A1 Pronouns 1 min read آسان

Interrogative Pronouns: Tko? Što? (Who? What?)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Tko' for people and 'Što' for things to ask basic questions in Croatian.

  • Use 'Tko' when asking about a person: Tko je to? (Who is that?)
  • Use 'Što' when asking about an object or concept: Što je to? (What is that?)
  • These pronouns do not change for gender or number in their basic form.
Tko (Person) / Što (Thing) + je + to?

3. Basic Interrogative Pronouns

Pronoun English Category Example
Tko
Who
Person
Tko je to?
Što
What
Thing
Što je to?

Meanings

These are the fundamental interrogative pronouns used to inquire about the identity of subjects or objects.

1

Identity of a person

Asking for the name or identity of a human.

“Tko je tamo?”

“Tko je tvoj prijatelj?”

2

Identity of an object

Asking for the name or identity of an object or abstract idea.

“Što je u torbi?”

“Što želiš?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Interrogative Pronouns: Tko? Što? (Who? What?)
Form Structure Example
Question (Person)
Tko + verb + ...
Tko je on?
Question (Thing)
Što + verb + ...
Što je ovo?
Negative (Person)
Nitko + verb
Nitko nije došao.
Negative (Thing)
Ništa + verb
Ništa ne znam.
Indefinite (Person)
Netko + verb
Netko kuca.
Indefinite (Thing)
Nešto + verb
Nešto se čuje.

طیف رسمیت

رسمی
Tko ste vi?

Tko ste vi? (Meeting someone)

خنثی
Tko si ti?

Tko si ti? (Meeting someone)

غیر رسمی
Tko si?

Tko si? (Meeting someone)

عامیانه
Tko je to?

Tko je to? (Meeting someone)

Tko vs Što

Interrogative

Person

  • Tko Who

Thing

  • Što What

Usage Comparison

Tko
Tko je to? Who is that?
Što
Što je to? What is that?

Choosing the right pronoun

1

Is it a person?

YES
Use Tko
NO
Use Što

Pronoun Categories

👤

People

  • • Tko
  • • Netko
  • • Nitko
📦

Things

  • • Što
  • • Nešto
  • • Ništa
برای خواندن توضیح کامل رایگان ثبت‌نام کنید

مثال‌ها بر اساس سطح

1

Tko je to?

Who is that?

2

Što je to?

What is that?

3

Tko si ti?

Who are you?

4

Što želiš?

What do you want?

1

Tko dolazi na zabavu?

Who is coming to the party?

2

Što radiš danas?

What are you doing today?

3

Tko je tvoj učitelj?

Who is your teacher?

4

Što ima za ručak?

What is for lunch?

1

Tko je napisao ovu knjigu?

Who wrote this book?

2

Što misliš o tome?

What do you think about that?

3

Tko bi to mogao znati?

Who could know that?

4

Što se dogodilo jučer?

What happened yesterday?

1

Tko god dođe, dobrodošao je.

Whoever comes is welcome.

2

Što god odlučiš, ja ću te podržati.

Whatever you decide, I will support you.

3

Tko je odgovoran za ovaj projekt?

Who is responsible for this project?

4

Što se podrazumijeva pod tim?

What is meant by that?

1

Tko se usudi osporiti ovu činjenicu?

Who dares to dispute this fact?

2

Što god da se desi, ostajemo ovdje.

Whatever happens, we are staying here.

3

Tko bi rekao da će se ovo dogoditi?

Who would have thought this would happen?

4

Što se tiče novca, sve je spremno.

As far as money is concerned, everything is ready.

1

Tko zna, možda je to sudbina.

Who knows, maybe it is destiny.

2

Što se mora, nije teško.

What must be done is not hard.

3

Tko će ga znati?

Who can tell?

4

Što je tu je.

It is what it is.

به‌راحتی اشتباه گرفته می‌شود

Interrogative Pronouns: Tko? Što? (Who? What?) در مقابل Tko vs Netko

Learners mix up the interrogative 'Who' with the indefinite 'Someone'.

Interrogative Pronouns: Tko? Što? (Who? What?) در مقابل Što vs Nešto

Learners mix up the interrogative 'What' with the indefinite 'Something'.

Interrogative Pronouns: Tko? Što? (Who? What?) در مقابل Što vs Koji

Learners use Što when they should use Koji for specific choices.

اشتباهات رایج

✗

Što je on?

✓

Tko je on?

Što is for things, Tko is for people.
✗

Tko je to stol?

✓

Što je to?

Tko cannot be used for objects.
✗

Šta je to?

✓

Što je to?

Šta is dialectal; use Što for standard Croatian.
✗

Tko je to auto?

✓

Što je to?

Even if the noun is masculine, use Što for objects.
✗

Tko radiš?

✓

Što radiš?

You are asking about an action (thing), not a person.
✗

Što je tvoj brat?

✓

Tko je tvoj brat?

Brother is a person.
✗

Tko je ovo jelo?

✓

Što je ovo jelo?

Food is a thing.
✗

Što si ti?

✓

Tko si ti?

Asking about identity requires Tko.
✗

Tko je u torbi?

✓

Što je u torbi?

Unless a person is in the bag, use Što.
✗

Što je tvoj prijatelj?

✓

Tko je tvoj prijatelj?

Friend is a person.
✗

Što god tko kaže...

✓

Što god tko rekao...

Verb conjugation error.
✗

Tko god da je to napravio...

✓

Tko god je to napravio...

Redundant particle usage.
✗

Što je to što želiš?

✓

Što želiš?

Avoid unnecessary relative clauses.

الگوهای جمله‌سازی

Tko je ___?

Što je ___?

Tko ___?

Što ___?

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Tko je na slici?

Texting constant

Što radiš?

Job Interview common

Tko je odgovoran za ovo?

Travel very common

Što je ovo jelo?

Food Delivery common

Što je u paketu?

Classroom very common

Tko zna odgovor?

برای دیدن همه مثال‌ها رایگان ثبت‌نام کنید
💡

Keep it simple

Don't overthink the grammar. Just use Tko for people and Što for things.
⚠️

Watch the dialect

You might hear 'Šta' in some regions, but stick to 'Što' for standard Croatian.
🎯

Use with 'je'

Pairing these with 'je' is the easiest way to start speaking.
💬

Be polite

When asking 'Tko ste vi?' (Who are you?), remember to use the formal 'vi'.

Smart Tips

Always use 'Tko'. Think of it as 'Who'.

Što je taj čovjek? → Tko je taj čovjek?

Always use 'Što'. Think of it as 'What'.

Tko je ovo jelo? → Što je ovo jelo?

Use 'Koji' instead of 'Što' when choosing.

Što auto želiš? → Koji auto želiš?

Don't worry, 'Tko' and 'Što' don't change!

Tka je to žena? → Tko je to žena?

تلفظ

/tko/

Tko

Pronounced as one syllable, like 'tkoh'.

/ʃto/

Što

Pronounced like 'shtoh'.

Rising intonation

Tko je to↗?

Standard question intonation.

حفظ کنید

روش یادسپاری

Tko sounds like 'Talk-o' (people talk), Što sounds like 'Sto' (a table is a thing).

تداعی تصویری

Imagine a person talking (Tko) and a table (Što) sitting still.

Rhyme

Tko is for a friend you know, Što is for things in a row.

Story

I walked into a room. I saw a man and asked 'Tko je to?'. Then I saw a box and asked 'Što je to?'. The man laughed and opened the box.

شبکه واژگان

TkoŠtoNetkoNeštoNitkoNišta

چالش

Point at 5 things and 5 people in your room and ask 'Što je to?' or 'Tko je to?' out loud.

نکات فرهنگی

Uses 'Što' as the primary interrogative for things.

Often uses 'Ča' instead of 'Što'.

Often uses 'Šta' as a common variant.

These pronouns are of Proto-Slavic origin, rooted in the interrogative stems *kto and *čьto.

شروع‌کننده‌های مکالمه

“

Tko je tvoj najbolji prijatelj?

“

Što je tvoja omiljena hrana?

“

Tko je najpoznatija osoba u Hrvatskoj?

“

Što bi promijenio u svom gradu?

موضوعات نگارش

Describe your family members using 'Tko'.
List 5 things in your room and ask 'Što je to?' for each.
Write a short dialogue between two people meeting for the first time.
Reflect on a recent event: 'Tko je bio tamo?' and 'Što se dogodilo?'.

اشتباهات رایج

Incorrect

صحیح

Incorrect

صحیح

Incorrect

صحیح

Incorrect

صحیح

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Test Yourself

Choose the correct pronoun. چند گزینه‌ای

___ je to?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tko
Tko is for people.
Fill in the blank.

___ je u torbi?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Što
Što is for things.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Što je tvoj brat?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tko je tvoj brat?
Brother is a person.
Order the words. Sentence Building

to / je / Tko / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tko je to?
Standard word order.
Match the question to the category. جفت کردن

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Person / Thing
Tko=Person, Što=Thing.
True or False? True False Rule

Can you use 'Što' for a person?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Što is for things only.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: ___ radiš? B: Čitam knjigu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Što
Asking about an action.
Choose the correct form. Conjugation Drill

___ je tvoj učitelj?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tko
Teacher is a person.

Score: /8

تمرین‌های عملی

8 exercises
Choose the correct pronoun. چند گزینه‌ای

___ je to?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tko
Tko is for people.
Fill in the blank.

___ je u torbi?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Što
Što is for things.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Što je tvoj brat?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tko je tvoj brat?
Brother is a person.
Order the words. Sentence Building

to / je / Tko / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tko je to?
Standard word order.
Match the question to the category. جفت کردن

Tko je to? / Što je to?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Person / Thing
Tko=Person, Što=Thing.
True or False? True False Rule

Can you use 'Što' for a person?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Što is for things only.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: ___ radiš? B: Čitam knjigu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Što
Asking about an action.
Choose the correct form. Conjugation Drill

___ je tvoj učitelj?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tko
Teacher is a person.

Score: /8

سوالات متداول (8)

No, always use 'Tko' for people, regardless of number.

It is not wrong, but it is not standard Croatian. Use 'Što' for standard.

No, they are invariant in the nominative case.

Use 'Koji' when you are selecting from a specific set of options.

Yes, they are neutral and appropriate for any register.

If you are unsure, 'Što' is safer for objects, but 'Tko' is strictly for people.

Yes, they decline in other cases, but focus on nominative for now.

Ask 'Tko je to?' or 'Što je to?' for everything you see.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

برای تمرین رایگان ثبت‌نام کنید

In Other Languages

Spanish high

quién / qué

Spanish has gendered forms for 'quién' in plural (quiénes), while 'tko' is invariant.

French high

qui / quoi

French word order is more rigid in questions compared to Croatian.

German high

wer / was

German pronouns decline for case (wer/wen/wem) much more strictly than the basic A1 Croatian forms.

Japanese moderate

dare / nani

Japanese question words are placed in the sentence differently due to SOV structure.

Arabic moderate

man / mā

Arabic interrogatives are often attached to the verb or used with specific particles.

Chinese moderate

shéi / shénme

Chinese does not change word order for questions; it adds a particle at the end.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Interrogative Pronouns: Koji? Kakav? Čiji? (Which? What kind? Whose?)

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Personal Pronouns (Ja, Ti, On, Ona, Ono, Mi, Vi, Oni/One/Ona)
A1

Interrogative Pronouns: Koji? Kakav? Čiji? (Which? What kind? Whose?)
A1

Declension of Interrogative Pronouns
A1

Indefinite Pronouns (Netko, Nešto)
A2

The Reflexive Pronoun 'Se'
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