Question 1

Why is the negative word nema instead of "ne ima"?

Accepted Answer

The verb imati (to have) is special! Usually, you make a verb negative by putting the word ne in front of it as a separate word (like ne radi - doesn't work). But with imati, the ne attaches directly to the verb. So, ne + ima merges into a single word: nema.

Question 2

Is sastanak in the accusative case here since it is the object of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is! The verb nemati (not to have) takes a direct object, which must be in the accusative case. Because sastanak is a masculine inanimate noun (a thing, not a living being), its accusative form looks exactly the same as its basic dictionary form.

Question 3

How would I say this if the teacher were a woman?

Accepted Answer

The word učitelj specifically means a male teacher. For a female teacher, you would use učiteljica. The rest of the sentence stays exactly the same: Učiteljica nema sastanak.

Question 4

Why isn't there a word for "a" before sastanak?

Accepted Answer

Croatian doesn't use articles like "a", "an", or "the". The word sastanak on its own can mean "meeting", "a meeting", or "the meeting". We know it means "a meeting" here just from the English translation and common sense context.

Učitelj nema sastanak.

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