Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ja imam psa.

Ja means I in English. It’s the first-person singular subject pronoun. In Croatian you can often drop it because the verb ending already indicates the person.

Why is there no word for “a” before psa?

Croatian doesn’t have articles (no a or the). Imam psa can mean I have a dog, and context tells you whether it’s any dog or a specific one.

Why is it psa and not pas?

Pas is the nominative form (used for subjects). Here it’s a direct object, so it takes the accusative case. Masculine animate nouns form the accusative singular by adding -a, turning pas into psa.

What is the function of imam and how is imati conjugated?

Imati is the infinitive meaning to have. In the present tense, first-person singular is imam. The full present-tense conjugation is:
• ja imam
• ti imaš
• on/ona/ono ima
• mi imamo
• vi imate
• oni/one imaju

Is Ja required, or can I just say Imam psa?

You can drop Ja because Croatian is a pro-drop language. The -m ending of imam already shows it’s first person singular. Imam psa is entirely natural and even more common in casual speech.

Can I change the word order?

Croatian allows fairly free word order for emphasis or style.
• Ja imam psa (neutral)
• Imam ja psa (contrastive, “I do have a dog”)
• Psa imam ja (emphatic, “It’s me who has the dog”)

How do I say “I don’t have a dog”?

Place the negative particle ne before the verb:
• Ja ne imam psa
Or omit the subject pronoun:
• Ne imam psa