Nouns: Accusative Case

01

Feminine Nouns: -a Becomes -u

Feminine nouns ending in -a change that ending to -u in the accusative singular, and any adjective in front changes to match.

• Čitam knjigu.

  I am reading a book.

• knjig- the noun, book
• -u the accusative ending - this single letter is what tells you the book is being read rather than doing the reading

The dictionary form is knjiga; only the final letter has moved.

• Volim hladnu vodu.

  I love cold water.

• hladn-u cold, vod-u water - the adjective takes the same -u as the noun it describes

• Gledam dobru predstavu.

  I am watching a good show.

Feminine nouns that end in a consonant (such as noć night or stvar thing) do not change in the accusative singular.

02

Masculine Nouns: Animate vs Inanimate

Masculine nouns fall into two groups in the singular, and the accusative is exactly where the difference appears.

Inanimate (objects, ideas): the accusative is identical to the nominative - nothing changes.

• Gledam film.

  I am watching a movie.

• Imam novi auto.

  I have a new car.

Animate (people and animals): the accusative looks like the genitive, usually adding -a; the adjective takes -og.

• Imam psa.

  I have a dog.

• the dictionary form is pas; as an object it becomes ps-a

• Trebam prijatelja.

  I need a friend.

• prijatelj- friend, -a the animate accusative ending

• Znam tog visokog muškarca.

  I know that tall man.

One group of masculine nouns is spelt like feminines - tata (dad), kolega (colleague) - and those take the feminine -u for their object form, not -a. The adjective in front still takes the masculine -og, because the noun is masculine however it is spelt.

• Volim svog tatu.

  I love my dad.

• svog the masculine ending, tat-u the feminine one - side by side in the same two-word phrase

(This split has its own topic, Animacy.)

03

Neuter Nouns

Neuter nouns never change in the accusative: the form matches the nominative, for both the noun and its adjective.

• Vidim veliko drvo.

  I see a big tree.

• Volim ovo mjesto.

  I love this place.

04

The Plural

In the plural the animate/inanimate split disappears.

• Feminine and neuter nouns: the accusative plural is the same as the nominative plural.
• Masculine nouns: the accusative plural ends in -e.

• Volim sve filmove.

  I love all movies.

• Kupujem jabuke.

  I am buying apples.

• Imam dobre prijatelje.

  I have good friends.

05

The Accusative of Time

With no preposition at all, the accusative can also say how long something lasts or name a stretch of time.

• Imala sam taj sat deset godina.

  I had that watch for ten years.

• Bit ću odsutna sedmicu dana.

  I will be away for a week.

The preposition za with the accusative points instead to a moment still to come.

• Za pet minuta bit će deset.

  In five minutes it will be ten.

06

Pronouns in the Accusative

The personal pronouns have their own accusative forms, each with a full and a short (clitic) version.

• Volim te.

  I love you.

• Vidite li me?

  Do you see me?

• Oni vole mene.

  They love me. (stressed)

07

Prepositions That Take the Accusative

Several prepositions take the accusative, above all when they express motion towards a destination. The key pair is u (into) and na (onto / to).

• Idem u supermarket.

  I am going to the supermarket.

• Djeca ulaze u autobus.

  The children are getting on the bus.

• Idem na fakultet.

  I am going to college.

The same u and na take the locative when they mean a static location, so the case is what distinguishes movement from rest. The preposition za (for) also takes the accusative.

• Kupila sam čokoladicu za tebe.

  I bought a candy bar for you.