Moj pas je siv.

My dog is grey.

Breakdown of Moj pas je siv.

• biti: to be
• pas: dog
• moj: my
• siv: grey

Questions & Answers about Moj pas je siv.

What does each word in Moj pas je siv. literally mean, and what is the basic structure?

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Moj = my (masculine singular form of the possessive adjective)
• pas = dog (masculine singular noun)
• je = is (3rd person singular of the verb biti – to be)
• siv = grey (masculine singular form of the adjective)

Word order is Subject – Verb – Adjective:

• Moj pas (my dog) – subject
• je (is) – verb
• siv (grey) – predicate adjective

So it literally maps to My dog is grey.

Why is there no word for the or a in this sentence?

Croatian does not use articles like English a, an, or the. The noun pas can mean:

• a dog
• the dog
• just dog in general

Context usually tells you whether you would translate it as a or the in English. Here, Moj pas je siv. naturally becomes My dog is grey. (not A my dog is grey).

Why is it moj and not moja or moje?

The form of moj (my) has to agree with the gender and number of the noun it describes:

• moj – masculine singular (e.g. moj pas = my dog)
• moja – feminine singular (e.g. moja mačka = my cat)
• moje – neuter singular (e.g. moje dijete = my child)

Since pas (dog) is grammatically masculine singular, you use moj:

• Moj pas je siv. = My dog is grey.

If it were a feminine noun, you would say:

• Moja mačka je siva. = My cat is grey.

Why is the adjective siv and not siva or sivo?

Adjectives in Croatian agree with the noun in:

• gender (masculine, feminine, neuter)
• number (singular, plural)
• case (nominative, accusative, etc.)

Here:

• pas is masculine singular in the nominative case.
• Therefore, the adjective must be masculine singular nominative: siv.

Compare:

• Moj pas je siv. (masculine: dog)
• Moja mačka je siva. (feminine: cat)
• Moje jaje je sivo. (neuter: egg)

So siv / siva / sivo all mean grey, but they match different genders.

What case is pas in, and how do I know?

Pas is in the nominative singular:

• The nominative is used for the subject of the sentence: the thing or person doing or being something.
• In Moj pas je siv., moj pas is the subject – the dog is the one that is grey.

In a dictionary you will usually see the base form, which for nouns is the nominative singular. So when you look up pas, you are seeing the nominative form.

Where is the verb to be in this sentence, and do I always need je?

The verb to be is biti in Croatian. In this sentence, je is the 3rd person singular present tense form:

• on/ona/ono je = he/she/it is

So Moj pas je siv. literally has is in it.

You normally need to include je in standard Croatian when forming a present-tense sentence like this. Omitting je here (Moj pas siv) would sound wrong or at best very non‑standard.

Can I change the word order, like Siv je moj pas or Moj je pas siv?

Yes, Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but changes can add emphasis or sound more poetic:

• Moj pas je siv. – neutral, most common: My dog is grey.
• Siv je moj pas. – emphasizes siv (grey), something like: It’s grey that my dog is.
• Moj je pas siv. – mildly emphasizes moj (my), contrasting with someone else’s dog, e.g. Moj je pas siv, a tvoj je crn.
• Pas mi je siv. – also possible if you use the clitic mi (to me) instead of moj, but that slightly changes the feel.

For a beginner, stick with the basic order: Moj pas je siv.

How would I say My dogs are grey?

You need plural forms for the possessive, noun, and adjective, and the plural verb:

• moji – my (masculine plural)
• psi – dogs (masculine plural nominative of pas)
• su – are (3rd person plural of biti)
• sivi – grey (masculine plural nominative)

So:

• Moji psi su sivi. = My dogs are grey.

How do I say My dog is not grey?

Negation of je (is) is done with nije:

• Moj pas nije siv. = My dog is not grey.

Structure:

• Moj pas – my dog
• nije – is not
• siv – grey

What is the difference between Moj pas je siv. and Imam sivog psa.?

Both can be translated as I have a grey dog, depending on context, but they focus on different things:

• Moj pas je siv.

  • Literally: My dog is grey.
  • Focus: you already know which dog (my dog), and you’re describing its color.

• Imam sivog psa.

  • Literally: I have a grey dog.
  • Imam = I have
  • sivog psa = a grey dog (accusative singular: masculine)
  • Focus: the fact that you own a dog and that dog is grey; it introduces this information.

So Moj pas je siv. is more like describing a known dog; Imam sivog psa. is more like stating ownership and color at the same time.

Why does siv change to sivog in Imam sivog psa?

In Imam sivog psa.:

• psa is masculine singular accusative (object of the verb imam – I have).
• The adjective siv must match the noun in case, so it also becomes accusative masculine singular: sivog.

Nominative (subject):

• siv pas – a grey dog
• Moj pas je siv.

Accusative (direct object):

• sivog psa – a grey dog (as an object)
• Imam sivog psa.

How does this sentence change with a feminine noun, like cat?

For a feminine noun like mačka (cat), the possessive and adjective change to feminine forms:

• Moja mačka je siva. = My cat is grey.

Breakdown:

• moja – my (feminine singular)
• mačka – cat (feminine singular)
• je – is
• siva – grey (feminine singular nominative)

So:

• Masculine: Moj pas je siv.
• Feminine: Moja mačka je siva.
• Neuter: Moje jaje je sivo. (My egg is grey.)

How do you pronounce Moj pas je siv?

Approximate pronunciation (standard Croatian):

• Moj – [moy] (like English moi with a clear y at the end)
• pas – [pahs] (short a, like bus but with a clearer a)
• je – [ye] (like ye in yes without the s)
• siv – [seev] (short i, closer to sit but held a bit, and v clearly pronounced)

Stress is typically:

• Moj – stressed
• pas – stressed
• je – usually unstressed and clitic-like
• siv – stressed when focused

So roughly: MOY pahs ye seev.