Learn Croatian: Ja ne jedem meso.

Ja ne jedem meso.

I do not eat meat.

Breakdown of Ja ne jedem meso.

Questions & Answers about Ja ne jedem meso.

How do I say 'do not' in Croatian? Why is there only one word for it here?

In English, we use 'do not' or 'does not' to make a verb negative. Croatian is much simpler! You just put the word ne directly in front of the verb. So, ne jedem translates to both 'I do not eat' and 'I am not eating'.

Is ne always written as a separate word from the verb?

Yes, for almost all verbs in Croatian, ne is written as a separate word right before the verb, just like in ne jedem. There are only a few special verbs (like the negative forms of 'to be' or 'to have') where the negation merges into the word.

Could I drop the word ja and just say Ne jedem meso?

Yes, absolutely! In Croatian, the verb ending already tells us who is doing the action. Because jedem means 'I eat', the word ja (I) is optional. Including ja here just adds a little extra emphasis, like saying 'I do not eat meat' (even if someone else does).

Words often change their endings when they are the direct object of a sentence. Does meso change here?

meso is the direct object here, which means it is in the accusative case. However, because meso is a neuter noun (it ends in -o), its object form looks exactly the same as its basic dictionary form. You do not have to change any endings for this word!