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Learn Hardcore Croatian: Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev. - The subscriber submitted a request.

Hardcore Croatian
/Choosing a mobile phone plan
/Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev.

Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev.

Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev.

The subscriber submitted a request.

Breakdown of Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev.

to submit; endure

Questions & Answers about Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev.

What does pretplatnik mean, and what kind of word is it?

Pretplatnik means subscriber.

It is a masculine singular noun in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

You can think of it as being related to:

pretplata = subscription
pretplatiti se = to subscribe
pretplatnik = subscriber

So in this sentence, pretplatnik is the person who performed the action.

Why is there je podnio? Is that the Croatian past tense?

Yes. Je podnio is the past tense.

Croatian commonly forms the past tense with:

a form of biti (to be) as an auxiliary
plus the past participle

Here:

je = the 3rd person singular auxiliary
podnio = past participle of podnijeti (to submit, to file)

So:

Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev. = The subscriber submitted a request/application.

Although je literally comes from to be, in sentences like this it functions more like the English auxiliary in has submitted or simply marks the past tense.

Why is it specifically?

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podnio

Because the subject, pretplatnik, is:

singular
masculine

In Croatian past tense, the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.

So you get:

masculine singular: podnio
feminine singular: podnijela
neuter singular: podnijelo
masculine plural: podnijeli
feminine plural: podnijele

For example:

Pretplatnica je podnijela zahtjev. = The female subscriber submitted a request.
Pretplatnici su podnijeli zahtjev. = The subscribers submitted a request.

What is the basic verb here? Is it podnio or podnijeti?

The dictionary form, or infinitive, is podnijeti.

In the sentence, you see the past participle podnio, not the infinitive.

So the verb forms are:

podnijeti = to submit, file
podnio = submitted (masculine singular past participle)

This verb is very common in administrative and formal language, especially with nouns like:

zahtjev = request / application
prijava = application / registration / report
tužba = lawsuit
žalba = complaint / appeal

What case is zahtjev, and why does it look the same as the dictionary form?

Zahtjev is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of the verb podnio.

The subscriber did what?
He submitted a request → zahtjev

The reason it looks unchanged is that zahtjev is a masculine inanimate noun. For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular is usually the same as the nominative singular.

So:

nominative: zahtjev
accusative: zahtjev

This is normal.

Compare that with a masculine animate noun, where nominative and accusative are different:

nominative: student
accusative: studenta

Does zahtjev mean request or application?

It can mean either, depending on context.

Zahtjev often means:

request
application
formal demand
claim

In official or bureaucratic contexts, it is often best translated as application or request.

So podnio zahtjev can mean:

submitted a request
filed an application
lodged a claim

The exact English translation depends on the situation.

Why is there no word for the or a in the sentence?

Because Croatian does not have articles like English a/an/the.

So Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev could mean:

The subscriber submitted a request
A subscriber submitted the request
The subscriber filed an application

The exact meaning depends on context.

Croatian usually leaves definiteness unstated unless something else in the sentence makes it clear.

Can the word order change?

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order because case endings help show grammatical roles.

The neutral/basic order here is:

Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev.

But other orders are possible, depending on emphasis, for example:

Zahtjev je podnio pretplatnik.
= It was the subscriber who submitted the request.
Pretplatnik zahtjev je podnio.
= possible, but marked and used for special emphasis

In ordinary usage, Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev is the most straightforward version.

Is podnijeti perfective or imperfective?

Podnijeti is perfective.

That means it presents the action as a completed whole: the request was submitted.

Its imperfective partner is usually podnositi.

So:

podnijeti = to submit, complete the act of submitting
podnositi = to be submitting / to submit habitually or repeatedly

Examples:

Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev.
= The subscriber submitted the request.
completed action
Pretplatnik podnosi zahtjev.
= The subscriber is submitting the request / submits the request.
process or general action

This aspect difference is very important in Croatian.

How do I pronounce Pretplatnik je podnio zahtjev?

A rough guide for an English speaker:

Pretplatnik ≈ pret-PLAHT-neek
je ≈ yeh
podnio ≈ POD-nee-oh
zahtjev ≈ ZAH-h-tyev or ZAH-htyev

A few useful notes:

j in Croatian is pronounced like English y in yes
nj sounds like the ny in canyon
h is pronounced, unlike in many English words
je is a separate word here, even though it is short and unstressed

The cluster in zahtjev can feel difficult at first, so learners often need extra practice with that word.

Would this sentence sound formal?

Yes, it sounds fairly formal or administrative.

That is mainly because of the verb-noun combination:

podnijeti zahtjev

This is a very common official phrase, similar to English expressions like:

submit an application
file a request
lodge a claim

In everyday casual speech, people might sometimes choose simpler wording depending on context, but this sentence is completely natural and standard, especially in paperwork, customer service, legal, and administrative contexts.

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