Learn Croatian: Kako su ti djeca? - How are your children?

In Croatian, it is very common to use the dative case (the "to whom" form) to show possession, especially for family members, friends, or body parts. Instead of saying "How are your children?" (Kako su tvoja djeca?), native speakers usually say "How are the children to you?" (Kako su ti djeca?). Both are correct, but using ti sounds much more natural in everyday speech.

Why are su and ti placed right after Kako?

Both su (are) and ti (to you) are "enclitics." Enclitics are short, unstressed words that have strict placement rules: they almost always have to go in the second position of the sentence. Here, they huddle together right after the first word, which is Kako.

Why is the order su ti and not ti su?

When you have more than one enclitic in a sentence, they follow a strict order. Verb enclitics like su come before pronoun enclitics like ti. Because of this rule, it will always be Kako su ti... and never the other way around.

What is the singular form of djeca?

The singular word for "child" is dijete. The plural form djeca looks completely different, which is a common exception you just have to memorize! Even though djeca ends in an "-a" like a singular feminine word, it takes a plural verb, which is why we use su (are) here.