Relative Pronoun 'Što' (What, That)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'što' to link a description to an entire previous sentence or to words like 'sve' (everything) and 'ništa' (nothing).
- Use 'što' after 'sve', 'nešto', 'ništa', or 'ono' (e.g., Sve što trebam).
- Use 'što' to comment on a whole preceding clause (e.g., Kasni, što me ljuti).
- Always place a comma before 'što' when it starts a relative clause.
Declension of the Relative Pronoun 'Što'
| Case | Form | English Equivalent | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nominative
|
što
|
that / which
|
Sve što vidim...
|
|
Genitive
|
čega
|
of which
|
Ono čega se bojim...
|
|
Dative
|
čemu
|
to which
|
Ono čemu se radujem...
|
|
Accusative
|
što
|
that / which
|
To je sve što imam.
|
|
Vocative
|
-
|
-
|
N/A
|
|
Instrumental
|
čime
|
with which
|
Ono čime se ponosim...
|
|
Locative
|
čemu
|
about which
|
Ono o čemu pričamo...
|
Meanings
A relative pronoun used to refer back to an entire preceding statement or to indefinite neuter pronouns.
Clause Reference
Referring to the entire action or situation described in the previous clause.
“Pobijedili su na utakmici, što nas je sve iznenadilo.”
“Pada kiša, što znači da nećemo ići na plažu.”
Indefinite Neuter Reference
Used after pronouns like 'sve' (everything), 'nešto' (something), 'ništa' (nothing), and 'ono' (that).
“To je sve što znam.”
“Ima nešto što ti moram reći.”
Colloquial Relative Marker
In informal speech, 'što' is often used as an unchanging replacement for 'koji' (which/who).
“To je onaj čovjek što sam ga vidio jučer.”
“Gdje je knjiga što si je kupila?”
Reference Table
| Usage Type | Structure | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
|
Referring to a clause
|
Clause A, što + Verb...
|
Kasni, što me brine.
|
|
After 'Sve'
|
Sve što + Verb...
|
Sve što želim je mir.
|
|
After 'Ništa'
|
Ništa što + Verb...
|
Ništa što kaže nije točno.
|
|
After 'Nešto'
|
Nešto što + Verb...
|
Imam nešto što ti treba.
|
|
With Preposition
|
Prep. + Case of 'što'...
|
To je ono o čemu sanjam.
|
|
Colloquial (as 'koji')
|
Noun + što + (clitic)...
|
Čovjek što sam ga sreo...
|
|
Negative context
|
Ništa što... ne + Verb
|
Ništa što radim ne pomaže.
|
Spectre de formalité
Nije se pojavio, što predstavlja značajan problem. (Explaining an absence)
Nije došao, što je problem. (Explaining an absence)
Nije došao, što je bed. (Explaining an absence)
Nije uletio, što je totalna banana. (Explaining an absence)
The 'Što' Connection Map
Refers to Clause
- Cijela rečenica Whole sentence
Refers to Pronoun
- Sve, Ništa, Nešto Everything, Nothing, Something
Requires
- Zarez (comma) Comma
Što vs. Koji
Choosing the Right Pronoun
Does it refer to a specific noun?
Does it refer to a whole sentence?
Common 'Što' Partners
Indefinites
- • Sve što
- • Ništa što
- • Nešto što
Demonstratives
- • Ono što
- • To što
Exemples par niveau
Što je ovo?
What is this?
Sve što želim je voda.
All I want is water.
Što radiš danas?
What are you doing today?
To je ono što volim.
That is what I love.
Imam nešto što ti se sviđa.
I have something that you like.
Nema ništa što možemo uraditi.
There is nothing that we can do.
To je sve što sam kupio.
That is all that I bought.
Reci mi ono što znaš.
Tell me what you know.
Zaboravio sam kišobran, što je bila greška.
I forgot my umbrella, which was a mistake.
On puno radi, što je dobro za karijeru.
He works a lot, which is good for his career.
Nisu došli, što nas je ražalostilo.
They didn't come, which made us sad.
To je ono o čemu smo pričali.
That is what we were talking about.
Priznao je krivnju, što je olakšalo proces.
He admitted guilt, which eased the process.
Vrijeme se pogoršalo, čemu se nismo nadali.
The weather worsened, which we didn't hope for.
Uvijek kasni, što me dovodi do ludila.
He is always late, which drives me crazy.
To je jedino čime se on bavi.
That is the only thing he occupies himself with.
Projekt je propao, što je rezultiralo velikim gubitkom.
The project failed, which resulted in a great loss.
Nije se pojavio, što se moglo i očekivati.
He didn't show up, which could have been expected.
Oni su se pomirili, čemu su svi pridonijeli.
They reconciled, to which everyone contributed.
To je ono od čega svi bježe.
That is what everyone is running away from.
On je, što-bi-se-reklo, pravi genijalac.
He is, as they say, a real genius.
Vlada je donijela uredbu, protiv čega su građani prosvjedovali.
The government passed a decree, against which the citizens protested.
Sve što sja nije zlato.
All that glitters is not gold.
Izgubio je sve, čime je njegova sudbina zapečaćena.
He lost everything, by which his fate was sealed.
Facile à confondre
Learners use 'koji' to refer to a whole sentence because English 'which' does both.
Both can mean 'that' in English.
'Šta' is the common colloquial form of 'što'.
Erreurs courantes
Što je tvoj ime?
Kako se zoveš?
Sve koji trebam.
Sve što trebam.
On pije kava što je dobro.
On pije kavu, što je dobro.
Što ti radiš?
Što radiš?
To je ništa koji znam.
To je ništa što znam.
Imam nešto o što mislim.
Imam nešto o čemu mislim.
On je sretan što je super.
On je sretan, što je super.
Pobijedio je, koji nas je razveselilo.
Pobijedio je, što nas je razveselilo.
To je ono o što smo pričali.
To je ono o čemu smo pričali.
Sve što sam vidio su bili lijepi.
Sve što sam vidio bilo je lijepo.
On je zakasnio, s čim se ne slažem.
On je zakasnio, s čime se ne slažem.
Structures de phrases
Sve što ___ je ___.
___, što me ___.
To je ono o čemu ___.
Nema ništa što ___.
Real World Usage
Kasnim 5 min, što je klasika za mene.
Povećao sam prodaju, što je bio moj cilj.
Prelijepa slika, što drugo reći!
Vlada je podnijela ostavku, što je šokiralo javnost.
Nema više pizze, što znači da ću uzeti pastu.
Most je zatvoren, što otežava put.
The Comma Rule
Don't use 'koji' for ideas
Sve što vs. Sve koji
Šta vs Što
Smart Tips
Always use 'što' and always put a comma before it.
Pair it with 'što' immediately. It's a fixed combo for things.
Check if you need to change 'što' to 'čemu' or 'čime'.
Try replacing it with 'the fact of which'. If it works, use 'što'.
Prononciation
Short falling accent
The word 'što' has a short falling accent (kratkosilazni naglasak).
Enclitic placement
When 'što' starts a relative clause, the clitics (like 'je', 'sam', 'se') must follow it immediately.
Comma pause
Pobijedio je [pause], što je super.
The comma indicates a slight rise in pitch followed by a brief pause before 'što'.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Što is for the 'Whole' story, Koji is for the 'Key' noun.
Association visuelle
Imagine a bridge (što) connecting a large island (a whole sentence) to a small observation deck (the relative clause).
Rhyme
Kad je cijela misao u igri toj, 'što' upotrijebi, ne 'koji' tvoj!
Story
Marko forgot his wallet. This *whole event* made him sad. In Croatian, we don't say the wallet made him sad, but the *fact* he forgot it. So we use 'što' to glue the sadness to the event.
Word Web
Défi
Write three sentences about your day. In each sentence, add a comment starting with ', što...'. (e.g., Popio sam kavu, što me razbudilo.)
Notes culturelles
In formal writing and news, 'što' must decline (čega, čemu). Using 'što' as an unchangeable marker for 'koji' is considered incorrect.
In Zagreb, you'll often hear 'kaj' instead of 'što'. 'Sve kaj trebam' is very common in informal settings.
In Dalmatia, 'što' is often replaced by 'šta' in all contexts, even relative ones.
Derived from the Proto-Slavic *čьto, which was the neuter singular interrogative pronoun.
Amorces de conversation
Što je najzanimljivija stvar koju si radio ovaj tjedan?
Ima li nešto što te jako ljuti kod ljudi?
Reci mi nešto o čemu često razmišljaš.
Postoji li neka odluka u tvom životu što bi je promijenio?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
Zaboravio je ključeve, ___ me naljutilo.
To je sve ___ trebam.
Find and fix the mistake:
On puno radi koji je dobro.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Pada kiša. To je loše.
To je ono o ___ razmišljam.
In standard Croatian, 'što' can always be replaced by 'koji'.
A: Izgubio sam posao. B: Žao mi je, ___ je stvarno strašno.
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesZaboravio je ključeve, ___ me naljutilo.
To je sve ___ trebam.
Find and fix the mistake:
On puno radi koji je dobro.
1. Sve što znam... / 2. Kasni, što... / 3. To je ono o čemu...
Pada kiša. To je loše.
To je ono o ___ razmišljam.
In standard Croatian, 'što' can always be replaced by 'koji'.
A: Izgubio sam posao. B: Žao mi je, ___ je stvarno strašno.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
In casual conversation, yes. In formal writing or exams, always use `što`.
Croatian grammar requires commas to separate relative clauses from main clauses. It helps clarify the sentence structure.
Use `čemu` after prepositions that take the dative or locative case, like 'o' (about) or 'k' (towards).
Yes, it is the direct equivalent and used in the same way.
In standard Croatian, no. Use `koji` or `tko`. In some dialects, you might hear it, but avoid it as a learner.
`Da` is a conjunction (I think *that*...), while `što` is a relative pronoun (The thing *that*...).
No, when referring to a clause or indefinite pronouns, it is always neuter singular.
Use `svi koji` (masculine plural) instead of `sve što`.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
that / which
English 'which' can refer to a noun, but Croatian 'što' (in standard) usually doesn't.
lo que
Spanish 'que' is used for nouns, while 'lo que' is for clauses.
was
German requires specific case endings on relative pronouns that differ from 'was' more often than Croatian.
ce qui / ce que
French splits the function into subject/object forms, while Croatian uses declension.
こと (koto) / ということ (to iu koto)
Japanese has no relative pronouns; it uses clause positioning.
ما (ma) / الأمر الذي (al-amr alladhi)
Arabic relative pronouns must match gender/number if referring to a noun, but 'ma' is more general.
这 (zhè) / 这一点 (zhè yī diǎn)
Chinese lacks relative pronouns entirely.
