Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Croatian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Njena plava jakna je nova.
What are the roles of the words here, and why do they have these endings?
- Njena: possessive pronoun meaning “her,” feminine singular nominative to agree with the noun.
- plava: adjective “blue,” feminine singular nominative to agree with the noun.
- jakna: noun “jacket,” feminine singular nominative (it’s the subject).
- je: 3rd person singular present of “to be” (biti), a clitic copula.
- nova: adjective “new,” feminine singular nominative, agreeing with the subject after the verb “to be.”
All adjectives and the possessive pronoun match the gender, number, and case of jakna (feminine, singular, nominative).
Why is it njena and not njezina? Are both correct?
Both are correct in modern Croatian:
- njezina (from the stem njezin) is the traditionally “more Croatian” form and is preferred in careful/formal Croatian.
- njena is very common and fully acceptable; it’s widespread across the region. So you can say either Njezina plava jakna je nova or Njena plava jakna je nova.
Why do the adjectives end in -a here?
Because they agree with a feminine singular noun (jakna):
- Feminine singular nominative adjective/pronoun endings are typically -a: njena, plava, nova. Change the noun’s gender and the endings change:
- Masculine: Njezin plavi kaput je nov.
- Neuter: Njezino plavo odijelo je novo.
Where should the clitic je go? Could I say Njena je plava jakna nova?
- The given sentence (Njena plava jakna je nova) is the most typical.
- You can also hear Njena je plava jakna nova; it’s grammatical and places the clitic after the first stressed word.
- Clitics like je prefer “second position” after the first prosodic/syntactic chunk. Both versions are acceptable in practice. You cannot start a statement with Je; that only happens in questions with Je li.
Do I need an article like “the” or “a”?
Croatian has no articles. Njena plava jakna can mean “her blue jacket” or “the blue jacket of hers,” depending on context. Specificity is inferred from context, word order, or possessives/demonstratives (e.g., ta jakna = “that jacket”).
How do I ask “Is her blue jacket new?”
- Standard: Je li njezina plava jakna nova?
- Very common in speech: Je l’ njezina plava jakna nova?
- Colloquial/regional (especially in questions): Da li je njezina plava jakna nova? (understood, but less formal than Je li).
How do I negate it?
Use nije (not + is):
- Njena/Njezina plava jakna nije nova.
What changes in the plural?
Everything agrees in plural:
- Njezine plave jakne su nove. Breakdown: njezine (fem. pl. nom.), plave (fem. pl. nom.), jakne (fem. pl. nom.), su (3rd pl. of “to be”), nove (fem. pl. nom.).
How do I say it with masculine or neuter nouns?
- Masculine: Njezin plavi kaput je nov.
- Neuter: Njezino plavo odijelo je novo. Notice the endings: -i/-o for possessive and descriptive adjectives, and nov/novo for “new,” agreeing with the noun.
How do I say “The blue jacket is hers” or “Hers is new”?
- “The blue jacket is hers”: Plava jakna je njezina.
- “Hers is new” (when “jacket” is understood from context): Njezina je nova.
Does plava ever mean “blonde”? Will that cause confusion?
Yes, with hair and eyes:
- plava kosa = blonde hair
- plave oči = blue eyes With clothes/objects, plav/-a/-o means “blue.” So plava jakna = a blue jacket, not a “blonde jacket.” Synonyms/shades: modra (blue/dark blue), tamnoplava (dark blue), svijetloplava (light blue).
Can I omit je in the present tense?
Generally no. The copula je is required in standard sentences:
- Correct: Njena plava jakna je nova.
- Headline/telegraphic style may drop it: Njena plava jakna nova (not for normal speech/writing).
What case is being used here, and how would it change in other cases?
- Here it’s nominative: subject jakna and predicate adjective nova are nominative. Other common cases:
- Accusative (direct object): Vidim njezinu plavu jaknu.
- Genitive (of): Nema njezine plave jakne.
- Instrumental (with): S njezinom plavom jaknom. Adjectives and the possessive pronoun change to match the case and gender of the noun.
When should I use the reflexive possessive svoj instead of njezin/njena?
Use svoj when the possessor is the subject of the same clause:
- Ona je oprala svoju plavu jaknu. = She washed her own blue jacket. Use njezin/njena to refer to another female’s jacket, or when the possessor isn’t the subject of that clause:
- Ona je oprala njezinu plavu jaknu. = She washed another woman’s blue jacket.
Can I stack more adjectives, and in what order?
Yes. Typical order (flexible, like English): opinion/size > shape > color > material > noun.
- Njezina velika plava kožna jakna je nova. = Her big blue leather jacket is new. No commas between adjectives before a noun.
How do I pronounce the tricky bits?
- nj is one sound, like the “ny” in “canyon”: Njena ≈ “NYE-na.”
- j is like English “y” in “yes”: jakna ≈ “YAK-na,” je ≈ “ye.”
- Vowels are pure: plava ≈ “PLAH-vah,” nova ≈ “NO-vah.”
What’s the difference between je and jest?
Both mean “is.” je is the normal clitic form; jest is a full, emphatic/formal form you’ll see in careful writing or for emphasis:
- Njena plava jakna jest nova (formal/emphatic) vs … je nova (normal).
How would I say “his/their blue jacket is new”?
- His: Njegova plava jakna je nova.
- Their: Njihova plava jakna je nova.
Any capitalization rules to watch?
Only the first word of the sentence is capitalized. If the pronoun appears mid-sentence, it’s lowercase:
- Njena/Njezina at the start; njena/njezina mid-sentence.