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 words usually start the sentence and do not change based on gender.
3. Basic Interrogative Usage
| Question Word | Target | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tko
|
Person
|
Tko je to?
|
Who is that?
|
|
Što
|
Object
|
Što je to?
|
What is that?
|
|
Tko
|
Person
|
Tko radi?
|
Who is working?
|
|
Što
|
Object
|
Što radiš?
|
What are you doing?
|
|
Tko
|
Person
|
Tko dolazi?
|
Who is coming?
|
|
Što
|
Object
|
Što želiš?
|
What do you want?
|
Meanings
These are the fundamental interrogative pronouns used to identify subjects or objects in a sentence.
Identifying people
Asking for the identity of a human subject.
“Tko je ovo?”
“Tko dolazi?”
Identifying objects
Asking for the identity of a non-human object or abstract concept.
“Što je ovo?”
“Što želiš?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Question
|
Tko/Što + Verb
|
Tko dolazi?
|
|
Question
|
Tko/Što + je + to
|
Što je to?
|
|
Answer
|
Subject + Verb
|
Ivan dolazi.
|
|
Answer
|
To + je + Object
|
To je knjiga.
|
|
Negative
|
Tko/Što + ne + Verb
|
Tko ne radi?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Only the subject
|
Ivan.
|
|
Short Answer
|
Only the object
|
Knjiga.
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
Tko je to, molim Vas? (Meeting someone)
Tko je to? (Meeting someone)
Tko je to? (Meeting someone)
Tko je ovo? (Meeting someone)
Who vs What
People
- Tko Who
Things
- Što What
レベル別の例文
Tko je ovo?
Who is this?
Što je ovo?
What is this?
Tko je tamo?
Who is there?
Što je to?
What is that?
Što radiš danas?
What are you doing today?
Tko dolazi na večeru?
Who is coming to dinner?
Što želiš kupiti?
What do you want to buy?
Tko zna odgovor?
Who knows the answer?
Što se dogodilo jučer?
What happened yesterday?
Tko je napisao ovu knjigu?
Who wrote this book?
Što misliš o tome?
What do you think about that?
Tko je rekao da ne može?
Who said it's not possible?
Što god odlučiš, bit će dobro.
Whatever you decide, it will be fine.
Tko god dođe, dobrodošao je.
Whoever comes is welcome.
Ne znam što bih rekao.
I don't know what I would say.
Tko bi to mogao znati?
Who could know that?
Što se tiče plana, moramo ga promijeniti.
Regarding the plan, we must change it.
Tko se zadnji smije, najslađe se smije.
He who laughs last, laughs best.
Što god da se desi, ostajemo ovdje.
Whatever happens, we are staying here.
Tko god je to učinio, mora odgovarati.
Whoever did that must be held accountable.
Što li su mislili kad su to gradili?
What on earth were they thinking when they built that?
Tko bi rekao da će se tako završiti?
Who would have thought it would end like that?
Što god bilo, ne smijemo odustati.
Whatever it may be, we must not give up.
Tko god da je, neka uđe.
Whoever it is, let them enter.
間違えやすい
Learners confuse the question word 'Tko' with the indefinite pronoun 'Netko' (someone).
Learners confuse 'Što' (what) with 'Nešto' (something).
Learners are unsure if they should use 'Što' or 'Šta'.
よくある間違い
Što je on?
Tko je on?
Tko je to stol?
Što je to?
Što radiš ti?
Što radiš?
Tko je to auto?
Što je to?
Tko želiš?
Što želiš?
Što je tvoj brat?
Tko je tvoj brat?
Tko je to jelo?
Što je to jelo?
Što je čovjek?
Tko je čovjek?
Tko je taj predmet?
Što je taj predmet?
Što si ti?
Tko si ti?
Što god da je, ne znam.
Tko god da je, ne znam.
Tko god da je to, baci ga.
Što god da je to, baci ga.
Što je tvoj otac?
Tko je tvoj otac?
文型パターン
Tko je ___?
Što je ___?
Tko ___?
Što ___?
Real World Usage
Tko je ovo?
Što radiš?
Tko je odgovoran za projekt?
Što je ovo jelo?
Što je u paketu?
Tko zna odgovor?
Drop the pronouns
Don't mix them
Listen for the verb
Regional variation
Smart Tips
Always use Tko. If you are unsure, point and say 'Tko?'.
Always use Što. It's the universal 'what'.
Drop the subject pronoun.
Recognize it as 'Što'. Don't let it confuse you.
発音
Tko
Pronounced as 'T-ko', the 'k' is crisp.
Što
The 'Š' is like 'sh' in 'ship'.
Rising
Tko je to? ↑
Standard question intonation.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Tko sounds like 'T-K-O' (Think: 'The Kid's Okay' - a person). Što sounds like 'Stow' (Think: 'Stow the thing away').
視覚的連想
Imagine a person wearing a 'Tko' badge pointing at themselves, and a box labeled 'Što' containing various objects.
Rhyme
Tko is for a person you know, Što is for a thing in a row.
Story
A detective walks into a room. He points at a man and asks 'Tko?' (Who?). Then he points at a mysterious bag and asks 'Što?' (What?). The man answers, and the mystery is solved.
Word Web
チャレンジ
For 5 minutes, point at 5 people and 5 objects around you and ask 'Tko je to?' or 'Što je to?' out loud.
文化メモ
Uses 'Što' as the standard form for 'what'.
Often uses 'Šta' instead of 'Što' in daily speech.
Also prefers 'Šta' in colloquial settings.
Both words are of Proto-Slavic origin, common to many Slavic languages.
会話のきっかけ
Tko je tvoj najbolji prijatelj?
Što radiš vikendom?
Tko je najpoznatija osoba u Hrvatskoj?
Što bi promijenio u svom gradu?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
___ je to?
___ radiš?
Find and fix the mistake:
Što je tvoj brat?
je / to / Tko / ?
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Tko je to? (referring to a chair)
A: ___ dolazi? B: Marko dolazi.
Što ___ (raditi - 2nd person singular)?
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercises___ je to?
___ radiš?
Find and fix the mistake:
Što je tvoj brat?
je / to / Tko / ?
Tko je to? / Što je to?
Tko je to? (referring to a chair)
A: ___ dolazi? B: Marko dolazi.
Što ___ (raditi - 2nd person singular)?
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
Yes, Tko is used for both singular and plural people.
Yes, it covers objects, abstract concepts, and events.
Use the context to decide. If you are unsure, ask 'Što je to?' first.
It is a regional variant of 'Što'. Both are understood.
In basic nominative questions, no. They change in other cases.
Yes, but be careful with the rest of the sentence structure.
Yes, like Gdje (where), Kada (when), Zašto (why).
Yes, it is the most common way to form questions.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Quién/Qué
Spanish has gendered forms for 'quién' (quiénes) in plural.
Qui/Quoi
French word order in questions is more complex.
Wer/Was
German 'wer' declines for case more aggressively than Croatian 'tko' in basic usage.
Dare/Nani
Japanese uses particles like 'ka' at the end of the sentence.
Man/Ma
Arabic grammar is entirely different in structure.
Shéi/Shénme
Chinese does not conjugate verbs.
