Relative што
Relative Clauses with Што
Што works as “who, which, that” for people and things: Жената што живее спроти нас е учителка (The woman who lives across from us is a teacher).
How It Works
One word for all. Што can refer to a man, a woman, a thing or a group, singular or plural: човекот што, книгата што, децата што. It stands right after the noun it describes.
Што as the subject. If што is the subject of the verb, nothing is added: Жената што живее спроти нас е учителка.
Што as the object. If што is the object, a short object pronoun repeats it before the verb, matching the noun: го for masculine and neuter, ја for feminine, ги for plural. Книгата што ја читам е добра, Човекот што го видовме е мој сосед. This is the same doubling as in doubling a definite object, and the pronouns are those in short object pronouns.
After a preposition. For a person, use a form of кој after a preposition, not што: човекот со кого зборував. For things, a form of кој is the usual choice too: работата за која зборувавме. See relatives after prepositions and relative clauses with кој.
Place and time. For places and times, Macedonian uses каде што and кога: see relative place and time.
Examples (6)
- Книгата што ја читам е многу добра.
The book I am reading is very good.
Word by Word: Book-the that it reading-I is very good.
Што is the object, so ја repeats the feminine книга.
- Човекот што го видовме е мој сосед.
The man we saw is my neighbour.
Го repeats the masculine човек.
- Жената што живее спроти нас е учителка.
The woman who lives across from us is a teacher.
Што is the subject here, so no short pronoun is added.
- Ми се допаѓаат песните што ги пее.
I like the songs she sings.
Ги repeats the plural песните.
- Ова е градот што најмногу го сакам.
This is the city I love the most.
The short pronoun stays right before the verb.
- Децата што играат во паркот се од нашата зграда.
The children who are playing in the park are from our building.
Што refers to a plural subject and stays the same.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the short pronoun when што is the object.
Книгата што читам е добра.Книгата што ја читам е добра.When што is the object, Macedonian repeats it with a short pronoun that matches the noun.
Choosing a short pronoun that does not match the noun.
Ми се допаѓаат песните што ја пее.Ми се допаѓаат песните што ги пее.The short pronoun agrees with the noun that што refers to. Песните is plural, so the pronoun is ги.
Using што after a preposition to refer to a person.
Човекот со што зборував е лекар.Човекот со кого зборував е лекар.After a preposition, a person takes a form of кој. Кого is the form for a person.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Relative што builds on doubling and question words.
Related Patterns
- Relative кој / која / кое / коиRelative Clauses with Кој
Кој is the other relative word; it changes for gender and number.
Level 3 - со кого / за кој / на когоRelatives After Prepositions
After a preposition, a form of кој replaces што.
Level 3 - ме / те / го / ја / нѐ / ве / гиShort Object Pronouns
The short object pronouns that repeat што.
Level 2 - Relative каде што / когаRelative Place and Time
Relative clauses about places and times.
Level 4 - тоа што / оној штоWhat and the One Who
Што without a noun before it: what, the one who.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Relative што in Bubblegum
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