Questions & Answers about Ona kupuje nove cipele.
Why does cipele end in -e here?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object (the thing being bought). The singular word for shoe is cipela, which is feminine because it ends in -a. For feminine nouns, the accusative plural ending is -e.
Why is the adjective nove instead of nova or novi?
Adjectives always have to match the noun they describe. Because cipele is feminine, plural, and in the accusative case, the adjective nov (new) takes the matching feminine accusative plural ending, which is also -e.
The dictionary form for "to buy" is kupovati. Why is it spelled kupuje in this sentence?
In Croatian, verbs that end in -ovati have a special rule: they drop the -ova- and add -uj- in the present tense. After that stem change, we add the normal "he/she/it" ending -e, giving us kupuje.
The translation says "is buying". How would you say "She buys new shoes" as a general habit?
You would use this exact same sentence! Croatian does not have a separate present continuous tense (like "is doing" in English). Ona kupuje translates to both "she is buying" right now and "she buys" in general.
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