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Questions & Answers about Pas je ovdje.
What does pas mean and what case is it in?
pas means “dog.” It’s in the nominative singular, acting as the subject of the sentence.
What is je and why is it used here?
je is the third-person singular present form of the verb biti (“to be”). It corresponds to “is” in English.
Why are there no articles like the or a? How do you specify “this dog” or “that dog”?
Croatian doesn’t use definite or indefinite articles.
- Pas je ovdje can mean either “A dog is here” or “The dog is here,” depending on context.
- To pinpoint “this dog,” say ovaj pas je ovdje.
- To say “that dog,” use taj pas je ovdje.
Can I change the word order? For example, Ovdje je pas?
Yes. Croatian word order is flexible.
- Ovdje je pas still means “The dog is here,” but it puts focus on the location first.
- You could also say Je pas ovdje informally (with rising intonation) to form a question.
How do you form the negative of this sentence?
Insert ne before the verb:
Pas nije ovdje.
This means “The dog is not here.”
How do you say “The dogs are here”?
Make pas plural and change je to su:
Psi su ovdje.
(“Psi” is nominative plural of “pas,” and “su” is the plural “are.”)
What part of speech is ovdje?
ovdje is an adverb of place, meaning “here.” It doesn’t change form.
What’s the difference between ovdje, tu, and tamo?
- ovdje = “here” (near the speaker)
- tu = colloquial “here,” often interchangeable with ovdje
- tamo = “there,” indicating some distance from the speaker
How is ovdje pronounced?
Approximately OV-dyeh. The dj sounds like the “j” in “juice,” but softer, almost like the “gy” in Hungarian.
How do you ask “Is the dog here?” in Croatian?
You can say:
- Je li pas ovdje? (standard question form)
- Or simply Pas je ovdje? with a rising intonation to turn it into a question.