Breakdown of Ovo je smještaj u kojem sada živim.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
sada
now
živjeti
to live
u
in, into
koji
which
smještaj
accommodation
Questions & Answers about Ovo je smještaj u kojem sada živim.
Why does the relative clause start with u kojem instead of ending with u like in English?
In English, we often put prepositions at the end of a sentence (like 'the accommodation I live in'). In Croatian, you cannot leave a preposition dangling at the end of a clause. It must come immediately before the relative pronoun it relates to. So, instead of 'which I live in', you must literally say 'in which' (u kojem).
How do I know to use kojem instead of another form of koji here?
The relative pronoun koji must match the noun it describes (smještaj) in gender (masculine) and number (singular). However, its case is decided by what it does inside its own clause. Because you are stating a stationary location where you live, the preposition u requires the locative case. The masculine singular locative form of koji is kojem.
The English translation drops the word 'which' ('the accommodation I live in'). Can I drop the relative pronoun in Croatian?
No, Croatian never allows you to drop the relative pronoun like English often does. You must always include it to connect the clauses. In this sentence, you also need it because the preposition u must have a pronoun to attach to.
Since smještaj is a masculine noun, why does the sentence start with the neuter word ovo instead of ovaj?
When you use 'This is...' to introduce or point something out, Croatian defaults to the neuter pronoun ovo, no matter the gender of the noun that follows. You would only use the masculine ovaj if you attached it directly to the noun as an adjective, like in the phrase ovaj smještaj je... (this accommodation is...).
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