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Croatian

### The Full Forms of "To Be"

So far, you have seen the short forms of the verb *biti* (to be), such as *sam*, *si*, and *je*. However, Croatian also has full forms:

| Pronoun | Full Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ja | jesam | I am |
| ti | jesi | you are (singular) |
| on / ona / ono | jest | he / she / it is |
| mi | jesmo | we are |
| vi | jeste | you are (plural/formal) |
| oni / one / ona | jesu | they are |

These full forms are essential for three specific situations: asking questions, giving short answers, and adding emphasis.

### Asking and Answering Questions

To ask a yes/no question using the verb "to be", start with the full form of the verb, followed immediately by the question particle *li*.

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When answering "yes" to these questions, you cannot use a short-form verb by itself like you do in standard statements. You must reply using the full form.

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### Adding Emphasis

Finally, you can use the full forms in regular statements to add strong emphasis. This is similar to stressing the verb in English when confirming something or contradicting someone.

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Full verb to be (jesam, jesi)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular pronouns and to be (sam, si, je)

Noun genders (-Ø, -a, -o/-e)

Demonstrative pronouns (ovaj, ova, ovo)

Plural pronouns and to be (smo, ste, su)

Masculine plural nouns (-i)

Feminine plural nouns (-e)

Neuter plural nouns (-a)

Negative verb to be (nisam, nisi)

Yes/no questions (je li)

Wh- questions (tko, gdje)

Formal vs informal address (ti vs Vi)

Regular present tense (-ati)

Regular present tense (-iti)

Regular present tense (-jeti)

Verb negation (ne)

The verb to have (imati / nemati)

Inanimate direct objects

Feminine direct objects (-u)

Plural direct objects (-e, -a)

Accusative pronouns (me, te, ga, ju)

Adjective agreement

Plural adjectives

Accusative adjectives

Numbers 1 to 10 (jedan, dva, tri)

The locative case (-u)

Feminine locative (-i)

The verb to go (ići)

Destination (u, na)

The genitive case (-a)

Accusative pronouns (nas, vas, ga, ih)

Animate masculine accusative (-a)

Adjective agreement for animate masculine (-og, -eg)

The verb can (moći)

The verb must (morati)

The verb to want (htjeti, hoću)

The future tense (ću/ćeš + infinitive)

The past tense: l-participle (radio, radila)

Past tense word order (Prvo sam radio...)

Past tense with plural subjects (-li, -le, -la)

Feminine genitive singular (-e)

Possession and origin (od, iz)

Negative existence (nema)

Numbers 2, 3, and 4

Genitive plural (-a)

Numbers 11 to 20

Past tense negation (nisam)

Past tense questions (jeste li)

Dative singular

Dative pronouns (ti, mu, joj)

Past tense negation (nisam, nisi...)

Double object pronouns (mu ga, ti ju...)

Reflexive verbs (se)

Reflexive clitic word order

Commands and requests (radi, radite)

Plural demonstratives (ovi, ove, ova)

Possessive determiners (moj, naš, njegov)

Greetings (Dobar dan, doviđenja)

The body: Boli me glava

Directions (lijevo, desno, ravno)

There is, there are (ima)

Politeness (molim vas, hvala lijepa)

How you feel (Sviđa mi se)

Counting by tens to 100 (trideset, četrdeset...)

Quantifiers with the genitive case (malo, puno...)

Adjective agreement in the genitive singular (-og, -e)

Adjective agreement in the genitive plural (-ih)

Genitive prepositions (kod, do, bez...)

Asking what kind and which (kakav, koji)

Possessive determiners (njegov, njezin...)

Possessives in the accusative case

The reflexive possessive (svoj)

Indefinite pronouns (netko, nešto, neki)

Negative pronouns (nitko, ništa)

The verb to need (trebati)

Reciprocal verbs (se)

Introduction to verbal aspect

Perfective verbs with prefixes

Perfective verbs with stem changes

Irregular perfective verbs

Aspect in the past tense

Aspect in the future tense

Vehicular motion (voziti se, putovati)

Arrival and departure ('doći', 'otići')

Entering and exiting ('ući', 'izaći')

Singular accompaniment ('s', 'sa')

Plural instrumental nouns (-ima, -ama)

Question	Answer
question particle	li
hungry	gladan
Are you hungry?	Jesi li gladan?
yes	da
Yes, I am.	Da, jesam.
thirsty	žedan
Are they thirsty?	Jesu li oni žedni?
They ARE thirsty.	Oni jesu žedni.
ready	spreman
Are we ready?	Jesmo li mi spremni?
Yes, we are.	Da, jesmo.
sick	bolestan
Are you sick, friend?	Jesi li bolestan, prijatelju?
I AM sick.	Ja jesam bolestan.
sure	siguran
Are you sure?	Jeste li vi sigurni?
no, not	ne
but (strong contrast)	ali
No, but we ARE ready.	Ne, ali jesmo spremni.
busy	zauzet
Are the students busy?	Jesu li studenti zauzeti?
Yes, they are.	Da, jesu.
Are you tired?	Jesi li umoran?
No, but I AM sure.	Ne, ali jesam siguran.
Are you busy today? Yes, I am.	Jesi li danas zauzet? Da, jesam.
Are they hungry? Yes, they are.	Jesu li oni gladni? Da, jesu.
healthy	zdrav
I am healthy.	Ja sam zdrav.
This man is healthy.	Ovaj čovjek je zdrav.
sad	tužan
He is sad.	On je tužan.
The child is sad.	Dijete je tužno.

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