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Breakdown of To je žena s kojom učim hrvatski.
biti
to be
hrvatski
Croatian
s
with
učiti
to study
to
that
žena
woman
koji
whom
Questions & Answers about To je žena s kojom učim hrvatski.
What exactly does "To je" mean, and can I use "Ovo je" or "Ono je" instead?
"To je" literally means "That/This is." In Croatian:
- Ovo je = this is (near the speaker)
- To je = that/this is (neutral or mid-distance; very common as a default)
- Ono je = that is (far from both speaker and listener)
All three are correct; choose based on how near/far the referent is or how "neutral" you want to sound. The sentence with any of them is natural: Ovo/To/Ono je žena s kojom učim hrvatski.
Why does "je" come right after "To"?
je is the short (clitic) form of "to be" (3rd person singular) and must appear in second position in the clause. The first element here is To, so you get To je žena ..., not "To žena je ...". This second-position rule applies across sentences, e.g. Ta žena je učiteljica.
Why is "žena" in that form—what case is it?
žena is nominative singular. After the verb biti (to be), the predicate noun typically stands in the nominative: To je žena. Contrast:
- Accusative (object): Vidim ženu.
- Instrumental (with "with"): Sa ženom / s ženom.
How does "s kojom" work? Why "kojom" and not "koja/koju"?
s (with) requires the instrumental case, so the relative pronoun must be in the instrumental to match. Since žena is feminine singular, the matching instrumental form of koji is kojom:
- Nominative: koja (who/which)
- Accusative: koju
- Instrumental: kojom (with whom)
Hence: žena s kojom = "the woman with whom."
Why is it "s" and not "sa"? When do I use "sa"?
Both mean "with." Use s by default. Use sa:
- Before words starting with s, z, š, ž for easier pronunciation: sa sestrom, sa Željkom.
- Before certain consonant clusters or pronouns where s would be awkward: sa mnom, sa psom. Here, s kojom is the standard choice; sa kojom is not necessary.
Can I say "To je žena s kim učim hrvatski"?
In careful/standard style, use the relative pronoun that agrees with the noun: s kojom (feminine, to match žena). s kim/s kime ("with whom") is common in questions (e.g., S kim učiš?) and occurs in colloquial relative clauses, but the prescriptive choice here is s kojom.
Can I put the preposition at the end, like in English "the woman I learn Croatian with"?
No. Croatian does not allow preposition stranding. The preposition must stay in front of its pronoun: s kojom. You can’t say ... koju učim hrvatski s.
Why isn’t there a comma before "s kojom..."?
Because the clause is restrictive: it identifies which woman. No comma is used in Croatian for restrictive relatives:
- Restrictive: To je žena s kojom učim hrvatski. (which woman? the one I learn with)
- Non‑restrictive (extra info) takes commas: To je ta žena, s kojom učim hrvatski.
What form is "hrvatski," and why is it lowercase?
hrvatski is the accusative singular masculine form functioning as a noun meaning "Croatian (language)." Languages are written in lowercase in Croatian. It’s the direct object of učim: učim (što?) hrvatski.
Does "učim" mean "I am learning" or "I teach"?
učim (from učiti, imperfective) usually means "I learn/I am learning" or "I study":
- Učim hrvatski. = I’m learning/studying Croatian. It can also mean "I teach" if it takes a person as the object: Učim djecu (I teach children). To be unambiguous for "teach (as a teacher)," many speakers prefer predajem or podučavam.
How do I say "I am learning" vs "I learned" (completed)?
Imperfective vs perfective:
- Ongoing/habitual: Učim hrvatski.
- Completed result: Naučio/Naučila sam hrvatski. ("I learned/managed to learn Croatian.")
Is "učim se hrvatski" correct?
No. For learning a language, say učim hrvatski (no reflexive). učiti se appears with some skills or in passive-like meanings (e.g., Učim se voziti. = I’m learning to drive), but not with a direct object like a language.
Can I change the word order, e.g., "To je žena s kojom hrvatski učim"?
Yes, Croatian word order is flexible for emphasis. To je žena s kojom učim hrvatski is the neutral/default. ... s kojom hrvatski učim emphasizes hrvatski. Keep the preposition glued to its pronoun: s kojom must stay together.
Can I use a pronoun instead of the relative clause, like "To je žena s njom učim hrvatski"?
Inside a relative clause that refers back to žena, you must use the relative pronoun: s kojom. Using s njom there would be ungrammatical. However, in a separate sentence you can say: S njom učim hrvatski.
How does the sentence change for a man or for plural?
- Masculine singular: To je muškarac s kojim učim hrvatski.
- Plural: To su ljudi/žene s kojima učim hrvatski. Note the agreement: kojim (masc. inst. sg.), kojima (inst. pl.), and the verb je → su in the plural.
Is it okay to say "hrvatski jezik" instead of just "hrvatski"?
Yes. hrvatski jezik is explicit and a bit more formal. Both are fine:
- ... učim hrvatski.
- ... učim hrvatski jezik.
What’s the difference between "s kojom" and "kod koje" (e.g., "kod koje učim hrvatski")?
- s kojom = with whom (together with her)
- kod koje = at whose place/with whom as my teacher (often implying location or service provider) So To je žena kod koje učim hrvatski suggests she is your teacher or you learn at her place.
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