The Vocative Case
When speaking directly to someone—like getting their attention or starting a letter—use the vocative case. Noun endings change based on the word's gender and final letters.
Masculine Nouns (-e and -u)
Most masculine nouns take the ending -e.
Formal adjectives like poštovani (respected) match the gender of the person you are addressing.
Masculine nouns ending in a palatal consonant (like j, lj, nj, č, ć, š, or ž) take -u. For example, prijatelj (friend) becomes prijatelju.
Feminine Nouns (-o and -e)
For most feminine nouns, the final -a changes to -o. For example, kuma (godmother) becomes kumo.
Feminine nouns ending in -ica (often professions) change to -ice. For example, konobarica becomes konobarice and doktorica becomes doktorice.
Feminine titles can be paired with the respectful adjective poštovana. Nouns like gospođa (madam) follow the standard rule and become gospođo.
Terms of Endearment
The vocative is frequently used with terms of endearment and the possessive adjective moj/moja (my).
Watch out for slight stem changes. The masculine noun anđeo (angel) drops its final vowel to become anđele.
Feminine terms of endearment like sreća (happiness/dear) and duša (soul/darling) follow the standard rule, changing -a to -o.
