Language/Croatian/Grammar/Personal-Pronouns

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Croatian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Nouns and Pronouns → Personal Pronouns

In this lesson, we will dive into Croatian personal pronouns and their different forms according to the case they are used in. It might seem complicated at first, but with practice and patience, you will master it in no time!

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Nouns & Plurals.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are used to replace a noun in a sentence, representing the person or thing that is being referred to. In Croatian, personal pronouns can have different forms depending on the case they are used in. There are seven cases in Croatian grammar: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Vocative, Locative, and Instrumental.

Let's take a look at the different forms of personal pronouns in each case:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
ja	yah	I (nominative)
mene	meh-neh	me (genitive)
meni	meh-nee	to me (dative)
me	meh	me (accusative)
o	oh	O (vocative)
o meni	oh meh-nee	about me, of me (locative)
mnom	mnohm	with me, by me (instrumental)

Please note that the third person singular pronouns in Croatian do not have gender distinction (unlike in English where "he" and "she" are used). Instead, there are separate pronouns for animate and inanimate nouns. Below is a table showing the different forms of third person singular personal pronouns:

Croatian	Pronunciation	English
on	own	he, it (animate masculine)
ona	oh-nuh	she, it (animate feminine)
ono	oh-noh	it (animate neuter)
to	toh	it (inanimate)
njega/nje	n'yeh-gah/n'yeh	him, her, it (genitive)
njemu/njoj	n'yeh-moo/n'yoh-y	to him, to her, to it (dative)
ga, je, ju	gah, yeh, yoo	him, it, her (accusative)
njime	n'yee-meh	him, her, it (instrumental)
o njemu/o njoj/o tome	oh n'yeh-moo/oh nyoh-y/oh toh-meh	about him, about her, about it (locative)

Take some time to practice the pronunciation of these pronouns, and try to memorize the different forms according to the cases they are used in.

Examples

Let's see some examples of how to use personal pronouns in sentences:

• Ja sam studentica. (I am a student.) - nominative
• Sviđa mi se tvoj auto. (I like your car.) - dative
• Vidio sam ju danas. (I saw her today.) - accusative (referencing an animate feminine noun)
• Volim to dvorište. (I love that backyard.) - accusative (referencing an inanimate noun)

Take note of how the personal pronouns change depending on the case the sentence is in. This is a crucial element of Croatian grammar, and mastering it will greatly benefit your overall language skills.

Pronoun Order

In Croatian, the order of personal pronouns can change depending on the emphasis you want to give to a certain word. However, the general rule is to put the verb first, followed by the pronoun or pronouns. For example:

• Volim te. (I love you.)
• Tebe volim. (It is you that I love.)
• Ljubav te čini sretnom. (Love makes you happy.)
• Te čini ljubav sretnom. (It is love that makes you happy.)

As you can see, the order of the pronouns changes depending on the emphasis you want to give to a certain word. However, this is something that you will start to get a feel for as you practice speaking Croatian more and more.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have completed the Personal Pronouns lesson! It might seem complex at first, but with practice and patience, it will become second nature to you. Remember to pay attention to the different forms of personal pronouns according to the case they are used in, and try to practice using them in sentences as much as possible. In the next lesson, we will dive into the Numbers and Time, so get ready to learn how to count and tell time in Croatian!

Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: Nouns and Cases & Give your Opinion.

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

Other Lessons

• Questions
• Adjectives
• How to Use Have
• Participles and Gerunds
• Pronouns
• 0 to A1 Course
• Gender in Croatian
• Croatian Idiomatic Expressions
• Adjectives: Gender and Number

Sources

• Detailed and Easy Introduction to Personal Pronouns in Croatian
• Croatian personal pronouns | coLanguage
• What types of pronouns are there in the Croatian language ...

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