Nominative Plural Endings for Nouns
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In Croatian, nouns change their endings to become plural based on their gender: -i for masculine, -e for feminine, and -a for neuter.
- Masculine nouns usually add -i: 'pas' (dog) becomes 'psi' (dogs).
- Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -e: 'žena' (woman) becomes 'žene' (women).
- Neuter nouns ending in -o or -e change to -a: 'selo' (village) becomes 'sela' (villages).
Nominative Plural Endings
| Gender | Singular Ending | Plural Ending | Example (Singular) | Example (Plural) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Masculine
|
Consonant
|
-i
|
stol
|
stolovi
|
|
Feminine
|
-a
|
-e
|
žena
|
žene
|
|
Neuter
|
-o/-e
|
-a
|
selo
|
sela
|
|
Masculine
|
-o
|
-i
|
auto
|
auti
|
|
Feminine
|
-ost
|
-i
|
radost
|
radosti
|
|
Neuter
|
-e
|
-a
|
more
|
mora
|
Meanings
The Nominative Plural is the base form used when the plural noun is the subject of a sentence or the object of 'to be'.
Basic Pluralization
Indicating more than one of a specific noun.
“Imam dvije knjige.”
“Ovdje su stolovi.”
Subjective Plural
Using the plural noun as the actor of the sentence.
“Studenti uče hrvatski.”
“Prijatelji dolaze sutra.”
Existential Plural
Describing the existence of multiple items.
“Na stolu su jabuke.”
“U gradu su hoteli.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + Verb
|
Psi trče.
|
|
Negative
|
Ne + Verb + Subject
|
Psi ne trče.
|
|
Question
|
Jesu li + Subject?
|
Jesu li psi ovdje?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Da/Ne, [Subject] su/nisu.
|
Da, psi su ovdje.
|
|
Plural Noun
|
Noun + Ending
|
knjige
|
|
Subjective
|
Noun (Nom. Pl.)
|
Studenti uče.
|
Espectro de formalidad
Knjige se nalaze ovdje. (General)
Knjige su ovdje. (General)
Knjige su tu. (General)
Evo knjiga. (General)
Croatian Plural Gender Map
Masculine
- stol table
- pas dog
Feminine
- žena woman
- kuća house
Neuter
- selo village
- pismo letter
Ejemplos por nivel
Psi su ovdje.
The dogs are here.
Žene piju kavu.
The women are drinking coffee.
Sela su lijepa.
The villages are beautiful.
Knjige su na stolu.
The books are on the table.
Studenti uče hrvatski.
The students are learning Croatian.
Moje sestre dolaze.
My sisters are coming.
Ovi automobili su brzi.
These cars are fast.
Djeca se igraju vani.
The children are playing outside.
Prijatelji iz škole su stigli.
The friends from school have arrived.
Gradovi u Hrvatskoj su povijesni.
The cities in Croatia are historical.
Pitanja su bila teška.
The questions were difficult.
Ovi problemi zahtijevaju rješenje.
These problems require a solution.
Znanstvenici su objavili rezultate.
The scientists have published the results.
Ove odluke mijenjaju situaciju.
These decisions are changing the situation.
Svi ljudi imaju pravo na mišljenje.
All people have the right to an opinion.
Kulturni događaji su važni za grad.
Cultural events are important for the city.
Mnogi umjetnici izražavaju svoje stavove.
Many artists express their views.
Politički sustavi često prolaze kroz promjene.
Political systems often go through changes.
Ove teorije zahtijevaju daljnju analizu.
These theories require further analysis.
Novi zakoni stupaju na snagu sutra.
The new laws come into effect tomorrow.
Povijesni zapisi potvrđuju ove činjenice.
Historical records confirm these facts.
Različiti dijalekti obogaćuju jezik.
Different dialects enrich the language.
Ovi fenomeni zahtijevaju interdisciplinarni pristup.
These phenomena require an interdisciplinary approach.
Filozofski koncepti često ostaju nedokučivi.
Philosophical concepts often remain elusive.
Fácil de confundir
Learners mix up the endings when counting vs naming.
When to add -ovi vs just -i.
Neuter plural ends in -a, but feminine singular ends in -a.
Errores comunes
stols
stolovi
žena-i
žene
selo-i
sela
knjiga-s
knjige
autosi
auti
pismo-e
pisma
grad-i
gradovi
čovjeki
ljudi
djeteti
djeca
ruke-i
ruke
sustavi-i
sustavi
teorije-a
teorije
zakoni-a
zakoni
Patrones de oraciones
___ su ovdje.
Ovi ___ su brzi.
Moje ___ su na stolu.
Ova ___ su zanimljiva.
Real World Usage
Moji prijatelji su super!
Gdje su ključevi?
Moji interesi su...
Koji su gradovi lijepi?
Jesu li meniji ovdje?
Studenti uče.
Check the Gender
Avoid English Habits
Learn Irregulars
Listen to Locals
Smart Tips
Default to -i, but check if it sounds short.
Just swap -a for -e.
Swap -o for -a.
Remember that counting uses Genitive, not Nominative.
Pronunciación
Vowel Length
Plural endings are often short, but the preceding syllable might be long.
Declarative
Psi su ovdje. ↘
Falling intonation for statements.
Memorízalo
Mnemotecnia
Remember the 'IEA' rule: Masculine ends in I, Feminine in E, Neuter in A.
Asociación visual
Imagine a dog (pas) wearing an 'i' hat, a woman (žena) wearing an 'e' dress, and a village (selo) sitting on an 'a' block.
Rhyme
Masculine 'i', Feminine 'e', Neuter 'a', that's the way to say it, hooray!
Story
A dog (pas) finds a table (stol). He sees many tables (stolovi). Then a woman (žena) walks by with many women (žene). They all go to the village (selo) where they see many villages (sela).
Word Web
Desafío
Look around your room and name 5 objects in their plural form in 60 seconds.
Notas culturales
In Dalmatia, you might hear different plural forms for certain nouns due to dialectal influence.
Zagreb speakers often use shorter forms like 'auti' for 'automobili'.
Slavonian speakers often maintain traditional, longer plural forms.
Croatian plurals descend from Proto-Slavic inflections.
Inicios de conversación
Što je na stolu?
Tko dolazi na zabavu?
Koji su tvoji interesi?
Kako se mijenjaju ovi sustavi?
Temas para diario
Errores comunes
Test Yourself
Pas ->
___ su na stolu.
Find and fix the mistake:
Stols su ovdje.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
žena ->
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
studenti / uče
Neuter nouns end in -i in plural.
Score: /8
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercisesPas ->
___ su na stolu.
Find and fix the mistake:
Stols su ovdje.
su / lijepa / sela
žena ->
Match: stol, kuća, selo
studenti / uče
Neuter nouns end in -i in plural.
Score: /8
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
It helps with pronunciation for shorter nouns.
No, it is the irregular plural of 'čovjek'.
No, that is English, not Croatian.
Look at the last letter of the singular form.
No, usually Accusative is used for objects.
Yes, especially in Dalmatia and Zagreb.
Try to use the most common ending for that gender.
Label items in your house with their plural names.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Plural endings (-e, -er, -en)
German gender is harder to guess.
Adding -s or -es
Spanish doesn't change the root as much.
Adding -s
French relies on articles for plurality.
Plural markers like -tachi
Japanese is agglutinative.
Broken plurals
Arabic is non-concatenative.
Adding -men for people
Chinese has no inflection.
