B1 · Intermediate Chapter 32

Relative Clauses: Connecting Ideas with 'Who' and 'Which'

6 Total Rules
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Transform your simple sentences into fluid, sophisticated Croatian narratives using relative clauses.

  • Identify the correct relative pronoun based on noun gender and case.
  • Combine simple sentences using 'koji', 'što', and 'tko'.
  • Apply correct punctuation rules to define or describe nouns.
Connect your thoughts with precision and grace.

What You'll Learn

Master the use of relative pronouns (tko, što, koji) to form relative clauses. This allows you to combine sentences and provide more detailed information about nouns.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Construct complex sentences using 'koji' to describe people and objects.

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

Check the Noun

Always look at the noun before 'koji'. Its gender and number dictate the form of 'koji'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Introduction to Relative Clauses
💡

Check the Noun

Before you write 'koji', look at the noun it modifies. Is it masculine? Feminine? Neuter? That's your first step.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronoun 'Koji' (Which, Who, That)
💡

Check the Case

Always identify the case of the noun first. It will tell you which form of 'koji' to use.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Declension of 'Koji' (Gender, Number, Case Agreement)
💡

The Comma Rule

Always put a comma before 'što' when it introduces a relative clause. It's a hallmark of good Croatian writing.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronoun 'Što' (What, That)

Key Vocabulary (6)

koji which/who tko who što what/that rečenica sentence imenica noun zarez comma

Real-World Preview

coffee

Meeting a New Friend

Review Summary

  • Noun + koji/koja/koje + verb

Common Mistakes

Use 'tko' for people when the antecedent is missing or general.

Wrong: Čovjek koji radi...
Correct: Čovjek tko radi...

Gender agreement failure. Knjiga is feminine.

Wrong: Knjiga koji čitam.
Correct: Knjiga koju čitam.

Accusative case confusion for inanimate objects.

Wrong: Grad kojeg volim
Correct: Grad koji volim

Next Steps

You've mastered the art of connection! Keep practicing these structures in your daily writing.

Read a Croatian news article and highlight all relative pronouns.

Continue to: Conditional Sentences (Type I): Real Possibilities

Quick Practice (10)

Fill in the correct form of 'tko'.

Onaj ___ uči, taj i zna.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: tko
The subject of the clause is needed, so we use the nominative 'tko'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronoun 'Tko' (Who)

Choose the correct case after the preposition.

To je ono o ___ razmišljam.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: čemu
The preposition 'o' (about) requires the locative case 'čemu'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronoun 'Što' (What, That)

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Žena koji radi je ovdje.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Žena koja radi
Gender agreement.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Declension of 'Koji' (Gender, Number, Case Agreement)

Correct the case of 'tko'.

Find and fix the mistake:

Tko se ne sviđa ovaj film, neka izađe.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kome
The verb 'sviđati se' requires the dative case.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronoun 'Tko' (Who)

Find the error in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

On puno radi koji je dobro.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: koji
Should be 'što' because it refers to the fact that he works a lot.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronoun 'Što' (What, That)

Fill in the blank.

Ovo je prijateljica s ___ idem na kavu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kojom
Instrumental case after 's'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronoun 'Koji' (Which, Who, That)

Choose the correct form.

Knjiga ___ čitam je dobra.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: koju
Accusative feminine.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Declension of 'Koji' (Gender, Number, Case Agreement)

Correct the error in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Žena koji radi je moja sestra.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Žena koja radi je moja sestra.
Gender agreement.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Introduction to Relative Clauses

Correct the mistake.

Find and fix the mistake:

To je grad u koji živim.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: To je grad u kojem živim.
Locative case is needed.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronoun 'Koji' (Which, Who, That)

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Auto koji vozim je brz.
Auto is masculine.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronoun 'Koji' (Which, Who, That)

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

Use 'koji' to modify a noun (relative clause). Use 'da' to connect a verb to a clause (e.g., 'Želim da dođeš').
Yes, it changes based on gender, number, and case.
No, you must match the gender and number of the noun. Also, use 'što' for abstract concepts.
Croatian is a case-based language. The pronoun must reflect the grammatical role it plays in the sentence.
It changes to match the noun's gender, number, and case.
Look at the role of the noun in the relative clause.
Next Chapter
Conditional Sentences (Type I): Real Possibilities
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