Possession With imati

Having and Belonging

Level 3

Imati starts with the owner; pripadati starts with what belongs.

How It Works

With imati, the possessor is the subject and the possessed thing is commonly an accusative object. With pripadati, the thing belonging is the subject and the owner is dative.

Compare Imam ovu torbu with Ova torba pripada meni. Meni can emphasize who owns it; the unstressed alternative is mi.

Having something does not always establish legal ownership. Imati can describe temporary possession, whereas pripadati directly states a belonging relationship in this use.

Examples (3)

Ana ima novi bicikl.
Ana has a new bicycle.
Ana is subject; novi bicikl is the accusative object.
Novi bicikl pripada Ani.
The new bicycle belongs to Ana.
The bicycle is subject; Ani is the dative owner.
Ove knjige pripadaju mojoj sestri.
These books belong to my sister.
Pripadaju agrees with plural knjige; mojoj sestri is dative.

How It Connects

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

Possession With imatiLevel 3Having and Belonging

Learn This First

Having and belonging organize the possessor differently, including a dative owner with pripadati.

Possession With a Noun
Compare possession expressed inside a noun phrase.
Level 2

Words in This Pattern

imatipripadati

Practice Possession With imati in Bubblegum

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