Questions & Answers about Čaša je puna vode.
Why doesn't the Croatian sentence use a word for 'of'?
In Croatian, you don't need a preposition like 'of' after the adjective pun (full). Instead, the word that follows is put into the genitive case. The genitive ending itself carries the meaning of 'of'.
How do we know vode is in the genitive case here?
The base dictionary form of the word for water is voda, which is a feminine noun ending in -a. To make it genitive singular, the -a changes to -e, giving us vode.
Why does the word for full (pun) end in -a here?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because čaša (glass) is a feminine noun, the adjective takes the feminine form puna. If you were talking about a masculine noun, like a pocket (džep), you would use pun.
What if the glass was full of milk? How would that change the sentence?
Milk is mlijeko, which is a neuter noun. To put it in the genitive case after puna, you change the -o ending to -a. So, 'The glass is full of milk' would be Čaša je puna mlijeka.
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