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Questions & Answers about Susjeda živi iznad nas.
What does each word mean and what are the grammar roles?
- Susjeda = neighbor (female); nominative singular; the subject.
- živi = lives; 3rd person singular present of živjeti.
- iznad = above/over; a preposition that takes the genitive.
- nas = us; genitive (it is also the accusative form, but here it’s genitive because of iznad).
Why is it nas and not mi?
Because prepositions in Croatian require an oblique case. Iznad governs the genitive, and the genitive of mi (we) is nas. Quick reference:
- Nominative (subject): mi
- Genitive/Accusative (after many prepositions): nas
- Dative/Locative/Instrumental: nama After any preposition, use the stressed forms: iznad nas, pred nama, za nas (not iznad mi).
Is susjeda definitely feminine here? Could it be something else?
Here it’s feminine nominative singular (“the female neighbor”), because it’s the subject of živi. Note that susjeda is also the genitive singular of the masculine noun susjed (e.g., bez susjeda = without a (male) neighbor), but that reading is impossible here since subjects are in the nominative.
How do I say it with a male neighbor or make “our neighbor” explicit?
- Male neighbor: Susjed živi iznad nas.
- Our female neighbor: Naša susjeda živi iznad nas.
- To emphasize “a/one neighbor”: Jedan susjed… / Jedna susjeda…
Croatian has no articles. How can I show “the” vs “a” neighbor?
Context usually makes it clear. To be explicit:
- “the/that neighbor”: ta susjeda, ova susjeda (that/this female neighbor)
- “a certain neighbor”: jedna susjeda
Why is it živi and not žive?
Agreement. Susjeda is singular, so the verb is 3rd person singular živi. Plural would be žive. Full present of živjeti:
- ja živim, ti živiš, on/ona živi, mi živimo, vi živite, oni/one žive.
Can I use another verb for “live (reside)”?
Yes, stanovati (to reside):
- Susjeda stanuje iznad nas. Present of stanovati: stanujem, stanuješ, stanuje, stanujemo, stanujete, stanuju. Both živjeti and stanovati are fine for addresses; stanovati focuses specifically on residence.
What case does iznad take, and can I use nad instead?
- iznad always takes the genitive: iznad nas, iznad kuće.
- nad takes the instrumental: nad nama, nad kućom.
For apartments/floors, iznad nas is the idiomatic choice. Nad nama is more common with things hovering or metaphorical “over” (e.g., clouds, planes, authority). Susjeda živi nad nama sounds unusual.
Can I front the location for emphasis, like “Above us lives the neighbor”?
Yes. Word order is flexible:
- Neutral: Susjeda živi iznad nas.
- Location focus: Iznad nas živi susjeda. Both are natural; the second highlights the location.
How do I say “The neighbors live above us” (plural)?
- Mixed or unspecified gender: Susjedi žive iznad nas. (masculine plural is the default plural)
- All-female group: Susjede žive iznad nas.
How do I say “She lives upstairs” or “one floor above us”?
- “She lives upstairs”: Živi gore. (informal, adverb “upstairs”)
- “She lives one floor above us”: Živi na katu iznad nas. / Živi kat iznad nas.
- “Two floors above us”: Živi dva kata iznad nas.
Can iznad stand on its own like “She lives above”?
Not naturally. Iznad is a preposition that wants a genitive complement. Use the adverb gore for “upstairs”: Živi gore.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- ž in živi sounds like the “s” in “measure.”
- j in susjeda makes a “y” glide: roughly “su-sye-da.”
- iznad nas: pronounce the cluster clearly; the d in iznad is heard before n in nas.
Is there ambiguity because susjeda can also be the genitive of susjed?
Formally yes, but syntax removes it here. As the subject of živi, susjeda must be nominative, so it’s the feminine “neighbor.” The genitive reading would require a preposition or a verb that selects genitive (e.g., bez susjeda).
How do I say “the neighbor above us” as a noun phrase?
- susjeda iznad nas (fem.), e.g., Susjeda iznad nas je jako tiha. Match the case to the sentence: e.g., “We greeted the neighbor above us” → Pozdravili smo susjedu iznad nas.
Which pronoun forms do I use after prepositions?
Use the stressed forms:
- iznad mene/tebe/njega/nje/nas/vas/njih Avoid clitics after prepositions (e.g., not iznad me/te/ga/je). Note that nas/vas happen to look the same as their clitic forms; they are fine after prepositions.
Are there regional synonyms for “neighbor” I might hear?
In Croatian standard it’s susjed (m.) / susjeda (f.). In neighboring regions you may hear komšija (m.) / komšinica (f.), but stick to susjed/susjeda for Croatian.
How can I emphasize “directly/just above us”?
Add an adverb:
- Baš iznad nas, točno iznad nas, neposredno iznad nas
Example: Susjeda živi baš iznad nas.