Questions & Answers about Ne vjerujem vam.
Why is the word for 'you' vam instead of vas or vi?
In Croatian, the verb vjerovati (to believe) requires the dative case. Think of it like saying 'I do not believe to you'. Vam is the dative clitic (short form) of vi.
Does vam mean 'you' (plural) or 'you' (formal) here?
It could be either! Vam is the dative form of vi. You would use this sentence to address a group of people, or a single person you are speaking to formally, like a boss or a stranger. If you were speaking to a single friend, you would use the dative form of ti, making the sentence Ne vjerujem ti.
Why is vam at the end of the sentence? Aren't clitics usually in the second position?
Yes, clitics normally take the second spot in a sentence. However, the negative word ne and the verb vjerujem stick together very tightly as a single unit. Because a clitic is never allowed to be the very first word in a sentence, it cannot go before ne, so it has to go immediately after this ne + verb combination.
Where is the word for 'I' (ja) in this sentence?
In Croatian, subject pronouns are usually dropped because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. The -em ending on vjerujem specifically means 'I believe'. You would only add ja (Ja vam ne vjerujem) if you wanted to strongly emphasize that I don't believe you, even if someone else does.
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