Expressing Origin (iz)
To say where someone is from or that something is taken out of a container, use the preposition iz followed by the genitive case.
Regular feminine nouns (which typically end in -a) form the genitive by changing -a to -e. This applies to many countries:
- Hrvatska (Croatia) becomes Hrvatske
- Amerika (America) becomes Amerike
| Where are you from? We are from Croatia. | Odakle ste? Mi smo iz Hrvatske. |
| They are from America, and not from Croatia. | Oni su iz Amerike, a ne iz Hrvatske. |
This rule applies equally to countries like Njemačka (Germany) and Italija (Italy):
| This car is from Germany, and not from Italy. | Ovaj automobil je iz Njemačke, a ne iz Italije. |
Expressing Materials (od)
To describe what an object is made of, use the preposition od (of/from). This also takes the genitive.
For feminine materials like koža (leather) or plastika (plastic), continue using the -e ending:
| This jacket is made of leather. | Ova jakna je od kože. |
Masculine nouns (ending in a consonant) and neuter nouns (ending in -o) take an -a ending in the genitive:
- staklo (glass) becomes stakla
- zlato (gold) becomes zlata
| This glass is made of glass, and not of plastic. | Ova čaša je od stakla, a ne od plastike. |
| Your watch is made of gold. | Tvoj sat je od zlata. |
Receiving Things From People
The preposition od is also used to express receiving something from a person. The same genitive rules apply: feminine nouns like majka (mother) take -e, while masculine nouns like brat (brother) take -a.
| Is that a letter from mother? | Je li to pismo od majke? |
Putting It All Together
Combine these prepositions to add more detail. Use iz for geographical origin or moving "out of" a container, and od for source, possession, or material.
| Can you drink water out of a glass made of plastic? | Možete li piti vodu iz čaše od plastike? |
| This is a gift from the brother from Germany. | Ovo je poklon od brata iz Njemačke. |
