Pronouns in Croatian

Croatian ⋙ Croatian A1

Welcome to our Croatian course for beginners! Today we're going to talk about the pronouns.

Croatian pronouns are very important for communication. They are used to replace nouns and refer to people, things, or ideas. Let's talk about the most important types of pronouns in more detail.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Croatian are fundamental to expressing who is doing the action, for whom it is being done, and who or what is being talked about. The personal pronouns change based on singular or plural but also based on gender (masculine, feminine, and neuter) and case.

First Person Singular:
I - Ja:
Example:

Ja volim pizzu. (I love pizza.)

Second Person Singular (informal):
You - Ti (informal singular)
Example:

Ti si moj prijatelj. (You are my friend.)

Third Person Singular:
He - On (masculine)
She - Ona (feminine)
It - Ono (neuter)
Examples:

On čita knjigu. (He is reading a book.)
Ona ide u školu. (She goes to school.)
Ono je malo. (It is small.)

First Person Plural:
We - Mi
Example:

Mi idemo u kino. (We are going to the cinema.)

Second Person Plural and Second Person Singular (formal):
You - Vi (both formal singular and informal plural)
Examples:

Vi ste moji prijatelji. (You are my friends, plural)
Vi ste moj šef. (You are my boss, singural formal)

Third Person Plural:
They - Oni (masculine)
They - One (feminine)
They - Ona (neuter)
Examples:

Oni čitaju knjige. (They are reading books.)
One dolaze sutra. (They are coming tomorrow.)
Ona su mala. (They are small.)

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Croatian are used to indicate possession or ownership of something. The possessive pronouns must match the noun it modifies in three aspects:
Gender: Possessive pronouns have masculine, feminine, and neuter forms, and should align with the gender of the noun they refer to.
Number: Possessive pronouns must also correspond to the noun's number, whether singular or plural.
Case: Since Croatian has seven grammatical cases, possessive pronouns need to match the case of the noun they modify. It's important to ensure that the pronoun uses the appropriate case endings for each specific case.

In this article, we will examine personal pronouns in the nominative case for the masculine, feminine, and neuter genders in both singular and plural forms.

First Person Singular (My):
Moj (masculine)
Moja (feminine)
Moje (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo je moj automobil. (This is my car, masculine)
Ovo je moja knjiga. (This is my book, feminine)
Ovo je moje računalo. (This is my computer, neuter)

As you can see in the examples, we used nouns in the singular form (car, book, computer). But what if we need to say, "These are my cars" or "These are my books"? For such cases, there are separate forms of personal pronouns for plural nouns.
Moji (masculine for plural nouns)
Moje (feminine for plural nouns)
Moja (neuter for plural nouns)

Let's look at examples with the same nouns, but in the plural form:

Ovo su moji automobili. (These are my cars, masculine)
Ovo su moje knjige. (These are my books, feminine)
Ovo su moja računala. (These are my computers, neuter)

* Let’s summarize once again to make sure you understand and remember everything.
In English, we use the personal pronoun "my" for any nouns, regardless of gender or number. However, in Croatian, we already know six (6) different forms that correspond to the pronoun "my," which are used to describe objects and change according to gender and number.
Therefore, we will also demonstrate below how the forms of personal pronouns change depending on the number of nouns they are used with. To make it easier to understand, we will use the same nouns for both singular and plural forms.

Second Person Singular (Your, informal):
Tvoj (masculine)
Tvoja (feminine)
Tvoje (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo je tvoj bicikl. (This is your bike, masculine)
Ovo je tvoja haljina. (This is your dress, feminine)
Ovo je tvoje selo. (This is your village, neuter)

For plural nouns:
Tvoji (masculine for plural nouns)
Tvoje (feminine for plural nouns)
Tvoja (neuter for plural nouns)
Examples:

Ovo su tvoji bicikli. (These are your bikes, masculine)
Ovo su tvoje haljine. (These are your dresses, feminine)
Ovo su tvoja sela. (These are your villages, neuter)

Third Person Singular (His, her, its):
Njegov (masculine)
Njezina (feminine)
Njegovo (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo je njegov pas. (This is his dog, masculine)
Ovo je njezina torba. (This is her bag, feminine)
Ovo je njegovo vozilo. (This is its vehicle, neuter)

For plural nouns:
Njegovi (masculine)
Njezine (feminine)
Njegova (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo su njegovi psi. (These are his dogs, masculine)
Ovo su njezine torbe. (These are her bags, feminine)
Ovo su njegova vozila. (These are its vehicles, neuter)

First Person Plural (Our):
Naš (masculine)
Naša (feminine)
Naše (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo je naš prijatelj. (This is our friend, masculine)
Ovo je naša igračka. (This is our toy, feminine)
Ovo je naše more. (This is our sea, neuter)

For plural nouns:
Naši (masculine)
Naše (feminine)
Naša (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo su naši prijatelji. (These are our friends, masculine)
Ovo su naše igračke. (These are our toys, feminine)
Ovo su naša mora. (These are our seas, neuter)

Second Person Plural and Second Person Singular (Your, formal):
Vaš (masculine)
Vaša (feminine)
Vaše (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo je vaš student. (This is your student, masculine)
Ovo je vaša torba. (This is your bag, feminine)
Ovo je vaše vino. (This is your wine, neuter)

For plural nouns:
Vaši (masculine)
Vaše (feminine)
Vaša (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo su vaši studenti. (These are your students, masculine)
Ovo su vaše torbe. (These are your bags, feminine)
Ovo su vaša vina. (These are your wines, neuter)

Third Person Plural (Their):
Njihov (masculine)
Njihova (feminine)
Njihovo (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo je njihov susjed. (This is their neighbor, masculine)
Ovo je njihova čaša. (This is their cup, feminine)
Ovo je njihovo jezero. (This is their lake, neuter)

For plural nouns:
Njihovi (masculine)
Njihove (feminine)
Njihova (neuter)
Examples:

Ovo su njihovi susjedi. (These are their neighbors, masculine)
Ovo su njihove čaše. (These are their cups, feminine)
Ovo su njihova jezera. (These are their lakes, neuter)

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out or indicate specific objects, people, or concepts.

This
Ovaj (masculine)
Ova (feminine)
Ovo (neuter)
Examples:

Ovaj pas je velik. (This dog is big, masculine)
Ova knjiga je zanimljiva. (This book is interesting, feminine)
Ovo vozilo je brzo. (This vehicle is fast, neuter)

That
Taj (masculine)
Ta (feminine)
To (neuter)
Examples:

Taj čovjek ide prema gradu. (That man is going towards the city, masculine)
Ta kuća je stara. (That house is old, feminine)
To dijete je pametno. (That child is smart, neuter)

These
Ovi (masculine)
Ove (feminine)
Ova (neuter)
Examples:

Ovi ljudi su veseli. (These people are happy, masculine)
Ove knjige su nove. (These books are new, feminine)
Ova vozila su skupa. (These vehicles are expensive, neuter)

Those
Ti (masculine)
Te (feminine)
Ta (neuter)
Examples:

Ti psi su bijeli. (Those dogs are white, masculine)
Te ptice su glasne. (Those birds are loud, feminine)
Ta voća su zrela. (Those fruits are ripe, neuter)

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns in Croatian are used to ask questions and seek information. They are very important for understanding and obtaining details in conversations.

Who (Tko)
Tko is used for all masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns and does not change its form.
Examples:

Tko je taj čovjek? (Who is that man?, singular masculine)
Tko je ta žena? (Who is that woman?, singular feminine)
Tko je to dijete? (Who is that child?, singular neuter)
Tko su ti ljudi? (Who are those people?, plural masculine)
Tko su te žene? (Who are those women?, plural feminine)
Tko su ta djeca? (Who are those children?, plural neuter)

What (Što)
Što is used for all masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns and does not change its form.
Examples:

Što je to? (What is that?, singular neuter)
Što je to knjiga? (What is that book?, singular feminine)
Što su to? (What are those?, plural neuter)
Što su to knjige? (What are those books?, plural feminine)

Which / Which one
These pronouns are used to ask questions involving choice or selection. They agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they refer to.
Singular
Koji (masculine)
Koja (feminine)
Koje (neuter)
Examples:

Koji automobil voliš? (Which car do you like?, masculine)
Koja knjiga je tvoja? (Which book is yours?, feminine)
Koje voće je najzdravije? (Which fruit is the healthiest?, neuter)

Plural
Koji (masculine)
Koje (feminine/neuter)
Examples:

Koji automobili su najbrži? (Which cars are the fastest?, masculine)
Koje pjesme volite? (Which songs do you love?, feminine)

How much/How many (Koliko)
Koliko is used to ask questions about quantity or amount.
Examples:

Koliko košta ovo vino? (How much does this wine cost?, singular)
Koliko imaš braće i sestara? (How many siblings do you have?, plural)

Why (Zašto)
Zašto is used to inquire about the reason or cause behind something.
Examples:

Zašto si došao kasno? (Why did you come late?)
Zašto ne voliš pizzu? (Why don't you like pizza?)

Where (Gdje)
Gdje is used to ask questions about location.
Examples:

Gdje živiš? (Where do you live?)
Gdje si vidio tu knjigu? (Where did you see that book?)

When (Kada)
Kada is used to inquire about the time or timing of an event.
Examples:

Kada ćeš doći na sastanak? (When will you come to the meeting?)
Kada si rođen? (When were you born?)

How (Kako)
Kako is used to ask questions about manners, methods, or conditions.
Examples:

Kako si prošao ispit? (How did you do on the exam?)
Kako se osjećaš danas? (How do you feel today?)

Relative Pronouns

These pronouns connect sentences or clauses and relate them to a noun.

Who / Which (Koji)
Examples:

Čovjek koji je došao. (The man who came)

What (Što)
Example:

Vidio sam automobil što si kupio. (I saw the car that you bought.)

Reflexive Pronouns

They are used when the subject of a sentence performs an action on itself. They indicate that the action is directed back to the subject.

Myself (Sebe)
Examples:

Pomažem sebi. (I am helping myself.)
Kupujem sebi novu knjigu. (I am buying myself a new book.)

Ourselves (Sebe)
Example:

Čistimo sebe. (We are cleaning ourselves.)

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are used to refer to unspecified or unknown people, things, or quantities. They are versatile pronouns that help convey imprecise or indefinite information in a sentence.

Singular

Someone/Somebody (Netko)
Example:

Netko je kucao na vrata. (Someone knocked on the door.)

Something (Nešto)
Example:

Imam nešto za tebe. (I have something for you.)

Plural

Some (Neki)
Example:

Neki ljudi su već otišli. (Some people have already left.)

Several (Nekoliko)
Example:

Imam nekoliko knjiga. (I have several books.)

Everything (Sve):
Example:

Sve je spremno. (Everything is ready.)

As you can see, there are many pronouns in the Croatian language. They differ significantly from English pronouns, so it's important to pay attention when studying them. We will periodically revisit them and offer further details on their usage over time. Happy learning!