Nominativ i akuzativ
Ana wants the coffee as kahvu, and the ending moved for the want-it job on the same she-word.
G.2aBosnian coffee set, Baščaršija
Why you are here
Today you learn why Ana says Želim kahvu instead of Želim kahva. The list word names the coffee. The moved ending marks the coffee as the thing she wants. English keeps coffee still in both jobs. Bosnian dresses the word again. You already filed the piles in Chapter 1. This chapter is only the name-it job versus the want-it job.
Why English lies
English lies because the phrases this is coffee and I want coffee use the same letters. You already do a tiny Bosnian trick with people when you say I if you do the thing and me if the thing happens to you. Coffee in English never bothers. Bosnian coffee does. The list form kahva is the name-it job. Kahvu is the same she-word in the want-it job. Schools call those jobs nominativ and akuzativ. You can keep saying name-it and want-it and still be right.
A line you already say
Book 1 already gave you Ana’s line Želim kahvu, which means I want coffee. Chapter 1 told you to ignore the moved letter for one day. Today that letter is the whole point. Kahva is the list form that names the drink. Kahvu is the want-it form on the same she-word. The pile did not flip to he. The job in the sentence changed.
The pattern
She-pile words swap that final a for u when they are the thing you want. Kahva becomes kahvu, and kuća becomes kuću, because those words already sit in the she pile from Chapter 1. He-pile things usually keep the list form in that same job, so most stays most when you want the bridge. Leftover-pile words usually keep the list form too, so pivo stays pivo when you want the beer. People who do the wanting stay in the name-it form. Ana želi kahvu keeps Ana still while coffee moves. Learn the she move first. Then notice that most and pivo often look unchanged.
| Pile | Name-it | Want-it |
|---|---|---|
| she (ona) | kahva, kuća | kahvu, kuću |
| he thing (on) | most | most |
| leftover (ono) | pivo | pivo |
Kuća becomes kuću in the want-it job, the same she-pile move you saw on kahva.
The pests
Two pests will trip you today, and both are worth memorizing early. The first pest is saying Želim kahva, which leaves coffee in the name-it form when Ana wants it. The second pest is he-pile people. Emir stays Emir when you name him, but he often becomes Emira when you see him or want him, because people in the he pile take an a in the want-it job. A bridge does not. Do not argue with Emira. Just remember people and things follow different habits in this job.
The bit that tricks you
The trap is to hear kahvu and decide coffee switched piles to he. It did not. The u is a job mark on the same she-word you filed yesterday. The other trap is to force every word to move like kahva. Most and pivo often stay still in the want-it job, and that stillness is still correct. If you rewrite most into a fake she ending, you invent a word nobody said.
| English job | Form | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| That is coffee. | kahva | name-it, list form |
| I want coffee. | kahvu | want-it, still she |
| I want a bridge. | most | want-it, he thing stays |
| I see Emir. | Emira | want-it, he person takes a |
Pivo often stays pivo when you want the beer, the leftover stay-still habit beside the she-word move on kahva.
Sample words
Tap a word to hear it.
Look at these
Each line has a speaker. Tap the line to hear it. On some lines you can record yourself for a short Speak Check.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Speak Check listens to your recording and sends back short tips.
Try these
Ana wants coffee. Which form?
Amira names the coffee. Which form?
Ana wants a house. Which form?
Emir wants a bridge. Which form?
Emir wants beer. Which form?
Ana sees Emir. Which form?
Someone says Želim kahva. What went wrong?
Kahvu still belongs to which pile?
In Ana želi kahvu, which word moved for the want-it job?
Why does most often look the same when you want it?
Quick check
1. What is today’s system?
2. Želim kahvu uses which form of coffee?
3. She-pile words like kahva and kuća usually do what in the want-it job?
4. Why is Želim most often correct without changing the bridge?
5. Vidim Emira. Why not Emir?
6. What comes next after name-it and want-it?
Next
You now know why Želim kahvu is not Želim kahva, and why most and pivo often look unchanged in that same job. Emira was the people pest. Chapter 3 is the of and none job on the same coffee, the line Nema kahve. You still will not get a seven-job chart.
