Questions & Answers about Ne znam cijenu kaputa.
Why does the word kaput (coat) have an -a at the end?
This is the genitive case, which we often use to say "of" something. Because kaput is a masculine noun, it takes the -a ending in the genitive singular. Because of this, cijenu kaputa translates to "the price of the coat".
Why is the word for price written as cijenu instead of its dictionary form cijena?
Cijena is a feminine noun. In this sentence, it is the direct object of the verb znam (it is the thing you do not know). This puts it in the accusative case. Feminine nouns that end in -a change their ending to -u in the accusative.
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
The verb znam already means "I know" (from the infinitive znati). In Croatian, subject pronouns like ja (I) are usually dropped unless you want to put special emphasis on who is doing the action.
Are there no words for "the" in this sentence?
Correct! Croatian does not use articles like "a" or "the". The phrase cijenu kaputa literally means "price of coat", but in English, we naturally add "the" to make it "the price of the coat".