Breakdown of Grupa ima pet iskusnih članova.
imati
to have
pet
five
grupa
group
iskusan
experienced
član
member
Questions & Answers about Grupa ima pet iskusnih članova.
Why are iskusnih and članova in the genitive plural here?
They are in the genitive plural because of the number pet (five). In Croatian, quantities of five or more (like pet, deset, or words like mnogo) require the adjectives and nouns that follow them to take the genitive plural form.
What is the rule for the adjective ending in iskusnih?
The adjective iskusan (experienced) takes the ending -ih here. The great thing about the genitive plural is that -ih is the universal adjective ending for all genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter). So, it perfectly matches the noun članova.
Where does the -ov- come from in the word članova?
The base dictionary word is član (member), which is a short, one-syllable masculine noun. Most short masculine nouns get an extra -ov- (or -ev- after certain letters) added before the plural endings. Then, the genitive plural ending -a is attached to the very end.
Wait, članova ends in -a. Doesn't that mean it's a feminine word or in the singular?
It can be tricky, but it's actually masculine plural! While -a is the standard ending for feminine dictionary words (and masculine genitive singular words), it is also the normal ending for masculine nouns in the genitive plural. The plural adjective iskusnih right before it gives you the clue that this is a plural phrase.
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