Demonstratives of Quality
To describe a specific type or quality of something, Croatian uses a special set of demonstrative pronouns. Instead of just pointing to a specific "this" or "that" object, they translate to "this kind of" or "that kind of".
There are three main pronouns in this group, which change depending on the concept's distance from the speaker:
- ovakav: this kind of (like this object near me)
- takav: that kind of (like that object near you, or something just mentioned)
- onakav: that kind of (like that object over there, far from both of us)
Like adjectives, these words must agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe.
When the noun is masculine, you use the base forms: ovakav, takav, and onakav.
| I will not wear this kind of coat because it is too modern. | Neću nositi ovakav kaput jer je previše moderan. |
| Sir, why are you using that kind of tone? | Gospodine, zašto koristite takav ton? |
| They will not buy that kind of furniture because it is very old. | Oni neće kupiti onakav namještaj zato što je vrlo star. |
When describing a feminine noun, these pronouns drop the fleeting a in their final syllable and add the feminine ending -a, becoming ovakva, takva, and onakva.
| This kind of fabric is perfect for that dress. | Ovakva tkanina je savršena za onu haljinu. |
| That kind of reaction is complete nonsense. | Takva reakcija je potpuna glupost. |
Because they behave exactly like adjectives, their endings change depending on their role in the sentence (the case) and whether the noun is plural.
For example, when a feminine noun is the direct object (Accusative case), the demonstrative ending changes to -u:
| I do not expect such a reaction from him. | Od njega ne očekujem takvu reakciju. |
For feminine plural direct objects, the ending becomes -e:
| She will not tolerate that kind of nonsense. | Ona neće trpjeti takve gluposti. |
You can easily contrast different styles or qualities by using more than one demonstrative of quality in the same sentence. You do not even need to repeat the noun if it is clear from context:
| This kind of style is beautiful, but that kind is bad. | Ovakav stil je lijep, ali onakav je loš. |
| I like this kind of style, but I do not want that kind of pattern. | Sviđa mi se ovakav stil, ali ne želim onakav uzorak. |
