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Questions & Answers about Dijelim sobu s bratom.
What cases are used in the words sobu and bratom, and why?
- sobu is accusative singular of soba (feminine). It’s the direct object of the verb dijelim (I share).
- bratom is instrumental singular of brat (masculine). After the preposition s/sa meaning “with,” Croatian uses the instrumental case: s/sa + instrumental.
When do I use s and when sa?
Both mean “with.” Use sa mainly to make pronunciation easier:
- before words starting with s-, z-, š-, ž- (e.g., sa sestrom, sa ženom, sa svojim bratom)
- before some tricky clusters (e.g., sa psom, often preferred to s psom) Otherwise, s is fine (e.g., s bratom, s prijateljem). In your sentence, both s bratom and sa bratom are correct; s bratom is the default.
Why is there no word for my? Should I add it?
Croatian often omits possessives when the meaning is clear. s bratom will usually be understood as “with my brother” from context. To be explicit:
- Preferred when the subject is the possessor: Dijelim sobu sa svojim bratom. (uses reflexive possessive svoj)
- Also possible: Dijelim sobu s mojim bratom. (mojim is grammatical but less idiomatic in this context) If the possessor is someone else, use that person’s possessive: On dijeli sobu s njezinim bratom.
Can I change the word order?
Yes; word order is flexible and changes emphasis:
- S bratom dijelim sobu. (emphasis on “with my brother”)
- Sobu dijelim s bratom. (emphasis on “the room”)
- Ja dijelim sobu s bratom. (emphasis on the subject “I”)
- Dijelim s bratom sobu. (understandable but less natural)
How do I say it in the past or in the negative?
- Present negative: Ne dijelim sobu s bratom.
- Past (male speaker): Dijelio sam sobu s bratom.
- Past (female speaker): Dijelila sam sobu s bratom.
- Past negative: Nisam dijelio/dijelila sobu s bratom.
Does Croatian distinguish “I share” vs. “I am sharing”?
No. The present (dijelim) covers both simple and progressive meanings. If needed, add an adverb for clarity:
- Ongoing right now: Trenutno dijelim sobu s bratom.
- Habitual: Obično dijelim sobu s bratom.
What’s the difference between dijeliti and podijeliti/razdijeliti?
- dijeliti (imperfective) = to share; to be dividing in general. With s/sa + instrumental, it means “share with.”
- podijeliti/razdijeliti (perfective) = to divide up, to apportion. Podijelio sam sobu suggests you physically split the room into parts, not that you share it. Don’t use these to mean “share a room (with someone).”
How is dijeliti conjugated in the present?
- ja dijelim
- ti dijeliš
- on/ona/ono dijeli
- mi dijelimo
- vi dijelite
- oni/one/ona dijele
How do I say it with other family members or in the plural?
- With my sister: Dijelim sobu sa sestrom.
- With my brothers: Dijelim sobu s braćom. (irregular plural: brat → braća, instrumental plural braćom)
- With my brother and sister: Dijelim sobu s bratom i sestrom.
- With my siblings: Dijelim sobu s braćom i sestrama.
What case do adjectives and possessives take after s/sa?
They agree with the noun in instrumental:
- masculine: sa svojim/starijim bratom
- feminine: sa svojom/starijom sestrom
- plural: s mojim dobrim prijateljima
Why isn’t there an article like “a” or “the” in sobu?
Croatian has no articles. Dijelim sobu s bratom can mean “I share a room…” or “I share the room…,” depending on context. If you want to stress “one room,” you can say Dijelim jednu sobu s bratom (used only when emphasizing the number).
Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- dijelim is pronounced roughly “DEE-yeh-leem” (the ije sequence is pronounced as two sounds).
- In casual speech, s bratom may sound like z bratom because the s often voices before a voiced consonant (b). Both are the same phrase; this is just assimilation in pronunciation.
How do I say “I share a room with him/her/them”?
- with him: Dijelim sobu s njim.
- with her: Dijelim sobu s njom.
- with them: Dijelim sobu s njima. Common pronouns with s/sa: sa mnom (with me), s tobom (with you sg.), s njim/njom, s nama, s vama, s njima. You’ll also hear sa mnom/sa tobom/sa njim for easier pronunciation.
Why not say dijelim se?
Because dijeliti se is reflexive and means “to split (itself),” “to be divided,” not “to share (something) with someone.” The correct structure is: dijeliti + accusative object + s/sa + instrumental (e.g., Dijelim sobu s bratom).
Is there a Serbian/Croatian difference I should know here?
Minor ones:
- Croatian typically uses dijelim, Serbian often delim (ekavian).
- Both languages use s/sa with the same euphonic rules. Serbian speakers more often use sa in everyday speech (sa bratom). The meanings are the same and fully mutually intelligible.