Cjelina 5: Sve naj, naj
🔗 5 | 4 | Gramatika: Jedan od + superlativ
How to Say “One of” in Croatian
Imagine you’re talking about the best of the best in Croatian: a singer, a song, an achievement, or maybe something entirely different. To express “one of the best” in Croatian, there are a few steps to follow, and they’re all about agreement and the genitive case.
| one | of | the best | [male] singers |
|---|---|---|---|
| JEDAN | OD | NAJBOLJIH | PJEVAČĀ |
| ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ |
| matches the gender of pjevač (masc.) | indicates possession, requires genitive. | superlative in genitive plural. | noun in genitive plural. |
The word “one” in Croatian changes depending on the gender of the thing you’re talking about:
- If it’s masculine (like pjevač – male singer), you’ll use jedan.
- If it’s feminine (like pjevačica – female singer), you’ll say jedna.
- If it’s neuter (like ostvarenje – achievement), you’ll go with jedno.
Since you’re talking about the best of something, you’ll need the superlative form of the adjective. In Croatian, superlatives are formed by adding naj- to the comparative form of an adjective:
- Example: dobar (good) → bolji (better) → najbolji (the best).
But wait, there’s one more thing! Because the preposition od requires the genitive, the superlative must also appear in the genitive plural form. Why plural? That’s how Croatian expresses “one of many.”
Other useful examples of adjectives in their superlative form (Genitive case):
- jedan / jedna / jedno od najpoznatijih
- jedan / jedna / jedno d najvećih
- jedan / jedna / jedno od najbogatijih
- jedan / jedna / jedno od najslušanijih
The noun you’re describing also goes into the genitive plural form. This ties everything together, showing that “one” is part of a larger group.
| one of | adjective + noun (Genitive pl.) | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| jedan od | najboljih pjevačā | One of the best male singers |
| jedna od | najboljih pjevačicā | One of the best female singers. |
| jedno od | najboljih ostvarenjā | One of the best achievements. |
5.4 Zadatak 1: One of…
Read the sentences below and pay attention to the blank spaces where the phrase “one of” should be completed. Choose the correct form of “one of” in Croatian.
5.4 Zadatak 2: Jedni od najboljih…
Complete the sentences by filling in the missing information. Choose the options from the list below. The phrase “one of” (jedan od, jedna od, jedno od) will help you determine the gender of the missing word. Pay attention to the end of each sentence for additional clues about the correct answer. Remember, you need the plural form of nouns and adjectives with one specific case!!!
- najutjecajniji skladatelj – element – glazbeni instrument – pjesma – pjevačica – album – rock bend – najljepša pjesma – hrvatski pjevač
