Learn Hardcore Croatian: Pas pije mlijeko.

Croatian does not use definite or indefinite articles like the or a/an. Nouns stand alone, and context tells you if you mean “a dog” or “the dog.”

What grammatical case are Pas and mlijeko?

Pas is in the nominative singular (it’s the subject). Mlijeko is in the accusative singular (the direct object). For neuter nouns like mlijeko, the accusative looks the same as the nominative.

How do you form the verb pije, and why does it end in -je?

Pije is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb piti (“to drink”). You take the stem pi- and add the personal ending -je to agree with “he/she/it.”

Can you add the pronoun on (“he”) to the sentence?

Yes: On pije mlijeko. Croatian often drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending already indicates person and number. Adding on makes it more explicit or emphatic.

Why does mlijeko end in -o?

Neuter nouns in Croatian typically end in -o or -e in the nominative singular. That ending tells you it’s neuter gender.

Is the word order SVO fixed in Croatian?

The default, neutral word order is Subject-Verb-Object, as in Pas pije mlijeko. However, Croatian is quite flexible; you can rearrange for emphasis or style, but the cases help you keep track of who does what.

How is mlijeko pronounced, and what sound does lj make?

Mlijeko is pronounced [ˈmljɛ.ko]. The digraph lj represents a single palatal consonant [ʎ], similar to the lli in English million. The j in Croatian always sounds like the English y in yes.

How would you say “Dogs drink milk”?

Use the plural forms: Psi piju mlijeko. Here Psi is nominative plural of pas, and piju is the 3rd person plural present of piti.

How do you make this sentence negative?

Place ne before the verb: Pas ne pije mlijeko. That translates to “The dog does not drink milk.”

How can you turn this into a question?

Option 1: Inversion + question particle: Pije li pas mlijeko?
Option 2: Simple intonation change: Pas pije mlijeko? Both mean “Does the dog drink milk?”