Čija je ova torba?

Whose bag is this?

Breakdown of Čija je ova torba?

• biti: to be
• ovaj: this
• čiji: whose
• torba: bag

Questions & Answers about Čija je ova torba?

What are the parts of speech of each word in Čija je ova torba?

• Čija: interrogative possessive adjective/pronoun (“whose”), agrees in gender/number/case with the noun.
• je: 3rd person singular of the verb biti (“to be”), a clitic.
• ova: demonstrative adjective (“this”), feminine singular nominative, agreeing with torba.
• torba: noun (“bag”), feminine singular nominative.

Why is it čija and not čiji or čije?

Because čija has to agree with torba, which is feminine singular. The base forms are: masculine čiji, feminine čija, neuter čije.

What case is used here?

Nominative. Ova torba is the subject, and čija is a predicate adjective that agrees with it in nominative feminine singular.

Why is je in the middle? Could I say Čija ova torba je?

je is a clitic and normally sits in “second position” after the first stressed word or phrase. So Čija je ova torba? is standard. Čija ova torba je? is ungrammatical in standard Croatian.

Can I drop ova and just say Čija je torba?

Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly. Čija je ova torba? = “Whose is this bag (right here)?” while Čija je torba? = “Whose is the bag?” (less specific, depends on context).

What’s the difference between ova, ta, and ona in this sentence pattern?

They mark distance/context:

• ova torba = this bag (near the speaker)
• ta torba = that bag (near the listener or previously mentioned)
• ona torba = that bag (far from both or out of immediate context)

Could I say Čije je ovo? instead?

Yes. Čije je ovo? = “Whose is this (thing)?” You use neuter čije with neuter pronoun ovo when you don’t name the noun. If you name the noun, you must agree with it: Čija je ova torba?

How do I answer this question naturally?

Common replies:

• Moja. / Moja je. (Mine.)
• Moja torba. (My bag.)
• To je moja torba. (That’s my bag.)
• Using names: Anina. / To je Anina torba. or To je torba od Ane. (“Anina” is the possessive derived from Ana; “od Ane” uses a genitive construction.)

Which possessive forms should I use to answer: my/your/his/her/our/your/their?

• moja (mine)
• tvoja (yours, sg.)
• njegova (his)
• njezina (her) [also heard: njena]
• naša (ours)
• vaša (yours, pl./formal)
• njihova (theirs) They must agree with the noun: moja torba, njezina torba, etc.

Is there a more literal English equivalent, and is it natural?

A literal equivalent is “Whose is this bag?” In everyday English, “Whose bag is this?” is more common. Croatian comfortably uses the “Whose is this X?” structure.

Can the word order be different, like Ova torba je čija?

That order can work as an echo/surprised question (“This bag is whose?!”), but the neutral, standard question is Čija je ova torba?

How would I ask about plural “bags”?

Use plural agreement: Čije su ove torbe? (Whose are these bags?)

• čije (fem. plural), su (3rd pl. of biti), ove (fem. pl.), torbe (fem. pl. nom.)

What are the genders for “whose” across nouns?

• Masculine singular: Čiji je ovaj kišobran? (umbrella)
• Feminine singular: Čija je ova torba? (bag)
• Neuter singular: Čije je ovo dijete? (child)
• Plurals: masculine pl. čiji, feminine pl. čije, neuter pl. čija (e.g., Čija su ova kola?)

Is jest possible instead of je?

jest is a full/emphatic form of “is,” used rarely and stylistically. In this question you use je: Čija je ova torba? Using jest here would sound odd.

What if I want a yes/no question instead?

Use je li (or colloquial jel’): Je li ovo tvoja torba? = “Is this your bag?” The original sentence is a wh-question, so it doesn’t use li.

How do I pronounce the tricky letters?

• č like “ch” in “chair”
• j like “y” in “yes”
• je sounds like “yeh”
• r is trilled; torba roughly “TOR-bah”

Is torba the only word for “bag”?

No:

• torba = bag/handbag/satchel (general)
• torbica = small bag/purse
• ruksak = backpack
• vrećica (Croatia) / kesa (Serbia) = plastic bag

Can I ask “whose bag” using a genitive phrase instead of čiji/čija/čije?

Colloquially you can hear Od koga je ova torba? (“This bag is from whom?”), and it’s understood, but for possession the preferred, standard way is with čiji/čija/čije: Čija je ova torba?