Quantities and amounts in Croatian

To start with, let's think about the simple questions how much and how many in Croatian ...

How much?

Koliko +genitive singular (with uncountable nouns)

Koliko šećera stavljaš u taj kolač? – How much sugar do you put in that cake?
šećer – sugar

Koliko vremena je potrebno za ovo? – How much time does this take?
vrijeme – time

Koliko soli stavljaš u juhu?
sol – salt

How many?

Koliko +genitive plural (with countable nouns)

Koliko jabuka je na stolu? - How many apples are there on the table?
jabuka – apple

Koliko učenika je napisalo domaću zadaću? – How many students wrote their homework?
učenik – student

Koliko Hrvata živi izvan Hrvatske? – How many Croatians live outside of Croatia?
Hrvat – Croat

Expressing quantity

Generally speaking, almost all words used to express quantity in Croatian require the genitive case. The same rule applies: the genitive singular is used with uncountable and the genitive plural is used with countable nouns.

Here are some of the most common examples:

puno – a lot of / lots of

​Imam puno prijatelja.​ – I have lots of friends.
Volim puno šećera u kavi. – I like a lot of sugar in my coffee.

malo – a little (bit of), some

​Imam malo novca. – I have a little bit of money.
Imam malo slobodnog vremena.​ – I have a little bit of free time.

više – more

Trebam više vremena. – I need more time.
Više mlijeka, molim. – More milk, please.

manje – less

Moraš gledati manje televizije. – You have to watch less TV.​
Manje šećera, molim. – Less sugar, please.​

previše – too much, too many

​To je previše kolača! – That's too much cake!
​Pušiš previše cigareta. – You smoke too many cigarettes

premalo – too little, too few

Pijem premalo vode. – I drink too little water.
Poznajem premalo ljudi. – I know too few people.

bez – without

Spavam bez jastuka. – I sleep without a pillow.
Volim kavu bez mlijeka. – I like coffee without milk.

Measures and amounts

It comes as no surprise that words such as čaša (glass), kilogram (kilogram) or litra (litre) are also paired with the genitive when used in expressions denoting measurement.

A common mistake: Nema and Ima

Although it might not be immediately intuitive, the expressions nema (there's no) and ima (there is / is there) are also paired with the genitive:

Nema šećera – There’s no sugar (genitive singular)

Nema jabuka – There are no apples (genitive plural)

Ima li šećera? – Is there any sugar?

Ima li jabuka? – Are there any apples?

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