Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The Accusative case marks the direct object—the thing receiving the action—by changing the noun's ending.
- Use Accusative for direct objects: 'Vidim auto' (I see a car).
- Most masculine inanimate nouns stay the same: 'Pijem sok' (I drink juice).
- Feminine nouns ending in -a change to -u: 'Imam knjigu' (I have a book).
Accusative Singular Endings
| Gender | Nominative | Accusative | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Masculine (inanimate)
|
auto
|
auto
|
Vidim auto
|
|
Masculine (animate)
|
prijatelj
|
prijatelja
|
Vidim prijatelja
|
|
Feminine
|
knjiga
|
knjigu
|
Čitam knjigu
|
|
Neuter
|
pismo
|
pismo
|
Pišem pismo
|
Meanings
The Accusative case identifies the direct object of a transitive verb, answering the questions 'Koga?' (Whom?) or 'Što?' (What?).
Direct Object
The entity directly affected by the verb's action.
“Pijem kavu.”
“Gledam film.”
Direction/Movement
Used with prepositions like 'u' or 'na' to indicate destination.
“Idem u školu.”
“Putujem na more.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subj + Verb + Acc
|
Imam knjigu.
|
|
Negative
|
Subj + ne + Verb + Gen
|
Nemam knjige.
|
|
Question
|
Verb + Subj + Acc?
|
Čitaš li knjigu?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Da/Ne + Verb + Acc
|
Da, čitam knjigu.
|
|
Movement
|
Verb + u/na + Acc
|
Idem u školu.
|
|
Animate
|
Subj + Verb + Acc(Gen)
|
Vidim brata.
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
Želio bih kavu. (Ordering in a cafe)
Želim kavu. (Ordering in a cafe)
Hoću kavu. (Ordering in a cafe)
Daj kavu. (Ordering in a cafe)
Accusative Case Map
Function
- Direct Object Receives action
- Destination Movement to
Ending
- -a to -u Feminine change
- No change Most others
レベル別の例文
Pijem kavu.
I am drinking coffee.
Imam auto.
I have a car.
Čitam knjigu.
I am reading a book.
Vidim prijatelja.
I see a friend.
Idem u školu.
I am going to school.
Kupujem kruh.
I am buying bread.
Tražim posao.
I am looking for a job.
Posjećujem baku.
I am visiting grandma.
Putujem na more.
I am traveling to the sea.
Ulazim u stan.
I am entering the apartment.
Pišem dugačko pismo.
I am writing a long letter.
Gledam zanimljiv film.
I am watching an interesting movie.
Zaboravio sam ključ.
I forgot the key.
Moram popraviti auto.
I must fix the car.
Slušam glasnu glazbu.
I am listening to loud music.
Planiram putovanje u Zagreb.
I am planning a trip to Zagreb.
Uočio sam promjenu u ponašanju.
I noticed a change in behavior.
Analiziram složenu situaciju.
I am analyzing a complex situation.
Prihvaćam izazov.
I accept the challenge.
Očekujem brzu reakciju.
I expect a quick reaction.
Sve sam podredio cilju.
I have subordinated everything to the goal.
Prepoznao sam suptilnu ironiju.
I recognized the subtle irony.
Zadržao sam pravo na odgovor.
I retained the right to reply.
Uložio sam napor u projekt.
I invested effort into the project.
間違えやすい
Both use prepositions like 'u' and 'na'.
Masculine inanimate nouns look the same.
Negation changes Accusative to Genitive.
よくある間違い
Imam knjiga
Imam knjigu
Idem škola
Idem u školu
Vidim auto-a
Vidim auto
Pijem voda
Pijem vodu
Idem u Zagreb-u
Idem u Zagreb
Tražim prijatelj
Tražim prijatelja
Gledam na televizija
Gledam televiziju
Nisam vidio knjigu
Nisam vidio knjige
Idem u gradu
Idem u grad
Kupio sam kruh-a
Kupio sam kruh
On je učinio usluga
On je učinio uslugu
Sve sam dao prijatelj
Sve sam dao prijatelju
Očekujem odgovor-a
Očekujem odgovor
文型パターン
Vidim ___.
Idem u ___.
Kupujem ___ za ___.
Tražim ___ jer trebam ___.
Real World Usage
Jednu pizzu, molim.
Vidimo se u gradu!
Tražim izazov.
Idem na more.
Dodaj salatu u košaricu.
Gledam novi video.
The 'A' Rule
Negation Trap
Animate Masculine
Casual Speech
Smart Tips
Always check if it's the object; if so, add -u.
Use 'u' + Accusative for destinations.
Add -a to masculine nouns for people/animals.
Switch to Genitive for the object.
発音
Vowel length
The -u ending is short and crisp.
Statement
Imam knjigu ↘
Falling intonation for facts.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Remember: 'A' for Accusative, 'A' for Action! If you do an action to it, use the Accusative.
視覚的連想
Imagine a giant letter 'U' acting as a magnet, pulling the 'a' off feminine words and replacing it with itself.
Rhyme
When you do a thing to a noun, change the ending to a 'u' sound.
Story
Ana (feminine) is holding a book. She is the subject. The book is the object. Because she is holding the book, the book becomes 'knjigu'. Ana walks to the school ('školu').
Word Web
チャレンジ
Look around your room and name 5 things you see using 'Vidim [object]'.
文化メモ
The Accusative is the backbone of daily interaction in Zagreb and Split.
Often drops prepositions in casual speech, but keeps the Accusative ending.
Very consistent with standard Accusative forms.
Derived from Proto-Slavic case endings.
会話のきっかけ
Što čitaš?
Koga tražiš?
Što želiš kupiti?
Kamo ideš večeras?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
Vidim ___.
Idem u ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Imam auto-a.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Pijem ___.
___
Which is Accusative?
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercisesVidim ___.
Idem u ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Imam auto-a.
___
Pijem ___.
___
Which is Accusative?
Match with: A. u grad, B. auto.
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
Yes, all singular feminine nouns ending in -a change to -u.
Plural Accusative is different and usually ends in -e or -a.
Because it is an animate masculine noun.
Yes, for days of the week (e.g., 'u ponedjeljak').
People will understand you, but it will sound unnatural.
Yes, for direct objects like 'Vidim prijatelja'.
Only for inanimate masculine and neuter nouns.
Usually, it changes Accusative to Genitive.
Scaffolded Practice
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2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Akkusativ
Croatian uses noun endings, German uses articles.
Objeto directo
Spanish relies on prepositions, Croatian on morphology.
Complément d'objet direct
French is analytic, Croatian is synthetic.
O-particle
Japanese uses a suffix particle, Croatian changes the word itself.
Mansoub
Arabic uses diacritics/vowels, Croatian uses suffixes.
SVO order
Chinese has no case system.
