Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In Croatian, adjectives must mirror the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe.
- Masculine nouns take -i (e.g., 'dobar čovjek').
- Feminine nouns take -a (e.g., 'dobra žena').
- Neuter nouns take -o (e.g., 'dobro dijete').
Nominative Singular Adjective Endings
| Gender | Ending | Example (Stem: lijep-) |
|---|---|---|
|
Masculine
|
-i
|
lijepi
|
|
Feminine
|
-a
|
lijepa
|
|
Neuter
|
-o
|
lijepo
|
Meanings
Adjective agreement ensures that the descriptive word matches the noun it modifies in gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), number (singular, plural), and case (the grammatical role in the sentence).
Nominative Case Agreement
Using adjectives to describe the subject of a sentence.
“Mali pas spava.”
“Stara knjiga je ovdje.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Adj + Noun
|
Lijep pas
|
|
Negative
|
Nije + Adj + Noun
|
Nije lijep pas
|
|
Question
|
Je li + Adj + Noun?
|
Je li lijep pas?
|
|
Plural
|
Adj-i + Noun-i
|
Lijepi psi
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
Kuća je lijepa. (Describing property)
Kuća je lijepa. (Describing property)
Kuća je baš lijepa. (Describing property)
Kuća je top. (Describing property)
Adjective Agreement Map
Gender
- Muški Masculine
- Ženski Feminine
- Srednji Neuter
レベル別の例文
Mali pas je brz.
The small dog is fast.
Lijepa kuća je ovdje.
The beautiful house is here.
Novo auto je plavo.
The new car is blue.
Dobar čovjek radi.
The good man is working.
Mali psi trče.
The small dogs are running.
Lijepe kuće su skupe.
The beautiful houses are expensive.
Nova auta su brza.
The new cars are fast.
Dobri ljudi pomažu.
Good people help.
Vidim malog psa.
I see the small dog.
Kupio sam lijepu kuću.
I bought a beautiful house.
Govorim o novom autu.
I am talking about the new car.
Tražim dobrog čovjeka.
I am looking for a good man.
To je kuća velikog arhitekta.
That is the house of a great architect.
Sviđa mi se taj lijepi grad.
I like that beautiful city.
Ovo je djelo poznatog pisca.
This is the work of a famous writer.
Našao sam staru, vrijednu knjigu.
I found an old, valuable book.
Bila je to iznimno teška odluka.
It was an extremely difficult decision.
Njegov je stil bio posve jedinstven.
His style was completely unique.
Svi su bili duboko potreseni viješću.
Everyone was deeply shaken by the news.
Ovo je pitanje od presudne važnosti.
This is a question of crucial importance.
Ta se pojava čini posve neobjašnjivom.
That phenomenon seems completely inexplicable.
Bijaše to doba velikih previranja.
It was a time of great turmoil.
Njegova je duša ostala vječno mladom.
His soul remained eternally young.
Sve su te priče postale općepoznatima.
All those stories became widely known.
間違えやすい
Learners mix up 'dobar' (good) and 'dobro' (well).
Learners use Nominative for direct objects.
Learners think 'auto' is masculine.
よくある間違い
lijep žena
lijepa žena
dobro pas
dobar pas
velika auto
veliko auto
lijepi kuća
lijepa kuća
dobri kuća
dobre kuće
lijepa psi
lijepi psi
novo ljudi
novi ljudi
vidim lijep kuća
vidim lijepu kuću
o dobar čovjek
o dobrom čovjeku
s lijep žena
s lijepom ženom
to je od lijep čovjek
to je od lijepog čovjeka
dajem lijep čovjek
dajem lijepom čovjeku
vidim lijepu žene
vidim lijepe žene
govorim o lijepi ljudi
govorim o lijepim ljudima
文型パターン
___ je ___.
Imam ___ ___.
Ovo je ___ ___.
___ su ___.
Real World Usage
Super dan!
Gdje si?
Ja sam marljiv.
Lijep grad.
Hladna piva.
Poštovani gospodine.
Check the Noun
Don't Guess
Learn in Pairs
Listen to Locals
Smart Tips
Identify the noun's gender first.
Use the plural ending -i for masculine.
Change the ending for the Accusative.
Ensure all adjectives match.
発音
Vowel length
Longer vowels change meaning.
Declarative
Kuća je lijepa ↓
Statement of fact
暗記しよう
記憶術
Remember 'I-A-O' for Masculine-Feminine-Neuter.
視覚的連想
Imagine a man wearing an 'i' hat, a woman holding an 'a' bag, and a child playing with an 'o' ball.
Rhyme
Masculine is I, Feminine is A, Neuter is O, that's the Croatian way!
Story
A tall man (visoki čovjek) walked into a store. He saw a beautiful woman (lijepa žena) holding a small child (malo dijete). They were all happy.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Label 5 objects in your room with an adjective on a sticky note.
文化メモ
They often drop endings in casual speech.
Standard Croatian is used in media.
More traditional, full endings.
Croatian adjectives evolved from Proto-Slavic inflections.
会話のきっかけ
Kakav je tvoj auto?
Tko je dobar čovjek?
Kakva je ova knjiga?
Što misliš o novom filmu?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
Pas je ___ (mali).
___ žena (lijep).
Find and fix the mistake:
Novo pas.
Mali pas.
A: Kakav je auto? B: Auto je ___ (nov).
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
lijepa / kuća / je
___ čovjek.
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercisesPas je ___ (mali).
___ žena (lijep).
Find and fix the mistake:
Novo pas.
Mali pas.
A: Kakav je auto? B: Auto je ___ (nov).
Match: Pas, Žena, Dijete
lijepa / kuća / je
___ čovjek.
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
To show agreement with the noun's gender, number, and case.
It takes practice, but it's logical.
Use the masculine form as a last resort, but try to learn the others.
Yes, some nouns have irregular genders.
Use flashcards and label items.
Yes, it shows you know the language.
Plural has its own set of endings.
No, you must translate them.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Adjetivos
Croatian has case agreement.
Adjectifs
French is mostly invariant in speech.
Adjektive
German case system is smaller.
Keiyōshi
Japanese has no gender.
Sifa
Arabic uses definite articles.
Xíngróngcí
Chinese is analytic.
