Breakdown of Ne mogu kuhati jer nema ulja.
ne
no, not
jer
because
kuhati
to cook
moći
can
nema
there is no
ulje
oil
Questions & Answers about Ne mogu kuhati jer nema ulja.
Why is it ulja instead of ulje?
The base word for oil is ulje. However, after the word nema (meaning there is no), Croatian requires the following noun to be in the genitive case. For neuter nouns like ulje, the genitive ending is -a, making it ulja.
Does nema mean 'there is no' or 'he does not have'?
It can mean both! Nema is the negative form of ima (he/she/it has). But just like ima is used to say 'there is', nema is used to say 'there is no' or 'there isn't any'. When used to mean 'there is no', it always forces the next word into the genitive case.
Why is kuhati in its dictionary form (infinitive)?
Because it comes after the modal verb mogu (I can). When you say you can or cannot do something in Croatian, the main action word stays in the infinitive form, very similar to how it works in English.
How do we know who cannot cook if the word ja (I) isn't in the sentence?
The verb form mogu is specifically the 'I' form of the verb moći (to be able to). Since the verb itself already tells us who is doing the action, the pronoun ja is usually dropped unless you want to add special emphasis.
Learn Ne mogu kuhati jer nema ulja and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free