EasyCroatian_r47.an
Easy Croaan (rev. 47b) / 83 Depth and Distance: Abstract Nouns 462 / 60083 Depth and Distance: Abstract NounsIn Croatian, as in English, many adjectives (e.g. deep) have associated abstract nouns(e.g. depth).As in English, various adjectives use various suffixes to create abstract nouns inCroatian. For some adjectives, -ina gets added to create an abstract noun:brz fast → brzina speed, velocitytopao (topl-) warm → toplina warmth, heat ®vješt skilled → vještina skillvruć hot → vrućina heat (extreme)Of the two nouns standing for heat, only the noun toplina is used in the genericsense, e.g. in science. As you can see, the resulting noun has always stress on the ifrom the suffix.Some the derived nouns have a non-abstract meaning:divlji wild → divljina wildernessšupalj (šuplj-) hollow → šupljina cavityAdjectives that discard a part of them when making a comparative (e.g. -ok or -ak),discard it as well when making abstract nouns:dubok deep → dubina depthširok wide → širina widthtežak (tešk-) heavy → težina weightvisok high → visina height, altitudeFor some adjectives, there’s a shift in consonants, the same as in comparatives:debeo (debel) thick, fat → debljina thicknessjak strong → jačina strengthtih quiet, silent → tišina silence(Abstract nouns don’t always have a shift when comparatives have one: forinstance, from visok, the comparative is viši, but the abstract noun is visina, withoutthe shift s → š.)Abstract nouns can even be derived from some question-words that behave likeadjectives, and even from few comparatives; results are often very generic nouns:kolik how big → količina quantitymanji smaller → manjina minorityvelik big → veličina sizeveći bigger → većina majorityCertain once abstract nouns evolved specific meanings, e.g. nizina means lowlands.Abstract nouns in -ina have relational adjectives in -ski:
Easy Croaan (rev. 47b) / 83 Depth and Distance: Abstract Nouns 463 / 600dubina depth → dubinskitoplina heat → toplinskivećina majority → većinskivisina height → visinskiFew adjectives make abstract nouns by adding -oća:čist clean → čistoća cleanlinessgluh deaf → gluhoća deafnesshladan (hladn-) cold → hladnoća coldVery few adjectives add -ota. If adjectives contain a sequence ije, it’s shortened toje in abstract nouns:lijep nice, pretty → ljepota beautyslijep blind → sljepoća blindnessNext, there are few adjectives that add -stvo, creating neuter nouns (afterdiscarding the final -n in adjectives, if present). The stress is on the syllable rightbefore the suffix:bogat rich → bogatstvo richnessiskusan (iskusn-) experienced → iskustvo experiencesiromašan (siromašn-) poor → siromaštvo povertyzadovoljan (zadovoljn-) satisfied → zadovoljstvo satisfactionThis suffix is use to create abstract nouns out of a couple of other nouns as well (theprocess is not always regular):car emperor → carstvo empirečlan member → članstvo membershipkralj king → kraljevstvo kingdomprijatelj friend → prijateljstvo friendshipThe vast majority of adjectives use another suffix to make abstract nouns: -ost (or avariation, -nost). It can be, in fact, regarded as the default suffix for abstract nouns.The result is always a feminine noun ending in a consonant:glup stupid → glupost f stupiditymlad young → mladost f youth, young ageslab weak → slabost f weaknessstar old → starost f ageThis suffix creates three quite important nouns, from present adjectives and a pastadjective:budući future → budućnost f futuremoguć possible → mogućnost f possibilityprošao (prošl-) past → prošlost f pastThe stress is mostly moved to the syllable that precedes the suffix. More importantnouns created by this suffix:
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Easy Croaan (rev. 47b) / 83 Depth and Distance: Abstract Nouns 462 / 600
83 Depth and Distance: Abstract Nouns
In Croatian, as in English, many adjectives (e.g. deep) have associated abstract nouns
(e.g. depth).
As in English, various adjectives use various suffixes to create abstract nouns in
Croatian. For some adjectives, -ina gets added to create an abstract noun:
brz fast → brzina speed, velocity
topao (topl-) warm → toplina warmth, heat ®
vješt skilled → vještina skill
vruć hot → vrućina heat (extreme)
Of the two nouns standing for heat, only the noun toplina is used in the generic
sense, e.g. in science. As you can see, the resulting noun has always stress on the i
from the suffix.
Some the derived nouns have a non-abstract meaning:
divlji wild → divljina wilderness
šupalj (šuplj-) hollow → šupljina cavity
Adjectives that discard a part of them when making a comparative (e.g. -ok or -ak),
discard it as well when making abstract nouns:
dubok deep → dubina depth
širok wide → širina width
težak (tešk-) heavy → težina weight
visok high → visina height, altitude
For some adjectives, there’s a shift in consonants, the same as in comparatives:
debeo (debel) thick, fat → debljina thickness
jak strong → jačina strength
tih quiet, silent → tišina silence
(Abstract nouns don’t always have a shift when comparatives have one: for
instance, from visok, the comparative is viši, but the abstract noun is visina, without
the shift s → š.)
Abstract nouns can even be derived from some question-words that behave like
adjectives, and even from few comparatives; results are often very generic nouns:
kolik how big → količina quantity
manji smaller → manjina minority
velik big → veličina size
veći bigger → većina majority
Certain once abstract nouns evolved specific meanings, e.g. nizina means lowlands.
Abstract nouns in -ina have relational adjectives in -ski:
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