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Asking Yes/No Questions with Intonation

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

In Croatian, you turn a statement into a question simply by raising your voice at the end of the sentence.

  • Keep the word order the same as a statement: 'Ti si gladan.' (You are hungry.)
  • Raise your pitch significantly on the final word: 'Ti si gladan?' (Are you hungry?)
  • Do not add extra words like 'do' or 'does' as in English.
Statement + ↗️ = Question

3. Question Formation Pattern

Statement Intonation Shift Question
Ti si gladan
↗️
Ti si gladan?
On radi
↗️
On radi?
Ona spava
↗️
Ona spava?
Mi idemo
↗️
Mi idemo?
Vi znate
↗️
Vi znate?
Oni su tu
↗️
Oni su tu?

Meanings

This rule uses pitch variation to signal that a sentence is a question requiring a yes or no answer.

1

Yes/No Confirmation

Seeking verification of a fact.

“Piješ kavu?”

“Ovo je tvoja knjiga?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Asking Yes/No Questions with Intonation
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + Verb
On radi.
Question
Subject + Verb + ↗️
On radi?
Negative
Ne + Verb
On ne radi.
Neg. Question
Ne + Verb + ↗️
On ne radi?
Short Answer
Da/Ne
Da, on radi.
Confirmation
Verb + Subject?
Radi on?

طیف رسمیت

رسمی
Jeste li gladni?

Jeste li gladni? (Asking a friend or acquaintance.)

خنثی
Jesi li gladan?

Jesi li gladan? (Asking a friend or acquaintance.)

غیر رسمی
Gladan si?

Gladan si? (Asking a friend or acquaintance.)

عامیانه
Gladan?

Gladan? (Asking a friend or acquaintance.)

Question Types

Questions

Intonation

  • Rising pitch Casual

Particles

  • Li Formal
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مثال‌ها بر اساس سطح

1

Ti si gladan?

Are you hungry?

2

Ovo je kava?

Is this coffee?

3

On je tu?

Is he here?

4

To je tvoje?

Is that yours?

1

Dolaziš sutra?

Are you coming tomorrow?

2

Razumiješ me?

Do you understand me?

3

Sviđa ti se?

Do you like it?

4

Znaš gdje je?

Do you know where it is?

1

Misliš da je to dobra ideja?

Do you think that's a good idea?

2

Možemo li ići kasnije?

Can we go later?

3

Jesi li siguran u to?

Are you sure about that?

4

Čuo si što je rekao?

Did you hear what he said?

1

Smatraš li da je ovaj pristup ispravan?

Do you consider this approach correct?

2

Vjeruješ li u ono što nam je obećao?

Do you believe what he promised us?

3

Znači li to da moramo odustati?

Does that mean we have to give up?

4

Možeš li potvrditi ove podatke?

Can you confirm this data?

1

Dopuštaš li mogućnost da smo pogriješili?

Do you allow for the possibility that we were wrong?

2

Slažeš li se s njegovom interpretacijom?

Do you agree with his interpretation?

3

Pretpostavljaš li da će se situacija smiriti?

Do you assume the situation will calm down?

4

Uviđaš li kompleksnost ovog problema?

Do you perceive the complexity of this problem?

1

Egzistira li uopće rješenje za ovakav paradoks?

Does a solution for such a paradox even exist?

2

Interpretiraš li ovo kao znak slabosti?

Do you interpret this as a sign of weakness?

3

Sugeriraš li da je naša metodologija manjkava?

Are you suggesting our methodology is flawed?

4

Uvažavaš li argumente druge strane?

Do you respect the arguments of the other side?

به‌راحتی اشتباه گرفته می‌شود

Asking Yes/No Questions with Intonation در مقابل Intonation vs. 'Li'

Learners mix up the casual intonation with the formal 'li' particle.

Asking Yes/No Questions with Intonation در مقابل Question vs. Statement

Learners forget to raise their voice, making questions sound like statements.

Asking Yes/No Questions with Intonation در مقابل English 'Do' vs. Croatian

Learners add 'do' because they are used to English grammar.

اشتباهات رایج

✗

Do ti si gladan?

✓

Ti si gladan?

English 'do' support does not exist in Croatian.
✗

Ti si gladan.

✓

Ti si gladan?

Missing the rising intonation makes it a statement.
✗

Gladan ti si?

✓

Ti si gladan?

Unnecessary word order change.
✗

Ti si gladan li?

✓

Ti si gladan?

Misusing 'li' particle.
✗

Da li ti si gladan?

✓

Ti si gladan?

Over-complicating the question.
✗

Jesi gladan?

✓

Jesi li gladan?

Dropping the 'li' in formal contexts.
✗

Ti gladan si?

✓

Ti si gladan?

Incorrect verb placement.
✗

Zar ti si gladan?

✓

Zar si gladan?

Incorrect use of 'zar' particle.
✗

Ti si gladan, zar ne?

✓

Zar nisi gladan?

Tag question confusion.
✗

Li ti si gladan?

✓

Jesi li gladan?

Particle placement error.
✗

Dali si gladan?

✓

Jesi li gladan?

Spelling error (dali vs da li).
✗

Jesi gladan li?

✓

Jesi li gladan?

Particle placement.
✗

Zar nisi ti gladan?

✓

Zar nisi gladan?

Redundant pronoun.
✗

Ti si gladan, je li?

✓

Jesi li gladan?

Clunky phrasing.

الگوهای جمله‌سازی

Ti si ___?

Ovo je ___?

___ li ti se to sviđa?

___ li to znači da idemo?

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Dolaziš?

Ordering food very common

Jedna kava?

Job interview occasional

Imate li iskustva?

Travel common

Ovo je vlak za Split?

Social media very common

Sviđa vam se?

Meeting people common

Ti si Marko?

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💡

Listen to locals

Pay attention to how native speakers raise their voice at the end of sentences in cafes.
⚠️

Don't add 'do'

English speakers often add 'do' or 'does'. Avoid this; it doesn't exist in Croatian.
🎯

Use your hands

Sometimes a slight nod or hand gesture helps emphasize the question.
💬

Be polite

In formal settings, use 'li' instead of just intonation to show extra respect.

Smart Tips

Imagine you are asking a child a question; your voice naturally goes up.

Ti si gladan. → Ti si gladan?

Don't forget the question mark; it's the only way to show intonation in text.

Dolaziš → Dolaziš?

Keep it simple. You don't need complex grammar, just your voice.

Da li ti želiš ići? → Želiš ići?

Switch to 'li' if you feel the situation requires more respect.

Spreman si? → Jeste li spremni?

تلفظ

Ti si gladan ↗️

Rising Pitch

Start the sentence at a normal pitch and glide upwards on the final stressed syllable.

Yes/No Rise

Ovo je tvoje ↗️

Signals a question requiring a yes/no answer.

حفظ کنید

روش یادسپاری

Think of a 'Question Elevator'—your voice starts on the ground floor and rides the elevator up to the top floor on the last word.

تداعی تصویری

Imagine a cat chasing a laser pointer. As the laser moves up the wall, the cat's head tilts up. That upward tilt is your voice when you ask a question.

Rhyme

When you want to know if it's true, raise your voice and ask it too.

Story

Marko is at a party. He sees a plate of food. He doesn't know if it's for him. He looks at his friend and says 'Tvoje?' with a high pitch. The friend nods. Marko eats.

شبکه واژگان

PitanjeUpitnikGlasVisinaPotvrdaRazgovor

چالش

Record yourself asking 5 questions to a mirror, ensuring your voice goes up at the end of each one.

نکات فرهنگی

In Dalmatia, intonation is often more melodic and exaggerated compared to the standard Zagreb dialect.

Slavonian speakers might use slightly different word orders, but the rising intonation remains the core question marker.

Standard Croatian usage is very common in Zagreb, focusing on clear, direct intonation.

The use of intonation for questions is a common feature in many Slavic languages, evolving from ancient prosodic patterns.

شروع‌کننده‌های مکالمه

“

Spreman si?

“

Znaš li gdje je kava?

“

Slažeš li se s tim?

“

Uviđaš li problem?

موضوعات نگارش

Write 5 questions you would ask a new friend.
Describe a situation where you had to ask for help using a question.
Write a dialogue between two people planning a trip.
Analyze why intonation is important in communication.

اشتباهات رایج

Incorrect

صحیح

Incorrect

صحیح

Incorrect

صحیح

Incorrect

صحیح

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Test Yourself

Which is the correct question? چند گزینه‌ای

Ti si gladan?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti si gladan?
No 'do' support in Croatian.
Fill in the missing word.

___ si spreman?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi
Jesi is the verb form.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Do ti radiš?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Radiš?
Remove 'do'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

ti / gladan / si

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti si gladan?
Standard order.
Match the statement to the question. جفت کردن

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: On radi?
Simple intonation.
Which is more formal? چند گزینه‌ای

How to ask formally?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li gladan?
Li is formal.
Fix the spelling. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Dali si sretan?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Da li si sretan?
Dali is a common spelling error.
Turn into a question. Sentence Transformation

Ona spava.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ona spava?
Simple intonation.

Score: /8

تمرین‌های عملی

8 exercises
Which is the correct question? چند گزینه‌ای

Ti si gladan?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti si gladan?
No 'do' support in Croatian.
Fill in the missing word.

___ si spreman?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi
Jesi is the verb form.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Do ti radiš?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Radiš?
Remove 'do'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

ti / gladan / si

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti si gladan?
Standard order.
Match the statement to the question. جفت کردن

On radi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: On radi?
Simple intonation.
Which is more formal? چند گزینه‌ای

How to ask formally?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jesi li gladan?
Li is formal.
Fix the spelling. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Dali si sretan?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Da li si sretan?
Dali is a common spelling error.
Turn into a question. Sentence Transformation

Ona spava.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ona spava?
Simple intonation.

Score: /8

سوالات متداول (8)

No, you keep the word order the same as a statement.

No, 'do' support does not exist in Croatian.

It is casual. Use 'li' for formal situations.

Just add a question mark at the end.

It will sound like a statement, not a question.

The intonation is similar, but the lack of 'do' is different.

Yes, it works for all verbs and subjects.

Yes, using 'li' or question words like 'tko' or 'što'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Rising intonation

Spanish uses inverted question marks (¿) in writing.

French moderate

Est-ce que

French relies more on formal structures than Croatian.

German low

Verb-first

German changes word order; Croatian changes pitch.

Japanese low

Ka particle

Japanese uses a particle; Croatian uses pitch.

Arabic low

Hal/A

Arabic uses particles; Croatian uses pitch.

Chinese low

Ma particle

Chinese uses a particle; Croatian uses pitch.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Forming Simple Statements
Next
Question Words: Tko? Što? (Who? What?)

Related Grammar Rules

A0

Asking 'How are you?' (Kako ste/si?)
A0

Asking for the Price (Koliko košta?)
A1

Question Forms with 'Biti'
A1

Forming Information Questions (Gdje? Kada? Zašto?)
A1

Answering Questions (Da/Ne)
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