Expressing Age (Imam ... godina)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In Croatian, you don't 'be' an age; you 'have' years.
- Use the verb 'imati' (to have). Example: 'Imam 20 godina.'
- The noun 'godina' (year) changes form based on the number.
- Always place the number before the word 'godina'.
Conjugation of 'Imati' (To Have)
| Subject | Croatian | English |
|---|---|---|
|
Ja
|
Imam
|
I have
|
|
Ti
|
Imaš
|
You have
|
|
On/Ona/Ono
|
Ima
|
He/She/It has
|
|
Mi
|
Imamo
|
We have
|
|
Vi
|
Imate
|
You (plural/formal) have
|
|
Oni/One/Ona
|
Imaju
|
They have
|
Meanings
The standard way to express age in Croatian, treating years as a possession rather than a state of being.
Stating age
Expressing how many years a person or entity has lived.
“Imam trideset godina.”
“On ima pet godina.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Imam + [number] + godina
|
Imam 20 godina.
|
|
Negative
|
Nemam + [number] + godina
|
Nemam 20 godina.
|
|
Question
|
Koliko + imaš + godina?
|
Koliko imaš godina?
|
|
Third Person
|
Ona + ima + [number] + godina
|
Ona ima 20 godina.
|
|
Plural
|
Oni + imaju + [number] + godina
|
Oni imaju 20 godina.
|
|
Formal
|
Vi + imate + [number] + godina
|
Vi imate 20 godina.
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Imam dvadeset i pet godina. (Introduction)
Imam 25 godina. (Introduction)
Imam 25. (Introduction)
Imam 25 ljeta. (Introduction)
Age Expression Map
Verb
- Imati To have
Noun
- Godina Year
Beispiele nach Niveau
Imam dvadeset godina.
I am twenty years old.
Koliko imaš godina?
How old are you?
Ona ima deset godina.
She is ten years old.
Imamo pet godina.
We are five years old.
Nemam dvadeset godina, imam dvadeset i jednu.
I'm not twenty, I'm twenty-one.
Moj brat ima trideset godina.
My brother is thirty years old.
Koliko godina ima tvoja sestra?
How old is your sister?
Oni imaju četrdeset godina.
They are forty years old.
Imam dvadeset i dvije godine.
I am twenty-two years old.
Zar stvarno imaš pedeset godina?
Do you really have fifty years?
Moja baka ima osamdeset godina.
My grandma is eighty years old.
Koliko godina ima taj auto?
How old is that car?
Iako ima trideset i četiri godine, izgleda mlađe.
Although he is thirty-four, he looks younger.
Nisam siguran koliko godina ima taj projekt.
I'm not sure how old that project is.
Ona ima točno pedeset i dvije godine.
She is exactly fifty-two years old.
Koliko godina ima ova zgrada?
How old is this building?
S obzirom na to da ima šezdeset godina, još uvijek je aktivan.
Considering he is sixty, he is still active.
Pitao sam ga koliko godina ima, ali nije htio reći.
I asked him how old he is, but he didn't want to say.
Ova tvrtka ima stotinu godina.
This company is one hundred years old.
Nije važno koliko godina imaš, već kako se osjećaš.
It's not important how old you are, but how you feel.
Premda ima osamdeset i tri godine, zadržao je bistrinu uma.
Although he is eighty-three, he has kept his mental clarity.
Nije mi poznato koliko godina ima dotični gospodin.
I am not aware of how old that gentleman is.
Ta institucija ima preko dvjesto godina.
That institution is over two hundred years old.
Bez obzira na to koliko godina ima, on je stručnjak.
Regardless of how old he is, he is an expert.
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners use 'biti' because of English.
Häufige Fehler
Ja sam 20 godina.
Imam 20 godina.
Imam 20 godina star.
Imam 20 godina.
Imam 20 godin.
Imam 20 godina.
Imam 20 godina.
Imam 20 godina.
On ima 20 godina.
On ima 20 godina.
Imamo 20 godina.
Imamo 20 godina.
Koliko godina imaš?
Koliko godina imaš?
Imam 22 godina.
Imam 22 godine.
Imam 23 godina.
Imam 23 godine.
Imam 24 godina.
Imam 24 godine.
Imam 102 godina.
Imam 102 godine.
Imam 101 godina.
Imam 101 godina.
Imam 103 godina.
Imam 103 godine.
Imam 104 godina.
Imam 104 godine.
Satzmuster
Imam ___ godina.
Real World Usage
Imam 25 godina.
Imam 30 godina.
Imam 40 godina.
Imam 50 godina.
Imam 20.
Imam 18 godina.
Use numbers
Don't use 'biti'
Agreement
Politeness
Smart Tips
Always use 'Imam'.
Use 'godine'.
Conjugate 'imati'.
Use 'nemam'.
Aussprache
Imam
Pronounced ee-mam.
Question
Koliko imaš godina? ↗
Rising intonation at the end.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Think of your age as a collection of years you 'have' in your backpack.
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine holding a birthday cake with candles. You are 'holding' (having) those years in your hands.
Rhyme
Imam godina, to je prava istina.
Story
I meet a friend. I say 'Imam 20 godina'. He says 'Ja imam 25'. We are both happy to have our years.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Write down the ages of 5 family members using the 'Imam' pattern.
Kulturelle Hinweise
Asking age is common but can be sensitive for older people.
Derived from Proto-Slavic *iměti.
Gesprächseinstiege
Koliko imaš godina?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
Ja ___ 20 godina.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Ja sam 25 godina.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
I am 30 years old.
Answer starts with: Ima...
Ti ___ 20 godina.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Ona / 20 / godina
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesJa ___ 20 godina.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Ja sam 25 godina.
godina / imam / 20
I am 30 years old.
Ti ___ 20 godina.
Ja -> ?
Ona / 20 / godina
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, that is incorrect. Always use 'Imam 20 godina'.
It is the noun for 'year'.
It is neutral and standard.
Use 'godine' for 2, 3, 4.
Only in very casual speech.
Yes, it is very regular.
You should learn numbers first.
Yes, it is identical.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Tengo 20 años.
Spanish uses 'años'.
J'ai 20 ans.
French uses 'ans'.
Ich bin 20 Jahre alt.
German uses 'sein'.
20歳です (Hatachi desu).
Japanese uses 'desu'.
عُمري 20 سنة (Umri 20 sana).
Arabic uses 'my age is'.
我二十岁 (Wǒ èrshí suì).
Chinese has no verb.
