Breakdown of Ljudi sude ono što ne razumiju.
ljudi
people
ne
no, not
razumjeti
to understand
suditi
to judge
Questions & Answers about Ljudi sude ono što ne razumiju.
Why do we use ono što here instead of onaj tko?
We use ono što (that which / what) because it refers to an abstract, unspecified concept or thing. If the sentence was 'People judge those who they do not understand' (referring to people instead of things or concepts), you would need to use a form of onaj tko.
What case is ono in this sentence?
It is in the accusative case, acting as the direct object of the verb sude (they judge). For neuter pronouns like ono, the accusative form is identical to the nominative form.
Does što change its case depending on the second verb, or is it always just što?
It absolutely changes! The case of što is dictated by its role in the second part of the sentence (the relative clause). Here, the verb razumjeti (to understand) also takes a direct object in the accusative. The accusative form of što is just što, which is why it looks unchanged. If the second verb required the genitive case, you would see čega instead.
I sometimes mix up the 'they' endings. Why is it razumiju and not razumije?