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Questions & Answers about Majka kuha juhu.
Why is the word for soup juhu instead of juha?
The basic dictionary word for soup is juha. Because the soup is the direct object of the sentence (the thing being cooked), it changes its ending from -a to -u. This change is called the accusative case, and it tells us what is receiving the action.
Why doesn't majka change its ending to -u as well?
Majka (mother) is the person doing the action, so she is the subject of the sentence. The subject keeps its basic dictionary ending (the nominative case). We only change the ending to -u for feminine words that are the target of the action, like the soup.
Does kuha mean "cooks" or "is cooking"?
It means both! Croatian doesn't have a separate verb form for an action happening right now versus a general habit. Majka kuha juhu can translate to "Mother is cooking soup" or "Mother cooks soup" depending on what makes sense in the conversation.
Why isn't there a word for "a" or "the" before the soup?
Croatian doesn't use articles like "a", "an", or "the". You just say the noun, and the listener figures out from the context whether you mean "a soup" or "the soup".