Breakdown of Moj sin želi nacrtati sovu koja sjedi iznad vrata štale.
moj
my
iznad
above
sjediti
to sit
željeti
to want
Questions & Answers about Moj sin želi nacrtati sovu koja sjedi iznad vrata štale.
Why is sovu used instead of sova?
Because sovu is the accusative singular form, and it is the direct object of nacrtati.
- sova = an owl (dictionary form, nominative)
- sovu = an owl (as the object)
In this sentence, the son wants to draw the owl, so owl is what the action is done to.
- Moj sin želi nacrtati sovu = My son wants to draw an owl
This is very common in Croatian: the noun changes form depending on its role in the sentence.
Why is koja used, not koju?
Because koja is the subject of the relative clause.
The relative clause is:
- koja sjedi iznad vrata štale = which is sitting above the barn door
Here, the owl is the one doing the sitting, so the relative pronoun must be in the nominative:
- koja = which / who (feminine singular nominative)
If the owl were the object inside that clause, you would expect koju instead.
So the structure is:
- sovu = object of nacrtati
- koja = subject of sjedi
Even though both refer to the same owl, they belong to different parts of the sentence and therefore can have different cases.