Breakdown of Nisu ju našli u sobi.
soba
room
nisam
am not (nisi, nije, nismo, niste, nisu)
ju
her (accusative clitic)
u
in, into
naći
to find
Questions & Answers about Nisu ju našli u sobi.
Why does this sentence use ju for "her" instead of je?
Both ju and je are short (clitic) pronouns for "her" in the accusative case. While je is more common overall, ju is traditionally used to avoid repeating the word when the verb je ("is") is also in the sentence. Even though there is no je ("is") in this exact sentence, ju is still completely correct and frequently used.
Could I change the order and say Nisu našli ju u sobi?
No, because ju is a clitic (a "short" pronoun). Clitics are unstressed words that have strict placement rules in Croatian. They usually jump to the second position in a sentence, tucking in right after the first stressed word or phrase. Here, it must sit immediately after Nisu.
Where is the word for "they" in this sentence?
In Croatian, subject pronouns like "they" (oni) are usually dropped because the verbs give you all the information you need. We know it means "they" from two clues: Nisu means "they didn't" (or "they are not"), and the action word našli ends in -i, which is the plural ending for "found".
Why does it say u sobi instead of the dictionary word soba?
Because the phrase describes a location ("in the room"). Following the preposition u (in) to describe where something is located requires the locative case. For feminine nouns ending in -a like soba (room), the -a changes to -i, making it sobi.
Learn Nisu ju našli u sobi 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