Plural Adjectives
Adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe. When a noun becomes plural, the adjective changes its ending to match both gender and number.
The Fleeting "a"
Many dictionary forms (masculine singular) of adjectives end in -an or -ak. When you add a plural ending, the final a before the last consonant usually disappears.
| smart | pametan |
Keep this rule in mind when words like pametan (smart) become pametni in the plural.
Masculine Plural
For plural masculine nouns, the adjective ends in -i.
| They are smart students. | Oni su pametni studenti. |
| New cars are fast. | Novi automobili su brzi. |
Feminine Plural
For plural feminine nouns, the adjective ends in -e.
| Women are smart. | Žene su pametne. |
| Birds are fast. | Ptice su brze. |
Neuter Plural
For plural neuter nouns, the adjective ends in -a. This is the exact same ending as a singular feminine adjective, so rely on the noun to tell which form it is.
| Your questions are bad. | Vaša pitanja su loša. |
| Those are important questions. | To su važna pitanja. |
The Fleeting "a" in Action
Notice how adjectives like prazan (empty) and kratak (short) drop their "a" when describing plural nouns:
| The streets are empty today. | Danas su ulice prazne. |
| These letters are short. | Ova pisma su kratka. |
Summary
Here is a quick reference for how a regular adjective changes across the three genders in the plural:
| Masculine (-i) | Feminine (-e) | Neuter (-a) |
|---|---|---|
| brzi | brze | brza |
| spori | spore | spora |
| dugi | duge | duga |
| Your letters are long. | Tvoja pisma su duga. |
| These villages are quiet. | Ova sela su tiha. |
