je / ju

Je and Ju as an Object

Level 2

Feminine accusative has the short forms je and ju. In Vidio ju je, ju means her and je is the past auxiliary.

How It Works

In Vidim je., je is an object pronoun. In Vidio ju je., the two short words have separate jobs: ju is the object and je builds the perfect.

The pattern also occurs after nije: Nije ju vidio. The sound sequence helps explain this choice, but ju is not merely a repair for adjacent auxiliary je. Many Croatian grammars and speakers allow Vidim ju. as well.

The cited comparative study documents differing recommendations. Learn the uncontroversial ju je pattern first and recognize both accusative variants. Do not replace genitive je with ju: the two-form choice here concerns the feminine accusative.

Examples (4)

  1. Vidim je.

    I can see her.

    Je functions as a direct object.

  2. Vidio ju je.

    He saw her.

    Ju is the object, and je is the auxiliary.

  3. Nije ju vidio.

    He did not see her.

    Ju follows the negative auxiliary ending in je.

  4. Vidim ju.

    I can see her.

    Wider use of ju is established, though reference recommendations differ.

How It Connects

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

je / juLevel 2Je and Ju as an Object

Learn This First

The feminine object form interacts with the adjacent auxiliary je.

Words in This Pattern

onajuju