Language/Croatian/Grammar/Prepositions-and-Pronouns

Croatian Grammar → Introduction to Croatian Grammar → Prepositions and Pronouns

As a Croatian language teacher with 20 years of experience, I believe that mastering prepositions and pronouns is essential for understanding and communicating effectively in Croatian. These parts of speech can be tricky to learn, but with practice and cultural insights, you can grasp their different forms and functions.

Prepositions are words that show the relationship between nouns, pronouns or other parts of sentences to each other. Croatian prepositions can be divided into several categories, including movement, time, place, and manner. Pronouns, on the other hand, are words that replace nouns in a sentence or represent people, things, or ideas. In Croatian, they take on different forms depending on their placement in a sentence and their grammatical function.

To get started on your journey to mastering Croatian prepositions and pronouns, let's explore some key concepts and examples.

Prepositions

Movement Prepositions

Movement prepositions express a direction or change in direction. These prepositions are usually followed by the accusative case. Here are some common examples:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
U	oo	in, to, at
Na	nah	on, onto, at
Iza	eezah	behind, in back of
Ispod	eespoht	under, below

Time Prepositions

As the name suggests, time prepositions are used to express time or duration. These prepositions are usually followed by the genitive case. Here are some common examples:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Za	zah	for, in, during
Od	ohd	from, since
Nakon	nahkohn	after
Prije	preeyeh	before

Place Prepositions

Place prepositions are used to denote location or position. These prepositions can be followed by either the accusative or locative case, depending on the situation. Here are some common examples:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Pod	pod	under, below
Na	nah	on, onto, at
U	oo	in, to, at
Ispred	eesprehd	in front of

Manner Prepositions

Finally, manner prepositions describe the manner or method of an action. These prepositions are followed by the instrumental case. Here are some common examples:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
S	ss	with
Bez	behz	without
Prema	prehma	toward, to, for
Kao	kah-oh	as

Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns replace the names of people or things in a sentence. In Croatian, they have several different forms, depending on their grammatical function. Here are some examples:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Ja	yah	I
Ti	tee	You (singular)
On	ohn	He, it
Ona	oh-nah	She, it
Mi	mee	We
Vi	vee	You (plural)
Oni	oh-nee	They (masculine)
One	oh-neh	They (feminine)

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns indicate ownership or possession of something. In Croatian, they are typically placed before the noun that they describe.

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Moj	moy	My
Tvoj	t-voi	Your (singular)
Njegov	nyeh-gov	His, Its
Njezin	nyeh-zeen	Her, Its
Naš	nahsh	Our
Vaš	vahsh	Your (plural)
Njihov	nyee-hov	Their (masculine)
Njihov	nyeh-hov	Their (feminine)

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns point out or indicate a particular object. They also have different forms in Croatian depending on gender and grammatical function.

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Ovaj (masc.)	oh-vai	This, these
Ova (fem.)	oh-vah	This, these
Onaj (masc.)	oh-nyai	That, those
Ona (fem.)	oh-nah	That, those

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. They have several different forms in Croatian depending on the interrogative word used.

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
Tko	tkoh	Who
Što	shtoh	What
Gdje	gd-yeh	Where
Kada	kah-dah	When

That's just a small sample of the many prepositions and pronouns that exist in the Croatian language. By practicing and exploring their various forms and functions, you can improve your mastery of the language and your ability to communicate effectively. And while learning Croatian grammar may seem daunting at times, remember that the language is deeply connected to the rich history and culture of the region. So enjoy the journey and embrace the beauty of this unique and fascinating language!

Sources

• Serbo-Croatian grammar - Wikipedia
• The Accusative Case: Croatian Grammar Form In Detail
• The Locative Case: Learn The Sixth Croatian Grammatical Case

Table of Contents - Croatian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

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Nouns and Pronouns

• Nouns: Gender and Number
• Personal Pronouns

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Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

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Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Present Tense of Irregular Verbs

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Daily Activities

• Common Activities
• Hobbies and Interests

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives: Gender and Number
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

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Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

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Croatian Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Music and Dance

Related Lessons

• Negation
• Adjectives
• Pronouns
• How to Use Be
• Nouns
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Nouns and Cases
• Word Order and Sentence Structure
• Participles and Gerunds