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Marcel Grdinić
To ask “Do you have brothers?” In Croatian one would say “Imate li brace. However, I read an article online that had the following:
: “...zasto je super imati bracu i sestre.”
Why brace in the first case but bracu in the second??
Hvala.
Mar 30, 2021 4:36 PM
Answers · 4
1
Unlike english, croatian have 7 cases and english only 3.
So when you incline cases in croatian it goes like this:
Nominativ: BRAĆA
Genitiv: BRAĆE
Dativ: BRAĆI
Akuzativ: BRAĆU
Vokativ: BRAĆO
Lokativ: BRAĆI
Instrumental: BRAĆOM
That is why you will ask: Imaš li braće?
But you will answer: Imam braću.
April 12, 2021
1
Bracu is plural.
March 30, 2021
Dear Marcel,
Imam braću is correct because with the Croatian verb to have-imati there is a direct object in the accusative case.
The accusative is braću (this is an ending that feminine singular nouns get in Croatian).
It is like that with braća because - even though the noun braća means plural in grammatical point of view it is declined just like an ordinary feminine singular Croatian noun.
Braća is a so-called collective noun.
Here is a very good article that might come in handy in your future encounters with Croatian collective nouns:
http://www.easy-croatian.com/2014/11/49.html?m=1
Best regards,
Barbara :)
April 28, 2021
Should I then say “Imam bracu” to say “I have brothers” or “Imam brace”?
I asked others earlier and they said to say Imam brace for I have brothers (plural)
March 30, 2021
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Marcel Grdinić
Language Skills
Croatian, English
Learning Language
Croatian
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