Learn Hardcore Croatian: Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost, a moj rođak je stručnjak za računala. - Her uncle is an expert in art, and my cousin male is an expert in computers.

These are possessive adjectives. In Croatian they agree in gender, number and case with the noun they describe, not with the person who owns the thing.

njen ujak
- njen – “her” (possessor is female)
- ujak – uncle (masculine singular)
- So we use the masculine singular form njen to match ujak.
moj rođak
- moj – “my” (possessor is “I”)
- rođak – cousin (masculine singular)
- So we use the masculine singular form moj to match rođak.

If the nouns were feminine, they would change:

moja sestra – my sister
njena sestra or njezina sestra – her sister

So: possessive adjective matches the possessed noun, not the owner’s gender (except that čiji? / whose? word paradigms depend on whether the owner is I/you/he/she, etc.).

What’s the difference between njen and njezin? Which one should I use?

Both njen and njezin mean her (belonging to her).

njen – shorter, very common in everyday speech and writing
njezin – a bit longer, sometimes felt as slightly more careful or literary, also very common

They decline in the same way and are interchangeable in meaning:

njen ujak = njezin ujak – her uncle
njena sestra = njezina sestra – her sister

You can safely use njen / njena / njeno in normal speech; just be aware you’ll also see njezin / njezina / njezino in books, news, etc.

Why is it ujak and not stric for “uncle”? What’s the difference?

Croatian distinguishes different kinds of uncles:

ujak – your mother’s brother
stric – your father’s brother
tetak – the husband of your aunt (teta)

In the sentence:

Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost…
Her uncle is an expert in art…

this tells a Croatian speaker specifically that it’s her mother’s brother.

In casual conversation, some speakers might mix them a bit, but the standard distinction is:

mamin brat → ujak
tatin brat → stric

What exactly does rođak mean? Is it always “cousin”?

Rođak is a general word for a male relative and is very often used to mean male cousin.

moj rođak – my cousin (male), or more generally my relative (male)
Feminine: rođakinja – female relative / female cousin

When you need to be more specific about the exact relationship, people may say:

bratić – male cousin (literally “little brother”, fairly common)
sestrična – female cousin

But in everyday speech, rođak / rođakinja are very common for “cousin”. Context usually makes it clear whether you mean “cousin” or “relative”. In your sentence it’s naturally understood as cousin.

Why do we say stručnjak za umjetnost and stručnjak za računala? Why the preposition za and not something like “od” or “u”?

With words like stručnjak (expert, specialist), Croatian typically uses the pattern:

stručnjak za + accusative = expert in … / specialist in …

So:

stručnjak za umjetnost – expert in art
stručnjak za računala – expert in computers

Other fixed expressions with za:

profesor za kemiju (less common; more usual is profesor kemije, but za is possible)
savjetnik za marketing – marketing consultant/specialist

Using od or u here would sound wrong or at least non-standard. So you should learn stručnjak za + [field] as a fixed pattern.

Which case are umjetnost and računala in? Why do they look like that?

The preposition za in this meaning (“for / in the field of”) takes the accusative case.

umjetnost (art) is feminine; its nominative singular and accusative singular both look like umjetnost, so you don’t see a change.
- Nominative sg: umjetnost
- Accusative sg: umjetnost
računala (computers) is neuter plural (from računalo). In neuter, nominative plural = accusative plural:
- Nominative pl: računala – computers
- Accusative pl: računala – computers (object of za)

So both umjetnost and računala are in the accusative, but their forms happen to coincide with the nominative.

What does the conjunction a mean here, and how is it different from i or ali?

In the sentence:

Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost, a moj rođak je stručnjak za računala.

a connects two clauses and often means something like:

while, whereas, and (with a slight contrast)

Compare:

i – simple and, just adds things, no contrast:
- Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost i moj rođak je stručnjak za računala.
  Sounds like just listing facts, more neutral.
a – “and” with a mild contrast or comparison:
- Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost, a moj rođak je stručnjak za računala.
  → Her uncle is an expert in art, whereas my cousin is an expert in computers.
ali – but, stronger contrast / opposition:
- Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost, ali moj rođak je stručnjak za računala.
  → Suggests a clearer opposition; less natural in this neutral context.

So a is good when you’re just juxtaposing two different but related facts.

Why is the verb je repeated? Could we say „Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost, a moj rođak stručnjak za računala.” without the second je?

Both versions are possible:

With repetition (standard and most common):
- Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost, a moj rođak je stručnjak za računala.
Without repeating je (more elliptical, usually spoken style):
- Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost, a moj rođak stručnjak za računala.

In careful, clear written Croatian, repeating je is more standard and slightly clearer, especially for learners. Dropping it is grammatical, but feels more informal and requires the reader to “carry over” the verb from the first clause.

For learning purposes, it’s safer to keep the verb in both clauses.

Could I change the word order, like „Moj je rođak stručnjak za računala”? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and both are correct:

Moj rođak je stručnjak za računala. – neutral statement
Moj je rođak stručnjak za računala. – slightly more emphasis on moj rođak (as opposed to someone else’s cousin)

Putting je after the first stressed word (like Moj) is very common in Croatian:

Moj je brat doktor.
Njegova je sestra učiteljica.

The basic meaning (“my cousin is an expert in computers”) stays the same; the change is mostly about focus/emphasis. For learners, the neutral order Moj rođak je… is the safest default.

If the expert were a woman, how would I change stručnjak?

Stručnjak is masculine. The typical feminine form is stručnjakinja:

Njen ujak je stručnjak za umjetnost. – Her uncle (man) is an expert in art.
Njena tetka je stručnjakinja za umjetnost. – Her aunt (woman) is an expert in art.

Other examples:

psiholog → psihologinja
učitelj → učiteljica

So for a female expert you would say stručnjakinja za umjetnost / za računala.

What is računala exactly? Is it the same as “computers”? I’ve seen kompjuteri too.

Yes, in this context računala means computers (in general).

računalo – computer (neuter singular)
računala – computers (neuter plural)

It is the standard Croatian word. You will also hear:

kompjuter (sg), kompjuteri (pl) – from English computer, very common in speech and informal writing.

In a more neutral or formal sentence (like yours), stručnjak za računala sounds natural and standard. Both forms are widely understood, but računalo/računala is the “more Croatian” word.

How do I pronounce nj in njen and rođak? It looks different from English.

The digraph nj represents a single sound /ɲ/, similar to the “ny” in “canyon” or the Spanish ñ:

njen – roughly like nyen
rođak – pronounced ro-đak; the đ is like a soft “j” in “judge”.

So:

nj = one consonant, pronounced with the tongue touching the palate, not like n + j separately.
Stress is usually on the first syllable: NJEN ujak, MOJ rođak.