike hrvatskog lmjiževnog jezika. Zagreb: Školska

knjiga, 1 979. 1 32 pp.
-. Osnove moifologije i moifostilistike hrvatskog lmjiževnog jezika. Priručnik za nas·
tavnike. Zagreb: Školska knjiga, 1979. 244 pp.

Josip Silić - Ivo Pranjković. Gramatika hrvatskogajezika za gimnazije i visoka učilišta. Za­
greb: Školska knjiga, 2005. 422 pp.
Vidov, Božidar. Croatian Grammar. Toronto: Spring of Life, 1 975. 97 pp.

J4ti
 APPENDICES

Index

Accents 46-58 concessive clause 359

enclitics 48--49 if-clauses 360
proclitics 48, 50-51 manner clause 356
adjectives 52, 59-60, 1 43-165, 30 l purpose clause 367
comparative and superlative 37, 1 55-165 time clause 3 1 6
definite - indefinite 52, 148-155, 2 1 1 attributive clause 358
descriptive 143, 1 5 8 object clause 352
material 143 place clause 353
monosyllabic - polysyllabic 1 57- 1 5 8 predicate clause 351
possessive 1 4 3 subject clause 350
formation o f adjectives 3 2 1 -324 conjunctions 55H:i0, 3 1 1 , 345, 348-360
adverbs 39, 59-60, 288-303, 325-327 consonants 6-1 0- 1 6-2 1 , 27-37,40-45
relating to manner 3 1 0-3 1 2 classification 24-25
relating to place 289, 302-303 č, ć 1 8, 20
relating to quantity 295-297 dž-d 1 8, 20, 2 1 , 23-27
relating to time 288, 299, 303 nj 1 8, 23, 24, 26, 29-32
formation of adverbs 325-327 palatals 3 1 -32
agreement 363-370 19
alphabet 5-6, 9-1 O consonantal changes 40-45
apposition 345 assimilation of consonants 30-32
attribute 345 c-č 43

Capitalization 377 z-ž 44

cases 6 1 , 74-79 palatalization 4 1 --42, 86, 1 07-1 08, 1 94
accusative 77-78, 336, 362 reduction ofconsonants 34-36
dative 77, 79, 335, 362 sibilarization 4 1 , 86, 1 07-108
genitive 77, 334 softenning ofconsonants 45, 1 58, 237-238
instrumental 77, 338
voiced - voiceless 24-30
locative 77, 347
nominative 77, 333 cursive letters l O
vocative 77, 333
clause 344-360 Dates 383
adverbial determination clauses 353-360 direct and indirect speeach 361
causa! clause 355 discourse l

247
Vinko Grubišić, CROATIAN GRAMMAR

Endings ofnouns of all three genders 1 2 1 dvoji, troji . . . 1 70

ending o f noun s and adjectives 175
exclamations 59, 309-3 1 0
Gender 63-68, 1 7 1 , 363-370
graphemes 9-1 O, 14
Morpheme 2 1
Nouns 59-60, 62- 1 22, 3 1 7-32 1
collective nouns 68, 72.
feminine nouns l 04-120
in -a 1 04- 1 1 2, 173
in -ad 93, 1 14, 366
in a cons. 1 1 4-1 1 8
in-o 118
kći, mati 1 1 9
formation of fern. nouns 3 1 8, 320
proper fern. nouns l 07
masculine nouns 76--89, 1 1 2-1 1 3 , 1 20
animate - inanimale 76--8 2
brat, vlastelin, gospodin 120
čovjek - ljudi 84
in -a 1 1 3
i n -anini-in 85
in -o 87, 88, 89
in -o and -e 88
of foreign origin 88
monosyllabic - polysyllabic 82
formation ofmasc.nouns 3 1 7, 320--3 21
proper mase. nouns 69,73,82,85, 87, 88
neuler nouns 90-- 1 02
doba 1 03
dijele 1 20
podne 1 02
with infix -en-,-es-and -et-
92-95
ending in -nje 98
formation ofneut..nouns 3 1 9, 3 2 1
proper neut. names 9 9
Numerals 59--60, 1 22, 1 64- 1 74
cardinal 166-- 1 67
dvoje, troje .. 1 7 1
fractions 1 72
ordinal 1 68- 169
percentage 1 74
Particles 304-308
phoneme 3, 4, 1 4
phonetic changes 27-45
Plurale tantum 72, l O l
prepositions 39, 59, 278-287
with accusative 28 1 , 284, 285
with dative 280
with genitive 279
with locative 282, 284, 285
with instrumental 283, 284
with two or three cases 284
pronouns 59--60, 1 22-142
compound (undetermined) 1 24, 1 32-1 4 1
demonstrative 1 29, 327
interrogative-relalive 1 30-- 1 4 1
kinds o f pronouns 1 24
personal 1 25-1 27, 1 92
possessive 128
reflexive 128
"sav . . . " 1 42
pronunciation 14-18, 30
punctuation 3 7 1 -377
Singular - plural 67-73
statement l , 344-34 7
affirmative statement 344-346
interrogative statement 344
negative statement 344
syllables 2,3, 8
Telling time 384
Verbs 52. 59--60, 786-277
aspect 1 76, 259-267
auxiliary verbs 1 76. 1 90, 1 96. 20 l ,
206,209, 220, 223, 228, 23 1 , 233,
235, 236, 242, 266

248
 APPENDICES

active and passive voice 59, 237-258 passive tenses and moods 237-258
classification 1 77- 1 8 1 anterior future 25 1
verbs i n -ati 1 78 aorist 248
verbs in -iti-l-jeti 1 79 conditional 253
verbs in O + ti 1 80 future 250
verbs in-nuti 1 8 1 general past 246
verbs in -ći 1 8 1 , 1 88- 1 89 imperative 252
formation ofverbs 328-332 imperfect 247
incomplete verbs 277 infinitive 244
ima - bit će - bilo je 275 past passive participle 237-243
impersonal use 274 pluperfect 249
reflexive 1 76, 254--2 58, 268-274 present 245
regular - irregular verbs 1 76 transitive - intransitive 59, 1 76, 237,
tenses and moods 1 76, 1 82-258 24 1 , 268, 27 1 , 276, 385
active tenses and moods 1 82-236 verbal aspect 259-267
compound tenses and moods 2 1 7-258 verbs with varying degrees of difficulties
future anterior 222-223 385
conditional 232-233 vowels 3 , 5, 6, 7, 9- 1 1 , 13, 1 5- 1 9,20, 22,
future 2 1 7-22 1 39-40
general past tense (continuous past) classification l l
224-228 facultative vowels 39
past conditional 234--2 36 "jat" 22-23
pluperfect 229-2231 1 - o 40
non-compound tenses and moods, 1 82- ' 19
216 fleeting a 3 8 , 82, 86, 87, 97, 1 08, 1 09,
active past participle 207-209 1 1 6, 1 54, 208
anterior future 222-223 vocalic changes 38, 39, 40
aorist 52, 1 93-197 vocalic triangle l l
infinitive 1 82-1 84
imperative 52, 203-209 Words, 1 -2, 59--60
imperfect 198-202 changeable - unchangeable words 59-
past verbal adverb 2 1 3-2 1 6 60
present 52, 59--60, 1 85 - 1 92 kinds of words 59--60
verbal ad verb 2 1 0--2 1 2 word order 362

249
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