svinja
/sʋǐːɲa/Latin, feminine
The English word 'pig' is translated into Croatian as svinja.
svinja refers to the mammal of the family Suidae.
Meaning: mammal of family Suidae (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form is svinje. When the pig is the direct object of a sentence, use the accusative form svinju. If you are giving something to the pig, use the dative form svinji.
How do you pronounce it?
/sʋǐːɲa/
Did you know?
- When referring to a 'guinea pig', Croatians use the term morska svinja, which literally translates to 'sea pig'.
- In rural Croatian culture, the autumn tradition of koljun involves the communal slaughter of a pig to provide meat for the entire winter.
- The Croatian word svinja shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'swine', making them distant linguistic cousins.
Examples in context
- U selu ima mnogo svinja.There are many pigs in the village.
- Moja sestra ima prase kao kućnog ljubimca.My sister has a piglet as a pet.
- Ne zaboravi nahraniti komšijsku svinju dok su na odmoru.Don't forget to feed the neighbor's pig while they're on vacation.
- Svinja je u štali.The pig is in the barn.
- Svinja jede jabuke.The pig is eating apples.
Example conversation
Ivana and Marko are visiting a farm.
- IvanaPogledaj, Marko, pazi na svinju!Look, Marko, watch out for the pig!
- MarkoGdje je ta svinja?Where is that pig?
- IvanaTamo je, iza tog drveta.There it is, behind that tree.
- MarkoBaš je simpatična.It is really cute.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pig” translations and entries svinja, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries svinja, CC BY-SA 4.0.
