Njihov pas spava ispod stola.

Their dog sleeps under the table.

Breakdown of Njihov pas spava ispod stola.

• pas: dog
• stol: table
• spavati: to sleep
• ispod: under
• njihov: theirs

Questions & Answers about Njihov pas spava ispod stola.

What does Njihov mean, and how is it different from oni?

Njihov means their (a possessive word), while oni means they (a subject pronoun).

• oni = they (who is doing the action)
  
  • Example: Oni spavaju. = They sleep / They are sleeping.
• njihov = their (shows ownership)
  
  • Example: Njihov pas = their dog

So in Njihov pas spava ispod stola, Njihov tells you the dog belongs to them.

Why is it Njihov pas, not Njihova pas or Njihovo pas?

In Croatian, possessive words like njihov agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe.

• pas (dog) is masculine singular.
• The masculine singular form of “their” is njihov.

So:

• njihov pas = their dog (masculine noun)
• njihova mačka = their cat (feminine noun, mačka)
• njihovo dijete = their child (neuter noun, dijete)

That’s why it must be Njihov pas, not Njihova pas or Njihovo pas.

What form of the verb is spava, and does it mean “sleeps” or “is sleeping”?

Spava is the 3rd person singular, present tense of the verb spavati (to sleep).

In Croatian, the simple present tense usually covers both English forms:

• spava can mean:
  • he/she/it sleeps
  • he/she/it is sleeping

So Njihov pas spava ispod stola can mean either:

• Their dog sleeps under the table (habitually), or
• Their dog is sleeping under the table (right now),
  depending on context.

Why isn’t there a word like “is” (the verb “to be”) in this sentence? Why not Njihov pas je spava?

Croatian does not use jesam (the verb “to be”) with a normal present tense verb the way English uses “to be” with “-ing”.

• You say:
  • Njihov pas spava. = Their dog sleeps / is sleeping.
• You do not say:
  • Njihov pas je spava. (this is incorrect)

The verb ending in spava already shows:

• person (3rd person),
• number (singular),
• present tense.

You only add je / sam / si etc. as an auxiliary for other tenses (e.g. past):

• Njihov pas je spavao. = Their dog slept / has slept.

What does ispod mean, and which case does it require?

Ispod means under / below / underneath.

It always takes the genitive case.

So:

• Basic form of “table”: stol (nominative)
• Genitive singular: stola

Because of ispod, you must say:

• ispod stola = under the table (literally “under of-table”)

Why is it stola and not just stol in ispod stola?

The form stola is the genitive singular of stol.

Certain prepositions, including ispod (under), require the genitive case. That’s why the noun changes:

• Nominative (dictionary form): stol = table
• Genitive: stola = of (the) table

After ispod, you must use the genitive:

• ❌ ispod stol — incorrect
• ✅ ispod stola — correct

Other prepositions that also use the genitive: iznad (above), pored (beside), bez (without), etc.

Where is the English word “the” in this sentence? Why isn’t there an article in Croatian?

Croatian does not use definite or indefinite articles like the or a/an.

• Njihov pas can mean:
  • their dog
  • their *the dog* (in context, “their dog” is usually definite anyway)

Definiteness and specificity are shown by:

• context,
• word order,
• possessives (like njihov),
• sometimes demonstratives (taj, ovaj, etc.),
  not by an article.

So there is no separate word for the in Njihov pas spava ispod stola.

Can I change the word order in this sentence? For example, can I say Njihov pas ispod stola spava?

Yes, Croatian word order is more flexible than English.

All of these are possible:

1. Njihov pas spava ispod stola.
   – neutral, straightforward.

2. Njihov pas ispod stola spava.
   – still correct; can sound a bit more “story-like” or emphasize where he is sleeping.

3. Ispod stola njihov pas spava.
   – more emphasis on under the table (setting the scene).

However, Njihov pas spava ispod stola is the most neutral and typical version. Very unusual orders might sound poetic, old-fashioned, or just wrong.

Do possessive words like Njihov always come before the noun?

Normally, yes. Possessive pronouns/adjectives like njihov, moj, tvoj, naš, vaš, njegov, njezin usually come before the noun:

• njihov pas = their dog
• moj stol = my table
• naša kuća = our house

They can come after the noun for emphasis or in more poetic / marked styles:

• pas njihov – literally “dog their”, can emphasize pas or sound more poetic/unusual.

In everyday, neutral speech, you should almost always put them before the noun: Njihov pas.

What is the plural of pas, and how would I say “Their dogs sleep under the table”?

The plural of pas (dog) is psi (dogs).

To say Their dogs sleep under the table, you need:

• plural subject: Njihovi psi (their dogs)
• plural verb: spavaju (they sleep)
• same prepositional phrase: ispod stola

So the full sentence is:

• Njihovi psi spavaju ispod stola.
  = Their dogs sleep / are sleeping under the table.

What is the difference between ispod and pod? Could I say pod stolom instead of ispod stola?

Both ispod and pod can mean under, but there are some tendencies:

• ispod
  • genitive (ispod stola)
    – often “under / beneath” in a more general or spatial sense.
• pod
  • instrumental (pod stolom)
    – also “under”, sometimes felt as more physically under/covered, or more idiomatic in some phrases.

In your example, both are possible and natural:

• Njihov pas spava ispod stola.
• Njihov pas spava pod stolom.

To a learner, you can treat them here as roughly equivalent. Over time, you’ll notice set expressions where one is preferred over the other.