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Nouns: 003 Nouns in the nominative case

31/5/2019

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Croatian grammar reference section/Nouns #003

Nouns in the nominative case

The names of things. The subjects of sentences.

​
​As the word “nominative” suggests, nouns in the nominative case can be regarded as the names of things (persons, animals, ideas, feelings, …..)
            I nominate you = I put your name forward


If you have been learning Croatiian for more than two minuites, you are aware that nouns are modified (mostly by changes of endings), depending upon their role (or case) in any sentence. This is called declination of nouns.

For example, compare the role of the noun “house” in the following two sentences:
 
1.   The house is green.  Kuća je zelena.  
     “House” is the subject in this sentence: So it is in the nominative case, for which the form of the noun is kuća.
 
2.   I see the house. Vidim kuću.
     “House is a direct object (of the action “ to see”): This is the accusative case, and the form of the noun is kuću.


Be aware that in the examples above I have chosen to illustrate the meaning of case with a feminine noun in the singular (kuća). I could equally have used a masculine noun, or a neuter noun (see post All nouns have gender).

I could also have used the plural version of a noun (such as "houses").


More about declination of nouns in another post: The declination of nouns. The example above is just to try to illustrate what is meant by declination of nouns according to their case in sentences.


Nouns are in the nominative case when they are the subject of a sentence. For example, in the singular:
  • The man is riding a bicycle.   Muškarac vozi bicikl.
  • The lady came yesterday.   Žena je došla jučer.
  • The field is big.   Polje je veliko.
 
And in the plural:
  • The men are coming.   Muškarci dolaze.
  • The ladies are over there.   Žene su tamo.
  • The fields are green.   Polja su zelena.

If you look in a dictionary for the Croatian words for man, lady, or field (or any other noun) you will find the singular,  nominative form of the noun: for example, muškarac, žena, polje.
 
The nominative form of a noun in any sentence is identifiable as the answer to the questions Tko? (Who?) and Što? (What?).
            Tko vozi bicikl?   Muškarac.
            Tko je došla jučer?  Zena.
            Što je veliko?  Polje.
 
Different questions are used to identify nouns in the other cases (genitive, dative, accusative, vocative, lokative, and instrumental): See
Grammar reference section/Nouns #001: Questions that define the case of nouns.
 
In English, sentences also have nouns in different cases, but we can function without knowing that. In English we don’t change the noun: instead, we use prepositions (to, of, from, with, in, on, toward, ….) before the noun.  
​
It is obviously critical when talking Croatian to be able to recognise the case of each noun – and this will sooner or later (later, in my case) become automatic and fast.

Here is a hint for recognising that a noun is in the nominative case in some sentences. Any noun that follows some form of the verb “to be” (is, are, was, were, will be, …..) is necessarily nominative. For example:

            Vozač bicikla je muskarac.   The rider of the bicycle is a man.
            Vozač bicikla je bila žena.   The rider of the bicycle was a lady.
            Sljedeće godine to će biti polje.   Next year that will be a field.

​

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        • 001 The way we spoke
      • PHOTOS - SELFIES >
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    • Contacts
  • MISCELLANEOUS
    • Posts 1 -15 >
      • 001 Kosa, koza, koža
      • 002 Pronouncing 'au'
      • 003 Can language influence behaviour?
      • 004 First day of the week
      • 005 Do Croatians assign gender to objects?
      • 006 Za četiri dana, na dva dana
      • 007 My brain becomes full!
      • 008 Sretan rođendan ti
      • 009 Na kavu, po kavu, za kavu?
      • 010 Until you don't do it
      • 011 Nazvati nekoga, telefonirati nekomu
      • 012 If she were a man ....
      • 013 Streets with two names?
      • 015 Tri, četiri, sad!
    • Posts 16-30 >
      • 016 I feel like crying!
      • 017 I felt like crying, I will feel like crying
      • 018 Picking up place names by ear
      • 019 Where did the "j" go?
      • 020 Koliko kiše smo imali?
      • 021 Požuri polako
      • 022 Mi, mi, mi, mi
      • 023 Why should we learn the grammar?
      • 024 Words for youngsters are neuter
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      • EXPERIENCES: POSTS 1 - 15 HOME >
        • 001 Licitarska srca
        • 002 My Aussie accent
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        • 005 Jučer ili sutra?
        • 006 Što rade ućitelji?
    • VICEVI >
      • Vicevi: Page 1
    • CHALLENGES FOR YOU >
      • 001 Crossword puzzle 1
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    • Posts 1 - 15 >
      • 001 Where are the pronouns?
      • 002 Padeži and noun endings
      • 003 Endings of pronouns and adjectives
      • 004 "u" ili "na" ?
      • 005 The declensions of Tko? and Što?
      • 006 Ja sam na Trgu bana Josipa Jelačića
      • 007 Going and coming: u-iz, but na-sa
      • 008 Sav - All, every
      • 009 Number of subjects and the verb 'biti'
      • 010 Koga nazoveš? Komu telefoniraš?
      • 011 Declension of place names
      • 012 Dati - dativ
      • 013 Verb endings: Who is the doer?
      • 014 Sibilarization and palatalization
      • 015 Iotation (jotacija)
    • Grammar: Posts 16-30 >
      • 016 Vodice su grad u Hrvatskoj
    • Grammar reference section >
      • NOUNS >
        • 001 Questions that define the case of nouns
        • 002 All nouns have gender
        • 003 Nouns in the nominative case
        • 004 Nouns: Declension categories
        • 004a A universal declension table?
        • 005 Declension of regular masculine nouns
        • 006 Declension of regular feminine nouns
        • 008 Masculine plural - infix or not?
      • VERBS >
        • 001 Transitive and intransitive verbs
        • 004 Conjugation types
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      • 001 Ne daj se!
      • 002 U tom grmu leži zec!
      • 003 Baš me briga!
      • 004 Mačji kašalj!
      • 005 Što je, tu je!
      • 006 Eto ti ga na!
      • 007 Na licu mjesta
      • 008 Sve si to ti kriv!
    • DAKLE, ŽELIŠ BITI KAO PRAVI HRVAT, JE L' DA? HOME >
      • 001 Ovako ....
      • 002 Je l' tako?
      • 003 Tako je!
      • 004 Izvoli! Izvolite!
      • 005 Eto!
  • VOCABULARY
    • POSTS 1 - 15 >
      • 001 Even dying is not easy!
      • 002 To laugh or to smile?
      • 003 Nahraniti, sahraniti .... schmahraniti
      • 004 Prefixes that modify verb meanings
      • 005 Prefixes on base verb stati
      • 006 Country names - noun or adjective?
      • 007 Names of towns: A grammatical nightmare
      • 008 Countries: What do we call their citizens?
      • 009 Baš
      • 010 What a joke! vic or šala?
      • 011 Čak
      • 012 Još or više? (More of something)
      • 013 Još or više? (Time-related)
    • FRAZEOLOGIJA - HOME >
      • Based on NOUNS >
        • 001 RUKA
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        • 001 UZIMATI/UZETI
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    • Vocab THEMES: HOME >
      • 001 In the time of coronavirus
    • Što je korijen riječi?: HOME >
      • 001 Nadimak
      • 002 Zora, prozor, zoran, ….
      • 003 Uništiti
  • CROATIA
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      • 001 Anthem: LIJEPA NAŠA
      • 002 Map of Croatia
      • 003 Županije: The counties of Croatia
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      • Where/What/Who? Pages 1 - 15 >
        • 001 A girl and a bird
        • 002 His left foot
        • 003 A rebel
        • 004 Čuvarica Omiša
        • 005 Giorgio or Juraj?
        • 006 Tovar and friend
        • 007 Up on high
        • 008 On an island
        • 009 Water wonderland
    • REGIONS, CITIES, TOWNS: HOME >
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        • THE CITY >
          • 001 Zagreb cathedral
        • PEOPLE and CULTURE >
          • 001 Advent in Zagreb
          • 002 Interliber book fair
          • 004 On the tramvaj in Zagreb
          • 005 A night at the ballet
      • DALMACIJA: HOME >
        • BEING AND SPEAKING DALMATIAN: HOME >
          • 001 Molin?
          • 002 Eleven Dalmatian commandments
          • 003 Dalmatinski rječnik
      • Zagorje: HOME >
        • 001 Autumn tones
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