Breakdown of Nemam auto, ali imam bicikl.
ali
but (strong contrast)
imati
to have
nemati
to not have
auto
car (short form)
Questions & Answers about Nemam auto, ali imam bicikl.
Why is the negative form nemam written as one word instead of ne imam?
Why isn't the word for 'I' (ja) used before nemam and imam?
In Croatian, you usually drop subject pronouns like ja (I) because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. The -am at the end of nemam and imam makes it clear that 'I' am the one who has or does not have something.
The verb 'to have' requires the accusative case for its objects. Why didn't auto and bicikl change their endings?
They actually are in the accusative case! Both auto and bicikl are masculine inanimate nouns (they are things, not living beings). A handy rule in Croatian is that for masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative form is exactly the same as the base dictionary form.
Wait, doesn't auto end in -o? Shouldn't it be a neuter noun?
That is a great catch! Usually, words ending in -o or -e are neuter. However, auto is an exception because it is short for automobil, which is a masculine noun. Even though it ends in -o, it behaves just like a masculine noun in Croatian.