Questions & Answers about Njegova obitelj živi daleko.
- Njegova – possessive pronoun meaning his; it agrees in gender, number and case with obitelj.
- obitelj – noun meaning family; it is the subject of the sentence.
- živi – verb meaning lives; 3rd person singular present tense.
- daleko – adverb meaning far or far away, telling us where they live.
Croatian possessive pronouns agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case.
- obitelj is feminine singular and here it is in the nominative (subject).
- The feminine singular nominative form of njegov is njegova.
So we get:
- njegov brat (masculine: his brother)
- njegova obitelj (feminine: his family)
- njegovo dijete (neuter: his child)
- obitelj is feminine in Croatian, even though it does not end in -a.
- In this sentence it is the subject, so it is in the nominative singular case.
Croatian has some feminine nouns ending in consonants or in -telj / -elj, and obitelj is one of them.
In Croatian, the verb agrees with the grammatical subject, not with its logical size as a group.
- obitelj is grammatically singular, so the verb must also be singular:
- Njegova obitelj živi daleko. – živi (3rd person singular)
If the subject were plural, the verb would be plural:
- Njegove obitelji žive daleko. – žive (3rd person plural)
The infinitive is živjeti (to live).
Present tense, singular:
- ja živim – I live
- ti živiš – you (sg.) live
- on/ona/ono živi – he/she/it lives
Plural:
- mi živimo – we live
- vi živite – you (pl.) live
- oni/one/ona žive – they live
In Njegova obitelj živi daleko, we use živi for obitelj (3rd person singular).
In this sentence, daleko is an adverb meaning far / far away, modifying the verb živi (lives).
You might also see related expressions:
- jako daleko – very far (away)
- daleko odavde – far from here
The neutral, most natural order is:
- Njegova obitelj živi daleko. (subject – verb – adverb)
Other orders are grammatically possible but sound marked, poetic, or strongly emphatic:
- Njegova obitelj daleko živi. – possible, but sounds stylistic/emphatic.
- Daleko živi njegova obitelj. – also possible, stressing daleko (how far).
For everyday speech, stick to Njegova obitelj živi daleko.
You only change the possessive pronoun; obitelj živi daleko stays the same:
Njezina obitelj živi daleko. – Her family lives far away.
- (You will also hear Njena obitelj živi daleko., more colloquial.)
Njihova obitelj živi daleko. – Their family lives far away.
Both can be translated as his family, but they differ in reference:
- njegova obitelj – his family, could be his or another man’s family, depending on context.
- svoja obitelj – his own family, where the owner is the subject of the sentence.
Examples:
- On voli svoju obitelj. – He loves his (own) family.
- On voli njegovu obitelj. – He loves his family (someone else’s, belonging to another man already mentioned).
In Njegova obitelj živi daleko, we are simply stating that his family (not necessarily his own if there is another male in the context) lives far away.
You need plural for both the noun and the verb:
- Njegove obitelji žive daleko.
Changes:
- njegova → njegove (feminine plural nominative)
- obitelj → obitelji (plural form of the noun)
- živi → žive (3rd person plural of živjeti)
- daleko stays the same (adverbs don’t change for number or gender).
Now obitelj is the object, so you need the accusative singular:
- Vidim njegovu obitelj. – I see his family.
Changes:
- njegova → njegovu (feminine accusative singular)
- obitelj stays obitelj (same form in nominative and accusative for many feminine nouns without -a).
Compare:
- Njegova obitelj živi daleko. – njegova (nominative, subject)
- Vidim njegovu obitelj. – njegovu (accusative, object)
Obitelj is the standard, neutral word for family.
You may also hear:
- familija – also means family, but can sound more colloquial or informal, sometimes with a slightly different nuance (relatives, clan-like).
For learners, obitelj is the safest and most standard choice.