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Questions & Answers about On također govori engleski.
Can I omit the subject On?
Yes. Croatian usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending tells you who the subject is.
- Također govori engleski. (Also speaks English.)
- Govori i engleski. (Speaks English as well.) Include On if you want clarity or emphasis on the person: On također govori engleski.
Where can I put također in the sentence?
Most natural positions:
- Neutral/additive: On također govori engleski.
- Sentence-initial (linking with what came before): Također govori engleski.
- To add the object specifically: On govori i engleski. (The particle i sits before what’s being added.)
- To add the subject specifically: I on govori engleski. (He, too, speaks English.) Less natural or stylistically marked:
- On govori engleski također. (Possible, somewhat formal/written.) Avoid:
- On govori također engleski. (sounds awkward)
- On također engleski govori. (heavy emphasis, odd in everyday speech)
What’s the difference between također, i, isto, and takođe?
- također = also/as well; neutral, standard in Croatian, common in writing but fine in speech.
- i = and; also works as a focus particle meaning also/too when placed before the added element: On govori i engleski.
- isto = same; colloquially also means also/too, especially at the end or alone: Ja isto. It’s informal.
- takođe = Serbian form; not standard in Croatian (use također in Croatian).
Why is engleski lowercased?
In Croatian, names of languages and nationalities are written in lowercase: engleski, hrvatski, njemački. Capitalize only at the beginning of a sentence.
Why is there no na (as in na engleskom) here?
- govoriti engleski = speak English (ability/habit).
- govoriti na engleskom = speak in English (the current medium). Examples:
- On govori engleski i njemački. (He speaks English and German.)
- Sada govori na engleskom. (He is speaking in English now.)
Is govoriti the right verb for speaking a language? What about pričati?
Use govoriti for languages: On govori engleski. pričati means to chat/tell a story: pričati priču, pričati s prijateljem. Saying On priča engleski is non‑standard in Croatian (though heard regionally); stick to govoriti.
How do you conjugate govoriti in the present?
- ja govorim
- ti govoriš
- on/ona/ono govori
- mi govorimo
- vi govorite
- oni/one/ona govore
How do I ask Does he also speak English?
Use the clitic li after the first word:
- Govori li i on engleski? (Does he, too, speak English?)
- Govori li i engleski? (Does he speak English as well?)
- Govori li on također engleski? (acceptable, a bit heavier) Note: Da li is common regionally but not preferred in standard Croatian; Govori li …? is the standard pattern.
How do I say He doesn’t speak English either?
The most natural negative additive is with ni:
- Ni on ne govori engleski. You can say On također ne govori engleski to mean He also doesn’t speak English (in addition to someone else), but for either/too in negatives, ni … ne is the go‑to.
What case is engleski here?
Accusative singular masculine, used as a noun meaning the English language. For masculine inanimate nouns, nominative and accusative look the same. Common forms you’ll see:
- N/Acc: engleski (Govori engleski. Engleski je težak.)
- Gen: engleskog (znanje engleskog)
- Dat/Loc: engleskom (o engleskom jeziku)
- Instr: engleskim (s engleskim naglaskom)
How do I pronounce također and the letter đ?
- đ sounds like the j in English jam (a soft d+j sound).
- također: ta-KO-dyehr
- govori: go-VO-ree
- engleski: EN-gleh-skee
How do I emphasize different parts: the person, the verb, or the language?
- Emphasize the person (he too): I on govori engleski.
- Emphasize the action/addition in general: On također govori engleski.
- Emphasize the language being an extra item: On govori i engleski. For multiple languages: On govori i engleski i njemački. (He speaks both English and German.)