Cardinal Numbers and Noun Agreement (1-4 vs. 5+)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In Croatian, the number you use changes the form of the noun that follows it.
- 1: Use singular nominative (e.g., 'jedan stol').
- 2, 3, 4: Use genitive singular (e.g., 'dva stola').
- 5+: Use genitive plural (e.g., 'pet stolova').
Number-Noun Agreement Table
| Number | Case | Noun Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Nom. Sing.
|
Base
|
jedan stol
|
|
2-4
|
Gen. Sing.
|
-a
|
dva stola
|
|
5+
|
Gen. Plur.
|
-a/-ova
|
pet stolova
|
Meanings
This rule dictates how nouns must change their endings based on the quantity preceding them.
Basic Counting
Using cardinal numbers to quantify objects.
“Jedan pas.”
“Tri psa.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Number + Noun
|
Imam dva psa.
|
|
Negative
|
Ne + Verb + Number + Noun
|
Nemam dva psa.
|
|
Question
|
Number + Noun + Verb?
|
Imaš li dva psa?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Number + Noun
|
Dva psa.
|
|
Plural
|
5+ + Noun (Gen. Plur.)
|
Pet pasa.
|
|
Singular
|
1 + Noun (Nom. Sing.)
|
Jedan pas.
|
Spectre de formalité
Posjedujem tri jabuke. (General statement)
Imam tri jabuke. (General statement)
Imam tri jabuke. (General statement)
Imam tri jabuke. (General statement)
Number Categories
Singular
- 1 One
Genitive Singular
- 2-4 Two to Four
Genitive Plural
- 5+ Five and above
Exemples par niveau
Imam jedan auto.
I have one car.
Vidim dva psa.
I see two dogs.
Trebam pet jabuka.
I need five apples.
Imam četiri knjige.
I have four books.
Kupio sam tri stola.
I bought three tables.
Ovdje ima šest studenata.
There are six students here.
Imam jednu sestru.
I have one sister.
Vidim četiri čovjeka.
I see four people.
Na stolu su dva telefona.
There are two phones on the table.
Treba nam deset minuta.
We need ten minutes.
Imam tri prijatelja u Zagrebu.
I have three friends in Zagreb.
Kupio sam osam karata.
I bought eight tickets.
U dvorani je bilo dvadeset ljudi.
There were twenty people in the hall.
Imam četiri nova projekta.
I have four new projects.
Potrebno je pet sati rada.
Five hours of work are needed.
Vidim tri velika broda.
I see three big ships.
Napisao sam četiri duga pisma.
I wrote four long letters.
U gradu živi pedeset tisuća stanovnika.
Fifty thousand inhabitants live in the city.
Imam tri vrlo teška zadatka.
I have three very difficult tasks.
Potrebno je šest novih mjera.
Six new measures are needed.
Analizirali smo četiri ključna faktora.
We analyzed four key factors.
Uložili smo stotinu sati u projekt.
We invested one hundred hours in the project.
Postoje tri različita tumačenja.
There are three different interpretations.
Vidjeli smo pet veličanstvenih prizora.
We saw five magnificent scenes.
Facile à confondre
Learners often use nominative for everything.
Learners forget 'jedan' changes gender.
Mixing up 2-4 and 5+.
Erreurs courantes
pet stolovi
pet stolova
dva stolovi
dva stola
jedan stolova
jedan stol
tri stolovi
tri stola
pet knjige
pet knjiga
dva knjiga
dvije knjige
šest prijatelji
šest prijatelja
dvadeset dva stolova
dvadeset dva stola
trideset tri stolovi
trideset tri stola
pedeset pet stolovi
pedeset pet stolova
stotinu ljudi
stotinu ljudi
tisuću stolovi
tisuću stolova
milijun stolovi
milijun stolova
dvije tisuće stolovi
dvije tisuće stolova
Structures de phrases
Imam ___ ___.
Kupio sam ___ ___.
Vidim ___ ___.
Potrebno je ___ ___.
Real World Usage
Molim tri kave.
Trebam pet jabuka.
Vidimo se za dva sata.
Imam četiri godine iskustva.
Imam dvije karte.
Pet novih slika!
Focus on 5+
Don't guess
Use flashcards
Listen to locals
Smart Tips
Always check the last digit of the number.
Use the genitive singular.
Use the nominative singular.
Remember the 5+ rule applies to all numbers ending in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0.
Prononciation
Genitive Plural
The final '-a' is often long and stressed.
Declarative
Imam tri jabuke. ↘
Falling intonation for statements.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
One is alone, two-four are a pair, five and more are a crowd.
Association visuelle
Imagine a single apple (1), then two apples sitting on a plate (2-4), then a giant basket overflowing with apples (5+).
Rhyme
One is base, two-four genitive singular case, five and more genitive plural in your face.
Story
I bought one (jedan) cat. Then I found two (dva) cats. Suddenly, five (pet) cats appeared in my house!
Word Web
Défi
Count everything in your room for 5 minutes using the 1-4 and 5+ rule.
Notes culturelles
In some dialects, the genitive plural is simplified.
Standard Croatian is strictly followed in formal settings.
Often uses older forms for numbers.
Derived from Proto-Slavic numeral systems.
Amorces de conversation
Koliko imaš godina?
Koliko imaš braće?
Koliko sati radiš?
Koliko knjiga čitaš?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
Imam dva ___ (stol).
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Imam četiri stolovi.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
I have five dogs.
Answer starts with: Ima...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
1, 3, 6 knjiga?
Use 'pet' and 'prijatelj'.
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesImam dva ___ (stol).
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Imam četiri stolovi.
jabuke / imam / tri
I have five dogs.
Match 2 and 5.
1, 3, 6 knjiga?
Use 'pet' and 'prijatelj'.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Croatian uses cases to show the relationship between words.
Yes, it applies to all countable nouns.
The last digit determines the case. 22 follows the rule for 2.
No, that is a common mistake.
Yes, it is standard in all registers.
Practice with common nouns first.
Very few, mostly with irregular nouns.
English doesn't have this case system.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
eins, zwei, drei...
Croatian changes noun case based on the number.
un, deux, trois...
Croatian has complex case inflection.
uno, dos, tres...
Croatian uses genitive singular for 2-4.
ichi, ni, san...
Croatian uses direct noun modification.
wahid, ithnan, thalatha...
Arabic rules are even more complex than Croatian.
yi, er, san...
Croatian uses case inflection.
