Three Genders
Masculine, feminine and neuter nouns need different endings on the words that go with them: dobar dan, dobra kafa, dobro jutro.
How It Works
Bosnian has no a or the, but every noun has a gender. You cannot see it in the English meaning, so learn each noun together with a small word that shows it, such as dobar dan or dobra kafa.
The last letter is a good clue.
| Ending | Usually | Example |
|---|---|---|
| consonant | masculine | grad, hljeb, brat |
| -a | feminine | kafa, sestra, rijeka |
| -o, -e | neuter | selo, jutro, more |
There are exceptions. A few masculine nouns end in -a, such as tata and sluga, and they take masculine words: moj tata. Some feminine nouns end in a consonant, such as noć and stvar. Dijete (child) ends in -e, and it is neuter.
The gender then spreads: the adjective, the pronoun and the past verb all change with it. Compare radio sam (a man worked) and radila sam (a woman worked).
Examples (5)
- Dobar dan!
Good day!
Dan is masculine, so the adjective is dobar.
- Dobra kafa je topla.
The good coffee is warm.
Kafa ends in -a and is feminine, so dobra and topla end in -a.
- Mlijeko je hladno.
The milk is cold.
Mlijeko ends in -o and is neuter, so hladno ends in -o.
- Moj tata radi u Zenici.
My dad works in Zenica.
Tata ends in -a but is masculine, so the word is moj and not moja.
- Hljeb je svjež.
The bread is fresh.
Hljeb ends in a consonant and is masculine.
Common Mistakes
Choosing the adjective by the English meaning instead of the Bosnian noun.
Dobar kafaDobra kafaKafa is feminine, so the adjective needs the feminine ending -a.
Treating tata as feminine because it ends in -a.
Moja tata je visok.Moj tata je visok.Tata names a man, and it takes masculine words even though it ends in -a.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- Masculine Nouns
The next entries look at masculine nouns in detail.
Level 1 - Feminine Nouns
Feminine nouns, mostly in -a.
Level 1 - Neuter Nouns
Neuter nouns in -o and -e.
Level 1 - Masculine Nouns in -a
Masculine nouns that end in -a, such as tata.
Level 2 - Adjectives and Gender
How adjectives copy the gender of the noun.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Three Genders in Bubblegum
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