# Croatian: Ovo nije autoput.



## wanipa

Bok ili Bog!

I've got a sentence like this:
Ovo nije autoput.

autoput is masculine, right?
Then, it should be 
Ovaj nije autoput.
right? 

Or maybe both are right?

Hvala!


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## QuasiTriestino

Heyo wanipa!

you'd use _ovaj _if you're coupling it with the noun. For example, _ovaj autoput je vrlo veliki. _(To put some grammar to it: this would be the _demonstrative _form of _ovo_.) Same goes for _to _and _ono.

Ova devojka nije Amerikanka, ali ona devojka jeste.
Taj pas nije moj. 
_
When you're using _ovo, to, ono _at the beginning of a sentence (not coupled with a noun) or when you're simply pointing something out, they don't change. (This would be the _presentative _form of this adjective.)

_Ovo nije autoput.
Ko je ovo?
To je Milica.
Ovo su moji prijatelji. _(not _*Ovi *su moji prijatlji._)
_Da li je to tvoj pas? _(not _Da li je *taj* tvoj pas?_)

It's different from, for example, romance languages where the gender has to correspond:

_Questa non è un'autostrada. _(your original phrase in Italian.)

Hope this helps!


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## wanipa

Thanks!

So one is pronoun and one is possessive pronoun, right?

As possessive pronoun it's absolutely correct due to ovo/ova/ove, right?


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## QuasiTriestino

mmmmm that's a good question and I'm not necessarily the best person to ask (not a good grammarian), buuuuuut, ovo/ova/ove are a type of pronomial adjective... specifically demonstrative pronomial adjectives (ovaj autoput, ovi studenti, to pismo, ta imena, ona mačka, one devojke, etc). Possessive pronomial adjectives (or possessive pronouns) would be moj, tvoj, njega, etc.

Take a look here: https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-examples-of-pronominal-adjectives-How-are-they-used

Again, I'm not expert in this lingo of grammar and it seems like it can sometimes be not clear and super confusing who uses what term.


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## wanipa

Odlično! Hvala lijepa!

UR rite, possessive pronoun is similar, but not the same. 
Hence I'd better have made the difference clearly to avoid misleadings.

Mille grazie!


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## QuasiTriestino

Nema na čemu, drugarice moja!


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## bibax

Why do you wonder at it? It is the same in German.

Das ist kein Weg.
Das ist keine Autobahn.

Das is neuter, [der] Weg is masculine, [die] Autobahn is feminine.


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## wanipa

Dekuju!

I thought autoput is masculine. So ovaj instead of should be the right one.


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## bibax

_Der Weg_ is masculine as well. And you still say "das ist kein Weg", not "der ist kein Weg".


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## wanipa

I think I've got what you mean. Thanks!

But what Quarsi tried to explain is that without saying autoput twice, you really say "der" ist kein autoput.

Hope I've not made myself misunderstood.


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## Daniel.N

This is a common problem. The deal is, the subject is actually *autoput*. Put it to the past tense:

*Ovo nije bio autoput.*

Or the first person:

*To nisam bio ja.* (Or: *bila ja*, if you are female).
*To nismo bili mi.*

In these sentences, the subject comes last, and the verb agrees with it.

In all such sentences, we actually say:

The highway isn't that.
I wasn't that.
We weren't that.

And *to*, *ovo* etc are actually frozen in nominative neuter. They are NOT adjectives in such sentences. (You can call them "presentatives")

You have basics here:

EC: 18 This and That


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