Breakdown of Imam poziv na obiteljsko slavlje.
Questions & Answers about Imam poziv na obiteljsko slavlje.
Word by word:
- imam – I have (1st person singular of imati, to have)
- poziv – invitation, call (a noun, masculine)
- na – preposition, usually on / to / at depending on context
- obiteljsko – family as an adjective (family-related), here: family
- slavlje – celebration, party (a noun, neuter)
So the structure is literally: I-have invitation to family celebration.
In Croatian, subject pronouns like ja (I) are normally dropped because the verb ending already shows the person and number.
- imam already tells us I have (1st person singular).
- Adding ja is possible but not necessary: Ja imam poziv na obiteljsko slavlje.
- You would add ja only for emphasis or contrast, e.g.:
- Ja imam poziv, ali ti ga nemaš. – I have an invitation, but you don’t.
Poziv is in the accusative singular masculine.
Reason:
- The verb imati (to have) takes its object in the accusative.
- The direct object here is poziv (invitation), so:
- Nominative: poziv – invitation (as subject)
- Accusative: poziv – invitation (as object; same form for masculine inanimate nouns)
So imam poziv = I have an invitation (accusative object).
The phrase na obiteljsko slavlje uses accusative after the preposition na to express direction / goal (to a celebration).
- slavlje – neuter noun
- Nominative: slavlje
- Accusative: slavlje (same form for neuter)
- obiteljsko – adjective, agreeing with slavlje
- Neuter, singular, accusative (same form as nominative): obiteljsko
Structure:
- na
- obiteljsko (adj., neuter, sg., acc.) + slavlje (noun, neuter, sg., acc.)
- Literally: to [a] family celebration
The adjective must agree with the noun slavlje in:
- gender: slavlje is neuter
- number: singular
- case: accusative (because of na expressing direction)
Adjective forms:
- Masculine: obiteljski (e.g. obiteljski ručak – family lunch)
- Feminine: obiteljska (e.g. obiteljska kuća – family house)
- Neuter: obiteljsko (e.g. obiteljsko slavlje – family celebration)
So obiteljsko is required because slavlje is neuter.
Na is the normal preposition for invitations to events:
- poziv na slavlje – invitation to a celebration
- poziv na vjenčanje – invitation to a wedding
- poziv na zabavu – invitation to a party
Using za would sound odd or change the meaning:
- poziv za slavlje is not idiomatic for invitation to a celebration.
- za tends to mean for, as in:
- poklon za slavlje – a gift for the celebration
- novac za slavlje – money for the celebration
So for invitations to events, use poziv na + accusative.
Na can take either:
- accusative – for direction / goal (to, onto):
- Idem na slavlje. – I’m going to the celebration.
- Imam poziv na slavlje. – I have an invitation to the celebration.
- locative – for location / position (on, at, in):
- Na slavlju je bilo veselo. – It was fun at the celebration.
In Imam poziv na obiteljsko slavlje, the idea is an invitation to an event (goal), so accusative (slavlje) is correct, not locative (slavlju).
Both relate to invitations, but they’re used slightly differently:
poziv
- more general: an invitation (the act or the abstract thing)
- can be spoken or written
- also used in other meanings like phone call (telefonski poziv)
- Imam poziv na obiteljsko slavlje. – I have an invitation to a family celebration.
pozivnica
- specifically a physical invitation card (or sometimes an e‑card)
- refers more to the card/document itself
- Dobio sam pozivnicu za vjenčanje. – I got a wedding invitation card.
In everyday conversation, poziv is slightly broader and more neutral here.
Yes, Pozvan sam na obiteljsko slavlje is correct and common.
Difference in nuance:
Imam poziv na obiteljsko slavlje.
- Literally: I have an invitation to a family celebration.
- Focus: you possess an invitation (e.g. a card or an email).
Pozvan sam na obiteljsko slavlje.
- Literally: I am invited to a family celebration.
- Focus: you are on the guest list / invited.
In many contexts they overlap, but:
- imam poziv highlights the invitation as an object / fact,
- pozvan sam highlights your status as an invitee.
Croatian word order is fairly flexible. You can say:
- Imam poziv na obiteljsko slavlje. – neutral, most natural.
- Na obiteljsko slavlje imam poziv. – emphasizes the destination:
- For the family celebration I have an invitation (maybe not for other events).
Both are grammatically correct. The usual, neutral order is the one you were given, with imam poziv at the start.
You’d pluralize both the noun and (if needed) the rest of the phrase:
- Imam pozive na obiteljska slavlja.
- pozive – accusative plural of poziv
- obiteljska slavlja – neuter plural (adj + noun)
- Meaning: I have invitations to family celebrations (several events).
If you have multiple invitation cards to one event:
- Imam nekoliko pozivnica na obiteljsko slavlje.
- I have several invitation cards to a family celebration.
Approximate English-like pronunciation (stressed syllable in CAPS):
obiteljsko – o-BEE-teljs-ko
- o – like o in more (shorter)
- bi – like bee
- telj – tely with an added y sound (the lj is a palatal ly sound)
- sko – sko as in Scott
- o
slavlje – SLAV-lye
- sla – slah
- vlje – vlye, again with that palatal lj (ly sound)
Native speech is smoother than the syllable breakdown suggests, but this gives you a workable approximation.