Questions & Answers about Ona cijeni moje mišljenje.
Why does "moje mišljenje" look like it is in the nominative case if it is the direct object?
It is actually in the accusative case because it receives the action of the verb cijeni (appreciates). However, mišljenje is a neuter noun. In Croatian, the accusative form for all neuter nouns and their matching adjectives or possessives looks exactly the same as the nominative form. So, moje mišljenje is used both for "My opinion is..." and "She appreciates my opinion."
How do we know that "mišljenje" is neuter, making the possessive "moje"?
Nouns ending in -je, and particularly those ending in -nje, are almost always neuter. Because the noun is neuter and in the accusative case, the possessive word for "my" must take the neuter accusative form, which is moje.
Is the verb "cijeni" related to the word for "price"?
Yes! The dictionary form of the verb is cijeniti, which means "to appreciate", "to value", or "to respect". It is built from the noun cijena, meaning "price". When you appreciate someone's opinion, you are placing value on it.
Is "mišljenje" related to the verb "misliti" (to think)?
Exactly. Mišljenje is a noun created from the verb misliti. While misliti means "to think", mišljenje means "thinking" or "opinion". Turning verbs into nouns by adding -nje is a very common pattern in Croatian, similar to adding "-ing" to a verb in English.