This four-word proverb is one of the cleanest A2 patterns in Croatian: a perfectly symmetrical "what kind … such a kind" frame with no verb at all. It teaches the kakav…takav correlative, shows how those two words must agree with their nouns, and demonstrates the zero copula that lets Croatian draw an equation between two halves without saying "is." Master this template and you can build a whole family of comparisons — kakav X, takav Y — on your own.
The proverb
Kakav otac, takav sin.
What kind of father, such a son. (Like father, like son.)
Word by word
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| kakav | what kind of / what sort of | interrogative/relative adjective; masc. sg. here, agreeing with otac |
| otac | father | masculine singular noun |
| takav | such / that kind of | demonstrative adjective answering kakav; masc. sg., agreeing with sin |
| sin | son | masculine singular noun |
The literal order is "What-kind father, such son" — and there is no verb anywhere. The comma marks the hinge between the two parallel halves: the first half (kakav otac) sets up a type, the second half (takav sin) matches it. The understood meaning is "whatever kind the father [is], that same kind the son [is]."
What it means and when to say it
The proverb means that children resemble their parents — in character, habits, looks, or fate. The son turns out like the father. It is neutral and proverbial, fine in any register, and is the exact Croatian counterpart of English "like father, like son" and "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
Use it when a child clearly mirrors a parent — usually said with a knowing smile, sometimes approving, sometimes resigned. The frame is productive: swap the nouns and adjectives to fit any pair (mother/daughter, teacher/pupil).
Ima isti smisao za humor kao i tata — kakav otac, takav sin.
He has the same sense of humour as his dad — like father, like son.
I on je postao liječnik, baš kao i njegov otac. Kakav otac, takav sin.
He became a doctor too, just like his father. Like father, like son.
Kakva majka, takva kći — obje su tvrdoglave do kraja.
Like mother, like daughter — both of them are stubborn to the core.
Grammar focus 1: the kakav…takav correlative
The proverb is built on the kakav…takav correlative pair, one of Croatian's matched "question-word / pointing-word" couples. kakav asks or relativises "what kind/sort of?", and takav answers it: "such, that kind." Put them in parallel and you get the meaning "whatever kind … that same kind." The structure is symmetrical and self-contained: kakav sets a quality, takav echoes it.
These pairs run all through Croatian. Alongside kakav…takav ("what kind … such") you meet koliko…toliko ("how much … that much") and tko…taj ("whoever … that one"). Recognising the k-word / t-word rhyme is the quickest way to spot a correlative: the k- member questions, the t- member points back.
Kakvo pitanje, takav odgovor.
As is the question, so is the answer. (kakvo/takav neuter→masc., each agreeing with its noun)
Kakav je bio dan, takvo je i raspoloženje.
As the day was, so is the mood. (here a verb appears; the correlative still pairs kakav…takvo)
Grammar focus 2: agreement of kakav and takav
Both kakav and takav are adjectival words: they decline like adjectives and must agree with their noun in gender, number, and case. In the proverb both nouns are masculine singular (otac, sin), so we get the masculine singular forms kakav and takav. Change the noun and both words change with it:
| Noun | "what kind" | "such" | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| otac (m. sg.) | kakav | takav | kakav otac, takav sin |
| majka (f. sg.) | kakva | takva | kakva majka, takva kći |
| dijete (n. sg.) | kakvo | takvo | kakvo dijete, takvo ponašanje |
| roditelji (m. pl.) | kakvi | takvi | kakvi roditelji, takva djeca |
This is the same agreement machinery as any Croatian adjective, just applied to a question-word and its answer. Get the gender of the noun right and the endings of kakav/takav follow automatically.
Kakva kuća, takav i namještaj.
Like the house, so is the furniture. (kakva/takav each agree with their feminine/masculine noun)
Grammar focus 3: the verbless parallel (zero copula)
There is no verb in Kakav otac, takav sin — and that is deliberate, not abbreviation. Croatian routinely drops the linking verb in equational and descriptive statements, especially in proverbs, headlines, and aphorisms. The understood structure is "[whatever kind is] the father, [such is] the son," with the present tense of biti ("to be") simply left out. The comma does the work the missing verb would have done, balancing the two halves.
This zero copula is one of the first Croatian habits to internalise. While a full sentence can use je / su ("is" / "are"), short proverbial equations leave them out entirely. The parallel rhythm — kakav X, takav Y — is itself the grammar; nothing else is needed to say "as X is, so is Y."
Kakav posao, takva i plaća.
Such work, such pay. (no verb — the two halves balance across the comma)
Kakvo sjeme, takav i plod.
As the seed, so the fruit. (zero copula; the comma marks the hinge)
How this differs from English
Three contrasts stand out. First, agreement: English "like father, like son" never changes shape, but Croatian kakav/takav must agree in gender and number — kakva majka, takva kći for females, kakvi roditelji for a plural. Second, the correlative frame: English uses the bare formula "like X, like Y," whereas Croatian uses a genuine question-word/answer-word pair (kakav…takav) that you could expand into a full relative sentence. Third, no articles and no verb: Croatian drops both "a/the" and "is," so four words carry what English needs five or more to say.
Common Mistakes
❌ Kakav majka, takva kći.
Wrong gender on kakav — majka is feminine, so it must be kakva, not the masculine kakav.
✅ Kakva majka, takva kći.
Like mother, like daughter.
❌ Koji otac, taki sin.
Wrong words — the correlative for 'what kind … such' is kakav…takav; koji means 'which', and 'taki' isn't standard.
✅ Kakav otac, takav sin.
Like father, like son.
❌ Kakav otac, takav su sin.
Don't insert a verb (and a plural one at that) — the proverb is verbless, and the subject is singular anyway.
✅ Kakav otac, takav sin.
Like father, like son.
❌ Takav otac, kakav sin.
Halves reversed — the k-word (kakav) sets the quality first, then the t-word (takav) answers it, not the other way round.
✅ Kakav otac, takav sin.
Like father, like son.
Key Takeaways
- kakav…takav is a correlative pair: the k-word questions ("what kind"), the t-word answers ("such"). Keep that order.
- Both words decline like adjectives and must agree with their noun in gender, number, and case: kakav otac, kakva majka, kakvo dijete, kakvi roditelji.
- The proverb is verbless (zero copula): the comma balances the two halves; add je/su only for a full sentence.
- The frame is productive — swap nouns and adjectives to make your own kakav X, takav Y comparisons.
- Meaning: children take after their parents — "like father, like son / the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
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Start learning Croatian→Related Topics
- Interrogative Pronouns: tko, što, kojiA1 — Question pronouns 'who', 'what', 'which' and their cases.
- Adjective AgreementA1 — How adjectives match nouns in gender, number, and case.
- Verbless and Nominal SentencesB2 — Where Croatian drops the copula — headlines, labels, proverbs, definitions and exclamations — and why je/su is otherwise required, unlike in Russian.
- Using ovaj, taj, onaj in PracticeA2 — Pointing at things and referring back in conversation.
- Proverb: Svaka ptica svome jatu letiB1 — A grammatical close reading of Svaka ptica svome jatu leti (birds of a feather flock together) — the distributive svaka with a singular noun and verb, the dative of goal svome jatu, the reflexive-possessive svoj, and the gnomic present leti.