In Croatian, verbs dictate the case of the objects that follow them. While many verbs take the accusative case for their direct objects, a specific group of verbs requires their objects to be in the genitive case.
Notice that all the verbs in this lesson are reflexive—they are accompanied by the short word se.
Being afraid and remembering
When you express fear of something using bojati se (to be afraid of), the thing you fear takes the genitive case.
| My sister is very afraid of heights. | Sestra mi se jako boji visine. |
| We were all afraid of insects in childhood. | Svi smo se u djetinjstvu bojali kukaca. |
The same rule applies to the verb sjećati se (to remember). The person or thing you are remembering is put into the genitive case.
| Do you remember that children's film? | Sjećaš li se onog dječjeg filma? |
| I really don't remember that clown. | Stvarno se ne sjećam tog klauna. |
Being ashamed and giving things up
Other common reflexive verbs that require the genitive include sramiti se (to be ashamed of) and odreći se (to give up possession or rights to something).
| My brother was ashamed of his tears. | Brat mi se sramio svojih suza. |
| It is hard to give up an old teddy bear. | Teško je odreći se starog medvjedića. |
Beware!
If you want to warn someone to "beware of" or "watch out for" something, use the verb čuvati se. Just like the others, the danger they are avoiding must also be in the genitive case.
| Beware of that scary clown. | Čuvaj se onog strašnog klauna. |
| Beware of those big insects in the forest. | Čuvajte se onih velikih kukaca u šumi. |
