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.
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.
Identity of a person
Asking for the name or identity of a human.
“Tko je tamo?”
“Tko je tvoj prijatelj?”
Identity of an object
Asking for the name or identity of an object or abstract idea.
“Što je u torbi?”
“Što želiš?”
Reference Table
| 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.
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
Tko ste vi? (Meeting someone)
Tko si ti? (Meeting someone)
Tko si? (Meeting someone)
Tko je to? (Meeting someone)
Tko vs Što
Person
- Tko Who
Thing
- Što What
Usage Comparison
Choosing the right pronoun
Is it a person?
Pronoun Categories
People
- • Tko
- • Netko
- • Nitko
Things
- • Što
- • Nešto
- • Ništa
수준별 예문
Tko je to?
Who is that?
Što je to?
What is that?
Tko si ti?
Who are you?
Što želiš?
What do you want?
Tko dolazi na zabavu?
Who is coming to the party?
Što radiš danas?
What are you doing today?
Tko je tvoj učitelj?
Who is your teacher?
Što ima za ručak?
What is for lunch?
Tko je napisao ovu knjigu?
Who wrote this book?
Što misliš o tome?
What do you think about that?
Tko bi to mogao znati?
Who could know that?
Što se dogodilo jučer?
What happened yesterday?
Tko god dođe, dobrodošao je.
Whoever comes is welcome.
Što god odlučiš, ja ću te podržati.
Whatever you decide, I will support you.
Tko je odgovoran za ovaj projekt?
Who is responsible for this project?
Što se podrazumijeva pod tim?
What is meant by that?
Tko se usudi osporiti ovu činjenicu?
Who dares to dispute this fact?
Što god da se desi, ostajemo ovdje.
Whatever happens, we are staying here.
Tko bi rekao da će se ovo dogoditi?
Who would have thought this would happen?
Što se tiče novca, sve je spremno.
As far as money is concerned, everything is ready.
Tko zna, možda je to sudbina.
Who knows, maybe it is destiny.
Što se mora, nije teško.
What must be done is not hard.
Tko će ga znati?
Who can tell?
Što je tu je.
It is what it is.
혼동하기 쉬운
Learners mix up the interrogative 'Who' with the indefinite 'Someone'.
Learners mix up the interrogative 'What' with the indefinite 'Something'.
Learners use Što when they should use Koji for specific choices.
자주 하는 실수
Što je on?
Tko je on?
Tko je to stol?
Što je to?
Šta je to?
Što je to?
Tko je to auto?
Što je to?
Tko radiš?
Što radiš?
Što je tvoj brat?
Tko je tvoj brat?
Tko je ovo jelo?
Što je ovo jelo?
Što si ti?
Tko si ti?
Tko je u torbi?
Što je u torbi?
Što je tvoj prijatelj?
Tko je tvoj prijatelj?
Što god tko kaže...
Što god tko rekao...
Tko god da je to napravio...
Tko god je to napravio...
Što je to što želiš?
Što želiš?
문장 패턴
Tko je ___?
Što je ___?
Tko ___?
Što ___?
Real World Usage
Tko je na slici?
Što radiš?
Tko je odgovoran za ovo?
Što je ovo jelo?
Što je u paketu?
Tko zna odgovor?
Keep it simple
Watch the dialect
Use with 'je'
Be polite
Smart Tips
Always use 'Tko'. Think of it as 'Who'.
Always use 'Što'. Think of it as 'What'.
Use 'Koji' instead of 'Što' when choosing.
Don't worry, 'Tko' and 'Što' don't change!
발음
Tko
Pronounced as one syllable, like 'tkoh'.
Što
Pronounced like 'shtoh'.
Rising intonation
Tko je to↗?
Standard question intonation.
암기하기
기억법
Tko sounds like 'Talk-o' (people talk), Što sounds like 'Sto' (a table is a thing).
시각적 연상
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.
Word Web
챌린지
Point at 5 things and 5 people in your room and ask 'Što je to?' or 'Tko je to?' out loud.
문화 노트
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.
대화 시작하기
Tko je tvoj najbolji prijatelj?
Što je tvoja omiljena hrana?
Tko je najpoznatija osoba u Hrvatskoj?
Što bi promijenio u svom gradu?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Test Yourself
___ je to?
___ je u torbi?
Find and fix the mistake:
Što je tvoj brat?
to / je / Tko / ?
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Can you use 'Što' for a person?
A: ___ radiš? B: Čitam knjigu.
___ je tvoj učitelj?
Score: /8
연습 문제
8 exercises___ je to?
___ je u torbi?
Find and fix the mistake:
Što je tvoj brat?
to / je / Tko / ?
Tko je to? / Što je to?
Can you use 'Što' for a person?
A: ___ radiš? B: Čitam knjigu.
___ je tvoj učitelj?
Score: /8
자주 묻는 질문 (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
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
quién / qué
Spanish has gendered forms for 'quién' in plural (quiénes), while 'tko' is invariant.
qui / quoi
French word order is more rigid in questions compared to Croatian.
wer / was
German pronouns decline for case (wer/wen/wem) much more strictly than the basic A1 Croatian forms.
dare / nani
Japanese question words are placed in the sentence differently due to SOV structure.
man / mā
Arabic interrogatives are often attached to the verb or used with specific particles.
shéi / shénme
Chinese does not change word order for questions; it adds a particle at the end.
