Calling Someone

Level 2

The vocative calls to a person or directly addresses them. It may differ from the dictionary form: Ivan becomes Ivane.

How It Works

Ivane, dođi! addresses Ivan. In Ivan dolazi., the name is instead the subject in the nominative. These are different roles even though both refer to the same person.

Many masculine nouns have vocatives in -e or -u, sometimes with a consonant change: prijatelju, učeniče. Personal names and feminine nouns have their own patterns; some retain a nominative-shaped form.

Do not force one vocative ending onto every name. The appropriate form depends on the name’s shape, established use and sometimes style. Capitalize names normally and make the address boundary clear with punctuation.

Examples (3)

  1. Ivane, dođi!

    Ivan, come here!

    Ivane is the vocative of Ivan.

  2. Prijatelju, hvala ti.

    My friend, thank you.

    Prijatelju is direct address, not a dative recipient here.

  3. Učitelju, imam pitanje.

    Teacher, I have a question.

    A vocative noun is separated by a comma.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Calling SomeoneLevel 2

Learn This First

Calling someone uses a case role distinct from naming them as the subject.

Words in This Pattern

-e