Ona nas razumije.

She understands us.

Breakdown of Ona nas razumije.

• ona: she
• razumjeti: to understand
• nas: us

Questions & Answers about Ona nas razumije.

Do I have to say Ona, or can I drop the subject pronoun?

You can drop it. Croatian is a pro‑drop language, so Razumije nas is perfectly fine. Keep Ona if you want to:

• disambiguate who the subject is (he/she/it all share razumije)
• add emphasis or contrast (e.g., Ona nas razumije, a ne oni)

Why is it razumije, not razumje or razumi? What’s the verb’s pattern?

The infinitive is razumjeti. In the present tense, -jeti verbs like this insert -ij-:

• ja: razumijem
• ti: razumiješ
• on/ona/ono: razumije
• mi: razumijemo
• vi: razumijete
• oni/one/ona: razumiju

Common mistakes are dropping the i or j (razumje)—don’t. Also, razumi is the imperative (Understand!), not 3rd person present.

What case is nas, and why not mi, nam, or nama?

• nas = accusative/genitive plural of “we,” here a direct object (us)
• mi = nominative (we) for subjects
• nam = dative clitic (to us/for us)
• nama = stressed dative/locative (to/for/about us)

So here you need accusative nas because it’s the direct object of razumije.

Where should nas go? Can I say Ona razumije nas?

Clitic pronouns like nas normally sit in “second position” in the clause:

• Neutral: Ona nas razumije.
• Without the subject: Razumije nas.

You can put nas at the end for emphasis/focus:

• Ona razumije nas (emphasizes “us,” not someone else) You can also front it for strong focus:
• Nas ona razumije, ali njih ne.

How do I make it negative?

Put ne right before the verb:

• Ona nas ne razumije.
• Without the subject: Ne razumije nas.

With end-focus on “us,” you might hear Ona ne razumije nas in contrastive contexts (not us, them), but the neutral placement keeps nas in second position.

How do I form a yes/no question?

Two common ways:

• Intonation: Ona nas razumije?
• The particle li (preferred in standard): Razumije li nas (ona)? Note the order: the verb comes first, then li, then clitics like nas. In Croatian, da li is more colloquial/Serbian; standard Croatian prefers bare li.

Does the verb change for gender in the present? How do I show gender elsewhere?

In the present, 3rd person singular is the same for he/she/it: razumije. Gender shows up in the past participle:

• Feminine: Ona nas je razumjela.
• Masculine: On nas je razumio.
• Neuter: Ono nas je razumjelo. Clitics cluster after the first stressed word: Ona nas je razumjela.

How is razumije pronounced? What’s with ije?

• j is like English y.
• ije is typically pronounced like a long “ee-ye” sequence (regional variation exists). Approximate: ra-zoo-MEE-ye. nas has a short a (NAHS), ona is OH-nah. Exact stress can vary by dialect; standard writing doesn’t mark it.

Is there a nuance difference between razumije and alternatives like shvaća?

• razumjeti/razumijevati: to understand (general comprehension, can be ongoing ability or state).
• shvaćati/shvatiti: to grasp/realize (more about “getting the point,” often the moment of realization in perfective shvatiti). Colloquial options you’ll hear: kuži (Zagreb-ish) and kapira (regional).

Is this the same across Bosnian/Serbian/Montenegrin?

Yes, with a key spelling/pronunciation difference:

• Ijekavian (Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, and Ijekavian Serbian): Ona nas razumije.
• Ekavian (Serbian): Ona nas razume. Grammar and clitic placement work similarly.