Questions & Answers about On se bavi ludošću.
Why is ludošću in the instrumental case without the preposition s (with)?
The verb baviti se (to deal with, to be engaged in) always takes its object in the bare instrumental case, meaning without the preposition s. English speakers often want to add it because of the word 'with' in the translation, but you should just use the noun on its own in the instrumental.
What is the dictionary form of ludošću?
The nominative (dictionary) form is ludost (madness). Because it is a feminine noun ending in a consonant, it belongs to the feminine i-declension group.
How exactly does ludost turn into ludošću in the instrumental?
Feminine i-declension nouns often go through a sound change called jotation in the instrumental singular. When a noun ends in -st like ludost, the jotation rule turns that consonant cluster into šć before adding the ending -u. This gives us ludošću.
Could I just use ludosti instead of ludošću here?
Yes! For feminine i-declension nouns, the instrumental singular without jotation (ludosti) is also grammatically correct. However, the jotated form (ludošću) is very common, especially in standard or written Croatian, so it is important to recognize it.
Does the verb baviti se always imply dealing with something negative, like madness?
Not at all. While here it means dealing with something crazy, baviti se is incredibly common for everyday activities. You will frequently hear it used for hobbies, sports, and professions, such as bavim se sportom (I play sports) or čime se baviš? (What do you do for a living?).
Learn On se bavi ludošću 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