Log inSign up

Bez ugovora najam nije moguć.

Bez ugovora najam nije moguć.
Without a contract, renting is not possible.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Croatian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Croatian now

Questions & Answers about Bez ugovora najam nije moguć.

Why is bez followed by ugovora and not ugovor?

Because bez (without) is a preposition that requires the genitive case in Croatian.
So ugovor (contract) changes to the genitive singular ugovora after bez: bez ugovora = without a contract.

How do I know ugovora is genitive singular and not something else?

The noun ugovor is masculine, and its genitive singular ending is typically -a:

  • nominative: ugovor
  • genitive singular: ugovora
    Also, the meaning fits: without a (single) contract. (Genitive plural would usually be different in meaning and often in form, depending on the noun.)
What part of speech is najam here, and what does it function as in the sentence?

Najam is a noun meaning rental / renting / lease (depending on context).
Here it is the subject of the sentence (in the nominative case): Najam nije moguć = Renting is not possible.

Why is there no verb meaning is?

Croatian often omits the present-tense verb to be (biti) in affirmative sentences, but in the negative present, it’s typically expressed as nije:

  • (affirmative) Najam je moguć. = Renting is possible.
  • (negative) Najam nije moguć. = Renting is not possible.
Why is the negation nije one word, not ne je?

In Croatian, the negative present forms of biti (to be) are fused:

  • nisam, nisi, nije, nismo, niste, nisu
    So nije = is not (3rd person singular).
Why is it moguć and not moguće?

Because moguć is an adjective and must agree with the noun it describes.
Najam is masculine singular, so the adjective is masculine singular: moguć.
Compare:

  • Plan nije moguć. (plan = masculine)
  • Opcija nije moguća. (option = feminine)
  • Rješenje nije moguće. (solution = neuter)
Is moguć an adjective or a participle? And what does it literally mean?
Moguć is an adjective meaning possible. It’s not a participle in modern usage; it behaves like a normal adjective and declines for gender/case/number (e.g., moguća, moguće, mogući).
Can the word order be changed? For example: Najam bez ugovora nije moguć.

Yes. Croatian word order is flexible, and both are natural:

  • Bez ugovora najam nije moguć. (emphasis on without a contract)
  • Najam bez ugovora nije moguć. (more neutral, like English order)
    The meaning stays the same; the first version foregrounds the condition bez ugovora.
What exactly does bez ugovora modify—najam or the whole statement?

Functionally it sets a condition for the statement: Without a contract, renting is not possible.
You can think of it as modifying the whole clause (it tells you under what condition renting isn’t possible), though semantically it’s closely tied to najam (renting without a contract).

Is najam the same as iznajmljivanje? Which one is more common?

They overlap but aren’t always interchangeable:

  • najam often refers to a rental/lease as a concept, arrangement, or the act in a more “legal/contractual” noun style.
  • iznajmljivanje is a verbal noun meaning renting out / the act of renting, often more process-focused.
    In formal/legal contexts, najam is very common.
Could I also say Bez ugovora se ne može iznajmiti?

Yes, that’s a common alternative structure:

  • Bez ugovora se ne može iznajmiti. = Without a contract, it can’t be rented.
    It uses se ne može (it’s not possible) + an infinitive, and it sounds more like describing a practical impossibility, while Najam nije moguć is more “statement-like” and formal.
How would I pronounce the sentence, roughly?

Approximate pronunciation (very rough, English-friendly):

  • Bez ≈ bez (like beds without the d)
  • ugovora ≈ oo-GO-vo-ra
  • najam ≈ NA-yam (the j is like y in yes)
  • nije ≈ NEE-ye
  • moguć ≈ MO-gooch (the ć is a softer “ch” sound than English church)