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Questions & Answers about Njegova knjiga je stara.
Why is it Njegova knjiga and not Njegov knjiga?
Croatian possessive pronouns agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify — not with the possessor. Since knjiga (book) is feminine singular, you must use the feminine form njegova, even though njegov is the masculine form.
Why does the adjective end with -a in stara?
Adjectives in Croatian also agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case. Here stara is in the nominative singular feminine form to match knjiga, which is a feminine noun.
What case is knjiga in, and how do I recognize it?
knjiga is in the nominative singular case — that’s the base form of a noun used for the subject of a sentence. You recognize it by its ending -a (typical for many feminine nouns in the nominative singular) and by the fact that it’s the subject of je stara.
Why is the verb je needed here? Can I say Njegova knjiga stara?
je is the third-person singular present tense of the verb biti (to be) and functions as a linking verb. In standard Croatian you need je for “X is Y.” Omitting je would be ungrammatical (or at best colloquial in certain dialects).
How would you say “her book is old” in Croatian?
You would say Njezina knjiga je stara. Here njezina is the feminine form of the possessive pronoun for ona (she), again matching knjiga in gender.
Does Croatian use articles like a or the?
No — Croatian does not have definite or indefinite articles. Context tells you whether something is definite or indefinite. So Njegova knjiga can mean “his book” in a general or specific sense without extra words.
Is the word order flexible? What about Stara je knjiga?
Yes, Croatian word order is relatively flexible due to its case system. Stara je knjiga is grammatical and shifts emphasis onto stara (“old”). The basic neutral order is [Possessor + Noun] + je + [Adjective], but moving elements can highlight different parts of the sentence.
How do I pronounce Njegova knjiga je stara?
Approximate phonetic breakdown:
• Nje-go-va [ɲe-ɡo-ʋa]
• knji-ga [ˈknʲi-ɡa]
• je [jɛ]
• sta-ra [ˈsta-ra]
Tips:
- nj is like ny in canyon.
- knj blends k
- n, then j (sounds like ny).
- Stress is usually on the first syllable of each word.
Check with audio resources for more precise pronunciation.