Questions & Answers about Tko dolazi na ručak danas?
Why is it tko and not ko?
In standard Croatian, tko means “who.” You will hear and see ko in colloquial speech, and it is standard in Serbian and Bosnian, but Croatian prescriptive standard prefers tko in writing and formal speech. Both are widely understood.
What case is tko, and what are the other forms (whom, to whom, with whom)?
- Nominative (who?): tko — used for the subject, as in this sentence.
- Genitive/Accusative (of whom / whom?): koga
- Dative/Locative (to whom / about whom): komu / kome (both are fine)
- Instrumental (with whom): s kim
Note the stem change t- → k- in the oblique cases (koga, kome, kim).
Why is the verb singular (dolazi) even if several people might be coming?
With the interrogative tko, the verb is grammatically singular: Tko dolazi…? is correct. Even if the answer is plural (e.g., “Ana i Marko”), you still ask in the singular.
- Correct: Tko dolazi na ručak danas?
- Incorrect: Tko dolaze…?
Possible fuller question for “who all”: Tko sve dolazi…? (still singular).
What’s the difference between dolaziti and doći, and could I say this in the future or past?
- dolaziti (imperfective) focuses on the process/habit; present: = “is coming/comes.”