Regular noun endings in the genitive case
| Number | Case | Muški rod (m.) | Ženski rod (f.) | Srednji rod (n.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jednina (singular) | Nominative | – prozor – window | – a stolica – chair | – e/o stablo – treekazalište – theater |
Genitive e.g. Stojim iza – I’m standing behind | – a prozora | – e stolice | – a stabla | |
| Množina (plural) | Nominative | – i prozori | – e stolice | – a stabla |
Genitive e.g. Stojim iza – | – a prozora | – a stolica | – a stablakazališta |
Exception: Genitive plural endings following two consonants
In cases where the –a noun ending in the genitive plural directly follows two consonants (with the exception of st, št, zd, žd, šć or šč) an additional a is inserted between these consonants. For example:
| Nominative singular | Genitive plural |
|---|---|
| pismo – letter | pisama |
| djevojka – young girl | djevojaka |
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Exception: Some feminine nouns ending in –i
Although regular nouns of all genders normally receive the ending –a in the genitive plural, certain feminine nouns which end in a consonant behave differently, receiving the ending –i instead, for example:
| Nominative singular | Genitive plural |
|---|---|
| bolest – sickness | bolesti |
| smrt – death | smrti |
| obitelj – family | obitelji |
| ljubav – love | ljubavi |
We are going to talk about this special group in a separate blog.
And finally, there are also two masculine nouns that behave in this way:
| Nominative singular | Genitive plural |
|---|---|
| mjesec – month/moon | mjeseci |
| sat – hour/clock | sati |
When is the genitive case used in Croatian?
Genitive with prepositions
In Croatian, the genitive case is primarily used with prepositions. Since there are more than 40 prepositions which take the genitive, the simplest thing is to memorise those few prepositions which take other cases (and then just use genitive with the rest).
The most common of these are:
iz – from
ispod – under
iznad – above
iza – behind
ispred – in front of
od – of
izvan – out of
unutar – inside of
između – between
bez – without
And here some examples:
Ja sam iz Hrvatske – I’m from Croatia
Maja je iza škole – Maja is behind the school
Hotel je između bolnice i restorana – The hotel is between the hospital and the restaurant
Genitive without prepositions
When used without a preposition, the genitive case can infer a characteristic (trait), substance, belonging, property or origin. This topic deserves (and requires) its own blog post, which we plan to write in the near future [smiley]
The genitive is also used with numbers and adverbs of measure, but again, this is a topic which will receive its own blog article soon.
The genitive is always used with the word nema (there is not / there is none) in cases where it signifies the lack of or absence of someone or something:
Nema mlijeka – There’s no milk
Nema profesora – The teacher’s not here
Certain verbs also require the genitive object (e.g. bojati se – to be afraid of, igrati se – to play), for example:
Bojim se mraka – I’m afraid of the dark
Igramo se skrivača – We’re playing hide and seek
Exercise: How would you say the following in Croatian?
The car is behind the school. – Auto je iza škole
I come from Australia. – Ja sam iz Australije
The cat’s under the table. – Mačka je ispod stola
The waiter’s in front of the restaurant. – Konobar je ispred restorana
I’m afraid of the tiger. – Bojim se tigra
There’s no sugar. – Nema šećera
There’s no water. – Nema vode
Language guide
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