svoju

Svoju is a form of the possessive pronoun svoj used in several South Slavic languages, including Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin. It represents ownership by the subject of the sentence and is employed when the possessed noun is feminine and in the accusative case. The form is the feminine singular accusative of svoj, and it agrees with the noun it modifies in gender and number.

Usage and function: Svoju is used to express “one’s own” possession in contexts where the object is feminine and the action is directed toward that object. For example, in Croatian, the sentence Vidim svoju sestru means “I see my own sister.” The pronoun helps distinguish possession by the subject from possession by another person or entity.

Relation to other forms: Svoj is a reflexive-like possessive pronoun that declines across persons, gender, and case, similar to adjectives. Its various forms (for masculine, neuter, feminine, singular and plural) align with the noun they modify. The use of svoj and its inflected forms emphasizes that the possession belongs to the subject rather than to someone else, which can help prevent ambiguity in sentences with multiple potential possessors.

Etymology and cross-dialect notes: The root svoj is common across Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin, reflecting a shared Slavic heritage. Although the exact forms and usage can vary slightly by dialect, the core meaning remains “one’s own” and the forms adapt to the grammatical requirements of each language variety.

See also: svoj, possessive pronouns in South Slavic languages, Croatian grammar, Serbian grammar.