Language/Croatian/Grammar/Prepositions-and-Pronouns

Croatian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Prepositions and Pronouns

Welcome to this exciting lesson on Croatian grammar! Today, we will dive deep into the fascinating world of prepositions and pronouns. Understanding these two aspects is crucial for building the groundwork of your Croatian language skills. Why? Because prepositions help us establish relationships between words, while pronouns allow us to communicate more efficiently by replacing nouns in our sentences.

In this lesson, you can expect to learn:

• What prepositions and pronouns are, along with their functions in sentences

• Different types of Croatian prepositions and pronouns

• Examples to illustrate their usage

• Practical exercises to reinforce your understanding

So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get started!

Prepositions

Let's begin by discussing prepositions. In Croatian, prepositions are words that express a relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. They can indicate location, direction, time, and more.

Types of Prepositions

There are two main types of prepositions in Croatian:

1. Simple Prepositions: These are standalone words.

2. Compound Prepositions: These consist of two or more parts and often combine a preposition with a noun.

Common Simple Prepositions

Here are some of the most common simple prepositions in Croatian:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
u	oo	in
na	nah	on
iz	iz	from
s	s	with
do	doh	to
o	oh	about
bez	behz	without
pred	prehd	in front of
iza	ee-zah	behind
između	iz-meh-doo-ye	between

Common Compound Prepositions

Now, let’s look at some common compound prepositions:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
ispod	ees-pohd	under
iznad	eez-nahd	above
pored	poh-rehd	beside
unutar	oo-noo-tar	inside
izvan	eez-vahn	outside
prema	prem-ah	towards
zbog	zbohg	because of
tijekom	tee-eh-kom	during
kroz	krohz	through
oko	oh-koh	around

Usage of Prepositions

Prepositions can change the meaning of a sentence significantly. For instance:

• U školi (In the school)

• Na stolu (On the table)

In these examples, the prepositions "u" and "na" indicate the location of the subjects.

Pronouns

Now that we’ve covered prepositions, let’s move on to pronouns. Pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence to avoid repetition and make communication smoother.

Types of Pronouns

In Croatian, we have several types of pronouns:

1. Personal Pronouns: Refer to specific people or things.

2. Possessive Pronouns: Indicate ownership.

3. Demonstrative Pronouns: Point out specific items.

4. Relative Pronouns: Connect clauses.

Personal Pronouns

Let's start with the personal pronouns, which are vital in everyday conversation:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
ja	yah	I
ti	tee	you (singular)
on	ohn	he
ona	oh-nah	she
ono	oh-no	it
mi	mee	we
vi	vee	you (plural/formal)
oni	oh-nee	they (masculine)
one	oh-neh	they (feminine)
ona	oh-nah	they (neutral)

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show ownership:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
moj	moy	my
tvoj	tvoy	your (singular)
njegov	nye-gov	his
njen	nyen	her
naš	nahsh	our
vaš	vahsh	your (plural/formal)
njihov	nee-gov	their

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns help to specify particular objects:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
ovaj	oh-vah-y	this
ona	oh-nah	that (feminine)
ono	oh-no	that (neutral)
ti	tee	these
oni	oh-nee	those

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns connect clauses and provide additional information:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
koji	koh-yee	who/which
čiji	chee-yee	whose
što	shtoh	what

Summary

In this lesson, we've explored prepositions and pronouns in Croatian, examining their types, functions, and usage. Mastering these elements is essential for constructing meaningful sentences and expressing yourself clearly.

Now, it’s time for you to practice what you’ve learned!

Exercises

Here are 10 exercises to solidify your understanding of prepositions and pronouns:

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions:

• Ja idem ___ trgovinu. (I am going to the store.)

• Knjiga je ___ stolu. (The book is on the table.)

2. Translate the sentences using the provided pronouns:

• (I) see (you) in the park.

• (They) are going (to the beach).

3. Choose the correct preposition from the options:

• Sjedim (u/na) stolu. (I am sitting on the table.)

• Idem (do/od) kuće. (I am going to the house.)

4. Match the Croatian pronouns with their English equivalents:

• ja

• ti

• on

• ona

5. Rewrite the sentences, replacing the nouns with appropriate pronouns:

• Ana i Marko idu u kino. (Ana and Marko are going to the cinema.)

• Mačka pije mlijeko. (The cat is drinking milk.)

6. Form sentences using the given prepositions:

• u

• iz

• s

7. Identify the possessive pronouns in the following sentences:

• Ovo je moja knjiga. (This is my book.)

• Njihova kuća je velika. (Their house is big.)

8. Choose the correct demonstrative pronoun:

• (Ovaj/Ona) je moj prijatelj. (This is my friend.)

• (Oni/Ti) su u parku. (Those are in the park.)

9. Translate the following sentences into Croatian:

• This is my house.

• They are my friends.

10. Create a dialogue using at least five different prepositions and pronouns.

Solutions to Exercises

1.

• u

• na

2.

• Ja te vidim u parku.

• Oni idu na plažu.

3.

• Na

• Do

4.

• ja → I

• ti → you (singular)

• on → he

• ona → she

5.

• Oni idu u kino.

• Ona pije mlijeko.

6.

• Examples:

• Ja sam u kući.

• On dolazi iz škole.

• Mi smo s prijateljima.

7.

• moja

• njihova

8.

• Ovaj

• Oni

9.

• Ovo je moja kuća.

• Oni su moji prijatelji.

10. (Example Dialogue):

• A: Gdje si?

• B: Ja sam u školi.

• A: I ja idem do kuće.

• B: Idemo s prijateljima.

• A: To je odlična ideja!

By completing these exercises, you will have a better grasp of how prepositions and pronouns function in Croatian. Keep practicing, and soon you will feel more comfortable using them in conversation!

Table of Contents - Croatian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Nouns: Gender and Number
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

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

  ---

Daily Activities

• Common Activities
• Hobbies and Interests

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjectives: Gender and Number
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

  ---

Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

  ---

Croatian Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Music and Dance

Sources

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

Other Lessons

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