Breakdown of U šumi su opasni vukovi.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
u
in, into
šuma
forest
opasan
dangerous
vuk
wolf
Questions & Answers about U šumi su opasni vukovi.
Why is the plural of vuk written as vukovi and not just vuki?
Vuk (wolf) is a short, one-syllable masculine noun. In Croatian, most one-syllable masculine nouns add the extra piece -ov- (or sometimes -ev-) before the normal plural ending -i. So, vuk becomes vukovi.
How do I know whether to use -ov- or -ev- for a word like vuk?
It depends on the last letter of the noun. Because vuk ends in k, which is a regular hard consonant, it takes -ov-. The -ev- extension is mostly used when the noun ends in a soft consonant, like c, č, ć, š, ž, j, or lj (for example, ključ becomes ključevi).
Does the adjective opasni (dangerous) get the -ov- extension too?
No, only the noun gets the -ov- added to it. The adjective opasan (dangerous) just drops its fleeting a and takes the regular masculine plural ending -i to match the noun, becoming opasni. Adjectives never use the -ov- or -ev- extensions!
Why does the sentence start with U šumi instead of U šuma?
The preposition u (in) requires the Locative case when talking about a static location (where something is, rather than where it is going). For the feminine noun šuma (forest), the ending changes from -a to -i in the Locative case, giving us u šumi.
Why isn't there a word for the English word "there" in the Croatian sentence?
Croatian doesn't use filler words like "there" or "it" to introduce the existence of something. To say "there are dangerous wolves in the forest," you simply state the location, the verb "are" (su), and the subject: U šumi su opasni vukovi (literally: In the forest are dangerous wolves).
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