Compound Words
Two roots, usually joined by -o- or -e-, make one word.
How It Works
Bosnian builds many words by joining two roots. Between them there is often a linking vowel, usually -o-, sometimes -e-.
| Parts | Compound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| voda + vod | vodovod | water supply |
| par + brod | parobrod | steamship |
| tvrd + glav | tvrdoglav | stubborn |
| bos + nog | bosonog | barefoot |
| sam + posluga | samoposluga | self-service shop |
Some compounds join with no linking vowel, especially when the first part already ends in -o, like auto: autoput (motorway).
The last part decides the grammar. Autoput is masculine because put is, and samoposluga is feminine like posluga. Adjective compounds like tvrdoglav take the usual adjective endings: tvrdoglava djevojka.
Compounds are written as one word. When you meet a long new word, try to split it at the linking vowel, and you can often guess its meaning.
Examples (5)
- Voda iz vodovoda je hladna.
The water from the water supply is cold.
Vodovod joins voda and vod with -o-.
- Tarik je tvrdoglav.
Tarik is stubborn.
Tvrdoglav joins tvrd and glav.
- Idemo autoputom do Mostara.
We are taking the motorway to Mostar.
Autoput has no linking vowel.
- Dijete trči bosonogo po travi.
The child runs barefoot on the grass.
Bosonogo agrees with the neuter dijete.
- Kupujem hljeb u samoposluzi.
I buy bread at the supermarket.
Samoposluga is feminine, so the locative ends in -i.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Compound words.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice Compound Words in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Bosnian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
