Questions & Answers about Meso režemo oštrim nožem.
Why is there no word for "with" in this sentence?
In Croatian, when you use an object as a tool to do something (like a knife to cut meat), you use the instrumental case without the preposition s or sa. You only use s or sa when talking about company, like doing something "with a friend".
Why does the adjective oštrim end in -im?
Oštrim is the instrumental masculine singular form of the adjective oštar (sharp). For masculine and neuter adjectives in the instrumental case, the ending is always -im. It must match the noun it describes, nožem (knife), in gender, number, and case.
Why does the noun nožem end in -em instead of -om?
The noun nož (knife) is masculine. Usually, masculine nouns take the ending -om in the instrumental case. However, if a masculine noun ends in a "soft" consonant like c, č, ć, j, š, or ž, the instrumental ending becomes -em.
The dictionary word for "to cut" is rezati. Why does it change to režemo?
Many Croatian verbs have a consonant change in the present tense to make them easier to say. For rezati, the z changes to a ž before adding the present tense endings, making the forms režem, režeš, reže, and so on.
Is the word meso in the nominative case here?
No, meso is in the accusative case because it is the direct object (the thing that is being cut). For neuter nouns like meso, the accusative form is identical to the nominative form, which is why it doesn't look any different.
Learn Meso režemo oštrim nožem 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