C1 M1 L4 Grammar
1 | Modul 1: Gramatika
Moje ime je Bond, James Bond
1 | 1 | Lekcija 4: Kako ste?
| Gender of Nouns (Plural)
M A S C U L I N E ( Ø → -i ) | |||
Ovo je... | Ovo su... | ||
automobil | automobili | ||
F E M I N I N E ( -a → -e ) | |||
Ovo je... | Ovo su... | ||
knjiga | knjige | ||
N E U T E R ( -o → -a ) | |||
Ovo je... | Ovo su... | ||
ogledalo | ogledala | ||
N E U T E R ( -e → -a ) | |||
Ovo je... | Ovo su… | ||
polje | polja | ||
The majority of masculine nouns end in a consonant, and when they are pluralized, they get the ending -i (automobil → automobili). | |
Feminine nouns that end in -a in the singular form, when pluralized, will take the ending -e (knjiga → knjige). | |
Neuter words that have the ending -o or -e in their singular form get the ending -a when pluralized (ogledalo → ogledala; polje → polja). |
1.1 Zadatak 15. Množina
What is the plural form of the following nouns? Choose the correct answer from the drop/down list.
| More about the verb “BITI”
Let’s refresh our memory about the verb biti. The verb biti is a very common verb in Croatian. In the Present Tense it has two forms, a stressed and unstressed form. However, for now we will look only at its unstressed form.
pronoun | verb biti | English | pronoun | verb biti | English |
ja | sam | I am | mi | smo | we are |
ti | si | you are | vi | ste | you all are; You formal |
on/ona/ono | je | he/se/it is | oni/one/ona | su | they are |
For short sentences, when saying that you are (a student, an instructor) you always need to use a pronoun before the verb. You can only say: Ja sam student (studentica)… Ti si student (studentica). You cannot say: Sam student.
1.1 Zadatak 16. Ovo su ljudi i stvari
Sentences are in singular and plural form. Choose the most logical word to finish the sentences below.
1.1 Zadatak 17. Stvari
Help James identify what he has in his apartment. Look at the picture and place (write down) all of the plural items in the correct category below.
Example:
Ovo je moj mobitel. Ovo su moji mobiteli.
Ovo je moja gitara. Ovo su moje gitare.
1.1 Zadatak 18. Tko su oni?
Drag the answers to the appropriate blanks.
1.1 Zadatak 19. Prijatelji
Read the following sentences and drag the words to the appropriate blanks.
| Formal communication
| TI or VI: Informal and Formal Forms of Addressing
Deciding which of these forms you need depends on context and the relationship of the people involved, and it may take you some time to get used to making this distinction. When talking to one person, which form to use: ti or Vi?
Generally, use ti | |
1 | with a family member |
2 | with a close friend or peer (like another student) |
3 | with a child |
Generally, use Vi | |
1 | with a person in authority |
2 | with a stranger (adult) |
3 | with a person you don't know well |
4 | with the elderly |
*Note: as you can see, in writing, when referring to someone in a formal way, you need to use the pronoun [you all] with the capital “V” – Vi.
Kako se ti zoveš? | Kako se vi zovete? | Kako se Vi zovete? |
What if you are addressing more than one person?
If you are talking with more than one person, always use vi (lowercase ‘v’). In this instance ‘vi’ would be the equivalent of «you all» -- or «y'all» in parts of the US .
To summarize:
When addressing one person, you will need to choose between the formal Vi or informal ti. When speaking to an adult, it is better to start off with the formal Vi. Since you will not offend anyone by being overly polite, it is always better to start your conversation by using Vi. If formality seems unnecessary, the native speaker may suggest switching to ti. They may say, Prijeđimo na ti. This is one of the phrases that Croats will say when they want to switch to informal language with you.
1.1 Zadatak 20. Kako se kaže?
Look at the pictures and choose the most appropriate corresponding question(s) to it. More than one answer might be possible.
Images used in this document are from these sources.
