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Questions & Answers about Čega se ona boji?
Why is the word for "what" čega here instead of što?
Čega is the genitive case of što. We use the genitive here because the verb bojati se (to be afraid) requires the object that is feared to be in the genitive case.
In English we say "afraid of". Is there a missing preposition for "of" in this sentence?
There is no missing preposition. In Croatian, the "of" is built right into the grammar. The verb bojati se takes its object directly in the genitive case, so čega by itself handles the meaning of "of what".
Why does the reflexive word se come before the subject ona?
Se is a clitic, which means it is a short, unstressed word that must sit in the strict second position of a sentence. Since the question word čega takes the first position, se must immediately follow it, pushing the subject ona later in the sentence.
Could I drop ona and just ask Čega se boji?
Absolutely! If it is already clear from context that you are talking about a female, you can drop ona. Including it here just puts a little extra emphasis on the subject, as if asking "What is she afraid of?"