Possessive Determiners
In Croatian, possessive determiners (my, your, his, our, etc.) act like adjectives. They change endings to match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe. For a single item in the nominative (dictionary) case, the endings are highly predictable:
- Masculine nouns pair with the base form (usually ending in a consonant).
- Feminine nouns require an -a ending.
- Neuter nouns require an -o or -e ending.
His and Hers (njegov, njezin)
To say "his", use njegov. For "hers", use njezin. Remember to adapt the ending to match the object being owned, not the owner.
- Masculine: njegov / njezin
- Feminine: njegova / njezina
- Neuter: njegovo / njezino
Ours, Yours, and Theirs (naš, vaš, njihov)
The pattern continues for plural owners:
- naš (our)
- vaš (your — plural or formal)
- njihov (their)
Add -a for feminine nouns (naša, vaša, njihova) and -e or -o for neuter nouns (naše, vaše, njihovo).
Putting It All Together
You now have the complete set of possessive determiners alongside the familiar moj (my) and tvoj (your). Notice how they perfectly match the gender of the nouns they describe.
If the noun is obvious from context, you can drop it and use the possessive determiner on its own as a pronoun (e.g., saying "ours" instead of "our garage"). The gender ending stays exactly the same.
