Relative Pronoun 'Tko' (Who)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'tko' to link a general person to a description without naming a specific individual first.
- Use 'tko' when there is no specific noun antecedent like 'čovjek'. Example: 'Tko pjeva, zlo ne misli.'
- Pair it with 'onaj' (that one) for emphasis. Example: 'Onaj tko zakasni, gubi mjesto.'
- Decline 'tko' based on its role in the sub-clause. Example: 'Koga nema, bez njega se može.'
Declension of the Relative Pronoun 'Tko'
| Case | Croatian Form | English Equivalent | Usage Role |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nominative
|
tko
|
who
|
Subject of the clause
|
|
Genitive
|
koga
|
of whom
|
Possession or after prepositions
|
|
Dative
|
kome / komu
|
to whom
|
Indirect object
|
|
Accusative
|
koga
|
whom
|
Direct object
|
|
Vocative
|
-
|
-
|
Not used
|
|
Locative
|
kome / komu
|
about whom
|
After prepositions like 'o'
|
|
Instrumental
|
kime / kim
|
with whom
|
Means or company
|
Meanings
A relative pronoun used to introduce a dependent clause that refers to an unspecified or general person.
Generalizing Subject
Used to mean 'anyone who' or 'whoever' in proverbs and general truths.
“Tko traži, taj nađe.”
“Tko se zadnji smije, najslađe se smije.”
Correlative with 'Onaj'
Used after the demonstrative pronoun 'onaj' to specify a person based on an action.
“Onaj tko želi ići, neka se javi.”
“Samo onaj tko je bio tamo zna istinu.”
Indirect Questions
Used to introduce a clause that functions as an object or subject, often after verbs of knowing or asking.
“Ne znam tko je to rekao.”
“Pitaj ga tko mu je pomogao.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Onaj tko + verb
|
Onaj tko radi, ima.
|
|
Negative
|
Onaj tko ne + verb
|
Onaj tko ne radi, nema.
|
|
Question (Indirect)
|
Glagol + tko + verb
|
Pitaj ga tko dolazi.
|
|
Dative Case
|
Kome + verb
|
Kome se pjeva, neka pjeva.
|
|
Accusative Case
|
Koga + verb
|
Koga voliš, on tebe ne voli.
|
|
With 'God' (Whoever)
|
Tko god + verb
|
Tko god dođe, dobrodošao je.
|
|
Instrumental Case
|
S kime + verb
|
S kime se družiš, takav si.
|
Espectro de formalidad
Onaj tko marljivo radi, ostvaruje dobit. (Discussing work ethic)
Onaj tko radi, taj i ima. (Discussing work ethic)
Tko radi, ima. (Discussing work ethic)
Tko šljaka, ima para. (Discussing work ethic)
The 'Tko' Connection
Proverbs
- Tko traži, nađe Who seeks, finds
Rules
- Onaj tko kasni... He who is late...
Indirect
- Znam tko si I know who you are
Tko vs. Koji
Which 'Who' to use?
Is there a specific noun (e.g. man, friend) before?
Is it a general 'anyone'?
Cases of Tko
Subject
- • Tko
Object
- • Koga
Recipient
- • Kome
Ejemplos por nivel
Tko je tvoj brat?
Who is your brother?
Tko želi kavu?
Who wants coffee?
Tko je tamo?
Who is there?
Tko si ti?
Who are you?
Reci mi tko dolazi.
Tell me who is coming.
Ne znam tko je ona.
I don't know who she is.
Tko rano rani, sretan je.
Who wakes up early is happy.
Pitaj mamu tko je zvao.
Ask mom who called.
Onaj tko uči, položit će ispit.
He who studies will pass the exam.
Tko nema novca, ne može kupiti auto.
Whoever has no money cannot buy a car.
Kome se spava, neka ide u krevet.
Whoever is sleepy should go to bed.
Onaj tko me voli, razumjet će me.
The one who loves me will understand me.
Koga god sretneš, pozdravi ga.
Whomever you meet, greet them.
Tko god da je to napravio, pogriješio je.
Whoever did that made a mistake.
S kime god razgovaraš, budi pristojan.
With whomever you speak, be polite.
Onaj tko se boji, neka ne ide u šumu.
He who is afraid should not go into the forest.
Tko god bio, mora poštovati zakon.
Whoever they may be, they must respect the law.
Kome je dano mnogo, od njega će se mnogo i tražiti.
To whom much is given, much will be required.
Tko li je samo mogao pomisliti na takvo što?
Who on earth could have thought of such a thing?
Onaj tko bi se usudio prigovoriti, bio bi ušutkan.
Anyone who would dare to complain would be silenced.
Tko god se drznuo narušiti mir, gorko se pokajao.
Whoever dared to disturb the peace regretted it bitterly.
Kome god se obratili, naišli biste na zid šutnje.
Whomever you turned to, you would encounter a wall of silence.
Tko s vragom tikve sadi, o glavu mu se razbijaju.
He who plants pumpkins with the devil has them broken over his head.
Nema toga tko bi mogao predvidjeti ishod.
There is no one who could predict the outcome.
Fácil de confundir
Learners use 'koji' for general people because English uses 'who' for both.
Sometimes 'što' is used as a universal relative in dialects.
Confusing 'who' (relative) with 'someone' (indefinite pronoun).
Errores comunes
Koji je to?
Tko je to?
Tko je tvoj knjiga?
Koja je tvoja knjiga?
Ja ne znam tko.
Ne znam tko je to.
Tko ti?
Tko si ti?
Onaj koji pjeva...
Onaj tko pjeva...
Pitaj onaj tko zna.
Pitaj onoga tko zna.
Tko on vidi?
Koga on vidi?
Reci mi tko ti je dao to.
Reci mi tko ti je to dao.
Tko se ne sviđa, neka ide.
Kome se ne sviđa, neka ide.
Onaj tko sam vidio...
Onaj koga sam vidio...
S tko ideš?
S kime ideš?
Tko rano rani on dvije sreće grabi.
Tko rano rani, dvije sreće grabi.
Tko god da dođe on je dobrodošao.
Tko god dođe, dobrodošao je.
Koga god vidiš, reci mu.
Kome god se obratiš, reci mu.
Tko li je to uradio?
Tko li je to učinio?
Onaj tko bi želio, on bi mogao.
Onaj tko bi želio, mogao bi.
Patrones de oraciones
Onaj tko ___ , taj ___ .
Ne znam tko ___ .
Tko god ___ , bit će ___ .
Kome ___ , tome ___ .
Real World Usage
Tko drugome jamu kopa, sam u nju pada.
Tko počini kazneno djelo...
Tražimo osobu tko tečno govori engleski.
Tko bi rekao da je ljeto već gotovo?
Znaš li tko dolazi večeras?
Onaj tko prvi završi, može ići van.
The 'Anyone' Test
The Comma is King
Singular Only
Proverb Power
Smart Tips
Always start with 'Onaj tko' or just 'Tko'. Avoid using 'Svatko koji'.
Check if you need 'Kome' instead of 'Tko'.
Don't translate 'He who' literally as 'On koji'. Use 'Tko'.
Pause slightly in your speech. It helps the listener identify the start of the description.
Pronunciación
Short falling accent
The word 'tko' has a short falling accent on the 'o'.
Koga/Kome stress
The stress is on the first syllable.
Relative Clause Rise
Onaj tko rano rani ↑, dvije sreće grabi ↓.
The voice rises at the end of the relative clause and falls at the end of the main clause.
Memorízalo
Mnemotecnia
Tko is for the 'Total' group (everyone), Koji is for the 'Known' person.
Asociación visual
Imagine a giant question mark (?) turning into a bridge (,) that connects a crowd of people to a single action. The bridge is labeled 'TKO'.
Rhyme
Tko rano rani, dvije sreće grabi — zapamti to, pa ćeš biti pravi!
Story
A king stands on a balcony and shouts to a crowd: 'Onaj tko mi donese zmaja, dobit će zlato!' He doesn't know who will do it, so he uses 'tko'. If he pointed at a specific knight, he would say 'Vitez koji...'.
Word Web
Desafío
Write three general rules for your house using 'Onaj tko...'. For example: 'Onaj tko zadnji izađe, zaključava vrata.'
Notas culturales
Croatians love using 'tko' in proverbs (poslovice). It reflects a traditional, collective wisdom where rules apply to everyone equally.
In some coastal dialects (Chakavian), 'tko' might be replaced by 'ki' or 'kdo'. However, 'tko' remains the standard for all formal communication.
The Croatian Constitution and laws frequently use 'Tko...' to define crimes or rights, emphasizing the universality of the law.
Derived from the Proto-Slavic *kъto, which served as both an interrogative and relative marker.
Inicios de conversación
Tko je tvoj omiljeni glumac i zašto?
Znaš li tko je izmislio struju?
Onaj tko želi naučiti hrvatski, što mora raditi svaki dan?
Tko god pobijedi na izborima, što bi trebao prvo promijeniti?
Temas para diario
Errores comunes
Test Yourself
Onaj ___ uči, taj i zna.
Which one is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Tko se ne sviđa ovaj film, neka izađe.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
He who seeks, finds.
Answer starts with: b...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
A: Ne znam ___ je uzeo moju olovku. B: Možda Marko?
Sort: Koga, Tko, Kome
Score: /8
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercisesOnaj ___ uči, taj i zna.
Which one is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Tko se ne sviđa ovaj film, neka izađe.
rani / tko / rano / grabi / sreće / dvije
He who seeks, finds.
1. Tko rano rani... 2. Tko pod drugim jamu kopa... 3. Tko pjeva...
A: Ne znam ___ je uzeo moju olovku. B: Možda Marko?
Sort: Koga, Tko, Kome
Score: /8
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
In informal speech, people sometimes say `onaj koji`, but in standard Croatian and for proverbs, `tko` is the correct choice when there is no noun antecedent.
Grammatically, yes. Even if you are referring to a woman, you say `Onaj tko je rekla` (Wait, no—the verb also stays masculine: `Onaj tko je rekao`).
Croatian uses commas to separate all dependent clauses from main clauses. It's a mandatory punctuation rule.
`Tko` means 'who/he who', while `tko god` means 'whoever/no matter who'. `Tko god` is more emphatic.
No, you can start a sentence directly with `tko`, especially in proverbs like `Tko traži, nađe`.
Yes, for the pronoun `tko`, the Genitive and Accusative forms are both `koga`.
No, `tko` is strictly for people. For things, use `što` or `koji`.
You use the instrumental case: `s kime` or `s kim`. Example: `S kime si bio?`
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Who / He who
English doesn't decline 'who' as strictly as Croatian declines 'tko'.
Wer
German word order in the sub-clause is different (verb at the end).
Quien
Spanish 'Quien' has a plural form 'Quienes', while Croatian 'Tko' is always singular.
No equivalent pronoun
Japanese has no relative pronouns at all.
Man (من)
Arabic 'Man' does not decline for case like Croatian 'tko'.
...de ren (...的人)
Chinese uses a fixed structure instead of a declining pronoun.
