Subordinate Clauses

01

Reported Thought and Speech: 'da'

da ("that") introduces what someone thinks, knows or says. Unlike English, it is never dropped.

• Mislim da je u pravu.

  I think that he is right.

• Znam da dolaziš.

  I know you are coming.

• Rekla je da je umorna.

  She said she was tired.

02

Reasons, Times and Conditions

Besides da ("that"), conjunctions give the reason, the time or the condition.

• jer (because), iako (although), ako (if), kad / kada (when), dok (while; with ne, until)

• Ostao sam kod kuće jer je padala kiša.

  I stayed home because it was raining.

• Ako možeš, dođi.

  If you can, come.

• Nazovi me kad stigneš.

  Call me when you arrive.

03

Relative Clauses with 'koji'

To attach a description to a noun, Croatian uses the relative pronoun koji ("which / who"). It agrees in gender and number with the noun it points back to, but takes its case from its own job inside the relative clause.

• Ovo je čovjek koji govori hrvatski.

  This is the man who speaks Croatian.

• Knjiga koju čitam je dobra.

  The book that I am reading is good.

04

The Comma Rule

A subordinate clause that opens the sentence is closed off with a comma. One that follows the main clause takes no comma before da, jer, ako or kad.

• Ako možeš, dođi.

  If you can, come.

• Znam da je kasno.

  I know that it is late.

• Učim hrvatski jer mi se sviđa.

  I am learning Croatian because I like it.

05

Questions Inside Sentences

An indirect question keeps its question word (gdje, kada, tko), and for a yes/no question it uses li or je li.

• Ne znam gdje je.

  I don't know where he is.

• Pitam se je li to istina.

  I wonder whether that is true.

06

Purpose: 'da' = in order to

The conjunction da, which also means "that", expresses purpose too - "so that / in order to" - followed by a present-tense verb. This is common in speech; written standard Croatian prefers kako with the conditional: kako bih.

• Učim da položim ispit.

  I am studying to pass the exam.

• Došao sam da pomognem.

  I came in order to help.

• Učim kako bih položila ispit.

  I am studying to pass the exam. (standard written form)

07

Clitics Stay in Second Place

Inside a subordinate clause the conjunction counts as the first word, so any clitic (a short unstressed word like te or se, which always takes the clause's second slot) jumps in right after it.

• Znam da te voli.

  I know that he loves you.

• Mislim da se šališ.

  I think you are joking.

08

Conditions with 'ako' and 'kad'

For a likely condition Croatian uses ako ("if") with the present or future; kad can also mean "when / whenever" for things that repeat.

• Ako budeš slobodan, javi se.

  If you are free, let me know.

• budeš is a special form of biti kept for exactly this job - a condition or a time still to come; with the ordinary present, ako si slobodan, the condition is about right now.

• Kad pada kiša, ostajem kod kuće.

  When it rains, I stay home.

An unreal condition - one that is not true, or was not - takes kad or da: kad with the conditional for now, da with the past for what did not happen.

• Kad bih bila bogata, imala bih veći stan.

  If I were rich, I would have a bigger apartment.

• Da si mi rekao, dala bih ti novac.

  If you had told me, I would have given you the money.