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Questions & Answers about On govori dobro hrvatski.
Is the subject pronoun On required?
No. Croatian regularly drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. Govori dobro hrvatski is fine and still means “He speaks Croatian well.” Keep On only for emphasis or contrast.
Is the word order natural? Could I place dobro elsewhere?
Yes. The most neutral/common is On dobro govori hrvatski. Your version, On govori dobro hrvatski, is also grammatical, just slightly less common. Croatian word order is flexible and used for emphasis:
- On dobro govori hrvatski. (neutral, common)
- On govori dobro hrvatski. (also fine; mild focus on how he speaks)
- On hrvatski dobro govori. (marked; puts stronger focus on the language)
What does dobro do here?
It’s an adverb meaning “well,” modifying govori. It comes from the adjective dobar (good). In Croatian, many adverbs are identical to the neuter singular form of the adjective, e.g., dobro (well), brzo (quickly), loše (badly).
Why is hrvatski not capitalized?
Language names are written with a lower-case initial in Croatian: hrvatski (jezik), engleski, njemački. Proper names like Hrvatska (Croatia) and nationality nouns like Hrvat are capitalized. At the start of a sentence, capitalization follows normal rules.
Why is it hrvatski and not something like hrvatskog or hrvatskim?
After govoriti to indicate a language, Croatian uses the bare form hrvatski as an adverb-like expression meaning “(in) Croatian.” There’s no preposition and no extra case ending. Alternatively, you can say na hrvatskom (jeziku) with the preposition na + locative.
Can I add the word jezik?
Yes: On dobro govori hrvatski jezik. It’s correct but heavier. In everyday speech people usually omit jezik when it’s clear you’re talking about a language.
Is pričati a good alternative to govoriti here?
Use govoriti for speaking a language: On govori hrvatski. Pričati means “to chat/tell (a story).” On priča hrvatski occurs colloquially in some regions but isn’t standard for this meaning.
How is govori formed? What are the other present-tense forms?
It’s 3rd person singular present of govoriti:
- ja govorim
- ti govoriš
- on/ona/ono govori
- mi govorimo
- vi govorite
- oni/one/ona govore
How do I make the sentence negative?
Put ne directly before the verb: On ne govori dobro hrvatski. For stronger negation: On uopće ne govori hrvatski (“He doesn’t speak Croatian at all”).
How do I ask a yes/no question with this?
- Neutral/formal: Govori li on dobro hrvatski?
- Colloquial speech (intonation question): On dobro govori hrvatski? (said with rising intonation)
Can I say “very well,” “pretty well,” etc.?
Yes:
- On govori vrlo dobro hrvatski. (very well; neutral)
- On govori jako dobro hrvatski. (very well; common in speech)
- On govori prilično dobro hrvatski. (pretty well)
- On govori odlično hrvatski. (excellently)
What changes for different subjects (she/they)?
Change the pronoun and verb ending:
- Ona dobro govori hrvatski. (she)
- Oni dobro govore hrvatski. (they, masc./mixed)
- One dobro govore hrvatski. (they, fem.)
Can I use the prepositional version instead: na hrvatskom?
Yes: On dobro govori na hrvatskom (jeziku). Meaning is the same. The na + locative version can feel a bit more formal or context-specific (“in Croatian” in a given situation).
Any common mistakes to avoid?
- Capitalizing the language: write hrvatski, not “Hrvatski” (unless at sentence start).
- Adding the wrong preposition/case: don’t say On govori na hrvatski (incorrect). Use govori hrvatski or govori na hrvatskom.
- Using pričati instead of govoriti for languages in standard Croatian.
- Misplacing clitics if you refer back to “language”: On ga dobro govori is only okay if ga clearly refers to a previously mentioned masculine noun like hrvatski jezik, and the clitic must be in second position.
How do I pronounce it?
A simple guide: “On goh-VOH-ree DOH-broh HR-vat-skee.” Tips: roll the r; g is always hard (as in “go”); the cluster -tsk- in hrvatski is pronounced as it looks: t + s + k.