Omitting Relative Pronouns (When possible)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In Croatian, you can't just drop relative pronouns; you must transform the whole clause into a participle or adjective to 'omit' them.
- Replace 'koji' + verb with a present participle (-ući) for active, ongoing actions: 'Dječak koji trči' becomes 'Trčeći dječak'.
- Use passive participles (-n, -t) to replace 'koji' in passive contexts: 'Knjiga koja je pročitana' becomes 'Pročitana knjiga'.
- Use apposition (noun + noun) to omit 'koji je': 'Moj brat, koji je liječnik' becomes 'Moj brat, liječnik'.
Transforming 'Koji' Clauses into Participles
| Original Clause | Participle Type | Reduced Form | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
|
koji trči
|
Present Active
|
trčeći
|
running
|
|
koji spava
|
Present Active
|
spavajući
|
sleeping
|
|
koji je kupljen
|
Passive
|
kupljen
|
bought
|
|
koji je slomljen
|
Passive
|
slomljen
|
broken
|
|
nakon što je vidio
|
Past Active
|
vidjevši
|
having seen
|
|
nakon što je rekao
|
Past Active
|
rekavši
|
having said
|
Apposition (Noun + Noun)
| Full Relative Clause | Appositive (Omitted Pronoun) | Context |
|---|---|---|
|
Moj brat, koji je liječnik
|
Moj brat liječnik
|
Family/Profession
|
|
Zagreb, koji je glavni grad
|
Zagreb, glavni grad
|
Geography
|
|
Film koji je horor
|
Horor film
|
Genre
|
|
Prijatelj koji je Nijemac
|
Prijatelj Nijemac
|
Nationality
|
Meanings
The process of simplifying complex sentences by removing the relative pronoun 'koji' (who/which/that) and converting the subordinate clause into a participle or appositive phrase.
Present Participle Reduction
Replacing a relative clause describing an ongoing action with the 'glagolski prilog sadašnji' (-ući).
“Djevojka koja pjeva je moja sestra.”
“Pjevajuća djevojka je moja sestra.”
Passive Participle Reduction
Replacing a relative clause in the passive voice with a passive adjective (glagolski pridjev trpni).
“Pismo koje je napisano jučer je na stolu.”
“Jučer napisano pismo je na stolu.”
Appositive Omission
Removing 'koji je/su' when the relative clause simply defines the noun's role or identity.
“Zagreb, koji je glavni grad Hrvatske, je predivan.”
“Zagreb, glavni grad Hrvatske, je predivan.”
Reference Table
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Active (Ongoing)
|
Noun + [Verb-ući]
|
Djevojka pjevajući šeće (The girl walks singing)
|
|
Passive (Result)
|
[Verb-n/t] + Noun
|
Otvorena knjiga (The opened book)
|
|
Past (Sequence)
|
[Verb-vši], [Main Clause]
|
Vidjevši ga, pobjegla je (Having seen him, she ran)
|
|
Apposition
|
Noun, [Noun Phrase],
|
Split, grad pod Marjanom... (Split, the city under Marjan...)
|
|
Negative Active
|
Ne + [Verb-ući]
|
Ne znajući što učiniti... (Not knowing what to do...)
|
|
Negative Passive
|
Ne + [Verb-n/t]
|
Nepročitano pismo (An unread letter)
|
औपचारिकता का स्तर
Čovjek zaposlen na tom mjestu moj je otac. (Family introduction)
Čovjek koji tamo radi je moj tata. (Family introduction)
Onaj tip što tamo radi, to mi je stari. (Family introduction)
Onaj lik tamo, to mi je fater. (Family introduction)
Ways to Omit 'Koji'
Participles
- trčeći running
- kupljen bought
Apposition
- brat liječnik brother doctor
Adjectives
- zanimljiv interesting
Can I omit the pronoun?
Is it English?
Can you use a participle?
स्तर के अनुसार उदाहरण
Ovo je pas koji trči.
This is the dog that is running.
To je žena koja radi ovdje.
That is the woman who works here.
Imam knjigu koja je nova.
I have a book that is new.
Gdje je dečko koji pjeva?
Where is the boy who is singing?
Vidio sam čovjeka kojeg poznaješ.
I saw the man (whom) you know.
Ovo je kuća u kojoj živim.
This is the house in which I live.
Tražim torbu koja je crvena.
I am looking for the bag that is red.
Oni su ljudi koji vole sport.
They are people who love sports.
Pročitana knjiga je na polici.
The read book is on the shelf.
Izgubljeni ključevi su pronađeni.
The lost keys have been found.
Zatvorena vrata znače da nema nikoga.
Closed doors mean no one is there.
Kupio sam auto proizveden u Njemačkoj.
I bought a car produced in Germany.
Plačuće dijete je tražilo majku.
The crying child was looking for its mother.
Završivši večeru, gosti su otišli.
Having finished dinner, the guests left.
Gledajući film, zaspao je na kauču.
Watching the film, he fell asleep on the couch.
On je pisac, dobitnik mnogih nagrada.
He is a writer, winner of many awards.
Uzevši u obzir sve činjenice, odlučili smo.
Taking all facts into account, we decided.
Nadolazeći praznici donose radost.
The upcoming holidays bring joy.
Riječi izrečene u ljutnji bole.
Words spoken in anger hurt.
Brod, nošen vjetrom, brzo je plovio.
The ship, carried by the wind, sailed fast.
Ne htijući nikoga uvrijediti, šutio je.
Not wanting to offend anyone, he remained silent.
Sveopće prihvaćena norma se mijenja.
The universally accepted norm is changing.
On je čovjek vazda tražeći istinu.
He is a man always seeking the truth.
Zadatak, premda težak, bio je riješen.
The task, although difficult, was solved.
आसानी से भ्रमित होने वाले
Learners often use 'što' as a universal relative pronoun, but 'koji' is required for specific nouns in standard Croatian.
Some participles have become pure adjectives (e.g., 'vruć' - hot), while others remain verbal.
Learners mix up -ući (while) and -vši (after).
सामान्य गलतियाँ
Čovjek vidim je visok.
Čovjek kojeg vidim je visok.
Knjiga čitam je dobra.
Knjiga koju čitam je dobra.
Auto kupio sam je brz.
Auto koji sam kupio je brz.
Prijatelj živi u Splitu.
Prijatelj koji živi u Splitu.
Vidio sam pjevajući žena.
Vidio sam pjevajuću ženu.
To je kupljen auto.
To je kupljeni auto.
Oni su trčeći ljudi.
Oni su ljudi koji trče.
Završio posao, otišao je.
Završivši posao, otišao je.
Knjiga pisana od Marka.
Knjiga koju je napisao Marko.
Čovjek koji spavajući...
Čovjek koji spava...
Budući viđen, pobjegao je.
Nakon što je viđen, pobjegao je.
S obzirom na rečeno...
S obzirom na ono što je rečeno...
वाक्य संरचनाएँ
___ (Participle) čovjek nikada ne spava.
To je ___ (Passive Participle) pismo.
Moj prijatelj, ___ (Profession), živi u Zagrebu.
___ (Past Participle), otišao je iz sobe.
Real World Usage
Pronađen nestali dječak (Missing boy found)
Ja sam osoba željna učenja (I am a person eager for learning)
Evo me, dolazim! (Here I am, coming!)
Gore navedeni primjeri pokazuju... (The above-mentioned examples show...)
Nasjeckani luk popržite... (Fry the chopped onion...)
Očaravajući pogled na more (Enchanting view of the sea)
The 'Koji' Count
Don't Just Drop It
Apposition is Easy
Formal vs. Informal
Smart Tips
Just delete 'koji je' and put the adjective before the noun.
Use a past participle (-vši) to start a sentence and show the sequence of events.
Turn the second verb into a present participle (-ući).
Use apposition instead of a relative clause.
उच्चारण
Participle Stress
Present participles (-ući) usually have a long-rising accent on the syllable before the suffix.
Apposition Pause
In apposition, there is a slight drop in pitch and a brief pause (comma) before and after the appositive noun.
Reduced Clause Intonation
Trčeći dječak je pao. (Falling intonation on 'pao')
The participle is treated as a single rhythmic unit with the noun.
याद करें
स्मृति सहायक
Koji stays unless you change the play: turn the verb to an adjective today!
दृश्य संबंध
Imagine a bridge (the relative pronoun 'koji') connecting two islands. To 'omit' the bridge, you must turn one island into a boat (the participle) that floats over to the other island.
Rhyme
If 'koji' feels like too much weight, a participle makes it great!
Story
A busy journalist named Marko was tired of writing 'koji' in every sentence. He decided to fire 'Koji' and hire 'Participle' and 'Apposition' to do the work faster and with fewer words.
Word Web
चैलेंज
Take 5 sentences from a news article and try to remove every 'koji' by using a participle or apposition.
सांस्कृतिक नोट्स
Standard Croatian encourages the use of participles in literature to avoid the 'koji-disease' (overuse of relative clauses).
In coastal regions, people often use 'što' instead of 'koji' in all cases, and they rarely use formal participles in speech.
Croatian news anchors use apposition constantly to save time and sound authoritative.
Croatian participles originate from Proto-Slavic verbal adjectives and adverbs.
बातचीत की शुरुआत
Što misliš o ljudima koji stalno kasne?
Možeš li mi opisati svoj omiljeni pročitani film?
Poznaješ li nekog poznatog sportaša, recimo nogometaša?
Što bi učinio vidjevši medvjeda u šumi?
डायरी विषय
सामान्य गलतियाँ
Test Yourself
___ dječak je moj sin.
___ knjiga je bila dosadna.
Find and fix the mistake:
Vidio sam čovjek trči.
___, otišao je.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
In Croatian, you can omit 'koji' without changing any other words in the sentence.
A: Gdje je tvoj brat? B: Moj brat ___, radi u bolnici.
A: Trčeći, B: Kupljen, C: Spavajući, D: Slomljen
Score: /8
अभ्यास प्रश्न
8 exercises___ dječak je moj sin.
___ knjiga je bila dosadna.
Find and fix the mistake:
Vidio sam čovjek trči.
___, otišao je.
1. Žena koja pjeva, 2. Auto koji je kupljen, 3. Prijatelj koji je doktor
In Croatian, you can omit 'koji' without changing any other words in the sentence.
A: Gdje je tvoj brat? B: Moj brat ___, radi u bolnici.
A: Trčeći, B: Kupljen, C: Spavajući, D: Slomljen
Score: /8
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (8)
No. In Croatian, the relative pronoun is mandatory unless you change the entire structure of the clause into a participle or apposition.
Using the passive participle (e.g., `kupljena stvar` instead of `stvar koja je kupljena`) is extremely common in daily life.
In informal speech, yes. But it doesn't 'omit' the pronoun; it just uses a different one.
Avoid participles if the relative clause is very long or contains many details. It makes the sentence too 'heavy' and hard to follow.
Yes! They act exactly like adjectives. `Pjevajući dječak` (masculine) but `Pjevajuća djevojka` (feminine).
It can be both. `Moj brat liječnik` is neutral, while `Zagreb, prijestolnica Hrvatske` is more formal.
It's a past participle meaning 'having done something.' It's mostly used in formal writing.
Yes, in some cases like `Vidio sam ga da trči` (I saw him running) instead of `Vidio sam ga koji trči` (which is wrong anyway).
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Zero Relative Pronoun
English drops words; Croatian changes word forms.
Participio / Que
Spanish cannot use present participles (-ando/-iendo) as adjectives like Croatian can (-ući).
Relativpronomen / Partizipialattribute
German participle phrases can be much longer and more complex than Croatian ones.
Relative Clauses (No Pronoun)
In Japanese, this is the *only* way to do it; in Croatian, it's an advanced stylistic choice.
Sifat / Aladhi
Arabic omission depends on the noun's definiteness.
De (的) construction
Chinese word order is fixed (modifier before noun), while Croatian is more flexible.
