Learning pronouns in Bosnian, a South Slavic language spoken primarily in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is fundamental for mastering both spoken and written communication. Pronouns in Bosnian vary according to number, gender, case, and formality, playing a critical role in sentence construction. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Bosnian change based on their function as the subject or object in a sentence. They are essential for indicating who is performing an action or to whom the action is directed.

Subject Pronouns:

• Ja (I): “Ja idem.” – I am going.
• Ti (You – singular, informal): “Ti ideš.” – You are going.
• On/Ona/Ono (He/She/It): “On ide.” – He is going. / “Ona ide.” – She is going.
• Mi (We): “Mi idemo.” – We are going.
• Vi (You – plural or formal): “Vi idete.” – You are going.
• Oni/One/Ona (They – masculine/feminine/neuter): “Oni idu.” – They are going.

Object Pronouns:

Object pronouns are used with verbs to indicate the direct or indirect object.

• Mene/Me (Me): “Vidiš me.” – You see me.
• Tebe/Te (You): “Volim te.” – I love you.
• Njega/Ga (Him), Nju/Ju (Her), Njega/Ga (It): “Poznajem ga.” – I know him.
• Nas (Us): “Pozivaju nas.” – They invite us.
• Vas (You – plural or formal): “Čekamo vas.” – We are waiting for you.
• Njih/Ih (Them): “Volimo ih.” – We love them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Bosnian indicate ownership or a relationship to something or someone.

• Moj (My – masculine), Moja (My – feminine), Moje (My – neuter): “Moj auto.” – My car.
• Tvoj (Your – singular, informal), Tvoja, Tvoje: “Tvoja kuća.” – Your house.
• Njegov (His), Njena (Her), Njegovo (Its): “Njegov pas.” – His dog.
• Naš (Our), Naša, Naše: “Naš grad.” – Our city.
• Vaš (Your – plural or formal), Vaša, Vaše: “Vaš problem.” – Your problem.
• Njihov (Their), Njihova, Njihovo: “Njihova djeca.” – Their children.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Bosnian are used to point to specific nouns.

• Ovaj (This – masculine), Ova (This – feminine), Ovo (This – neuter): “Ovaj dan.” – This day.
• Onaj (That – masculine), Ona (That – feminine), Ono (That – neuter): “Onaj čovjek.” – That man.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Bosnian are used when the subject and object of the verb are the same.

• Sebe (Myself/Yourself/Himself/Herself/Itself/Ourself/Yourself/Themselves): “On se boji.” – He is afraid of himself. The pronoun adjusts based on the verb conjugation and does not change its form.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• Ko (Who): “Ko dolazi?” – Who is coming?
• Šta (What): “Šta radiš?” – What are you doing?
• Koji (Which – masculine), Koja (Which – feminine), Koje (Which – neuter): “Koji put?” – Which way?
• Gdje (Where): “Gdje je to?” – Where is that?

Understanding and using these pronouns correctly is vital for effective communication in Bosnian. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations or writing exercises to apply these concepts actively. Remember, the context, number, gender, and case are crucial in choosing the correct pronoun form in Bosnian.