čovjek
Serbo-Croatian
Alternative forms
- čȍvek (Ekavian)
- čovik, človik (Ikavian, Chakavian)
- človek (archaic, Kajkavian)
- človjek (obsolete)
- čoek, čojek, čȏk (regional, colloquial)
Etymology
From older človjek, from Proto-Slavic *čьlověkъ, *čelověkъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *kelawaikas.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /t͡ʃôʋjek/ or IPA(key): /t͡ʃǒʋjek/
- Hyphenation: čo‧vjek
Noun
čȍvjek or čòvjek m (Cyrillic spelling чо̏вјек or чо̀вјек)
- man, person
- jeste li vid(j)eli ovog čov(j)eka? ― have you seen this man?
- ti si mrtav čov(j)ek ― you're a dead man
- zanemarite čov(j)eka iza zav(j)ese ― pay no attention to the man behind the curtain
- human
- ne želim biti čov(j)ek, želim biti robot! ― I don't want to be human, I want to be a robot!
- nisi zao, samo si...čov(j)ek ― you're not evil, you're just...human
- person of integrity, mensch
Declension
Irregular declension, with nominative čȍvjek
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | čȍvjek | ljȗdi |
| genitive | čovjèka | ljúdī |
| dative | čovjèku | ljúdima |
| accusative | čovjèka | ljȗde |
| vocative | čȍvječe | ljȗdi |
| locative | čovjèku | ljúdima |
| instrumental | čovjèkom | ljúdima |
Irregular declension, with nominative čòvjek
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | čòvjek | ljȗdi |
| genitive | čòvjeka | ljúdī |
| dative | čòvjeku | ljúdima |
| accusative | čòvjeka | ljȗde |
| vocative | čȍvječe | ljȗdi |
| locative | čòvjeku | ljúdima |
| instrumental | čòvjekom | ljúdima |
Archaic or dialectal plural
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | — | čòvjeci |
| genitive | — | čovjeka |
| dative | — | čovjecima |
| accusative | — | čovjeke |
| vocative | — | čovjeci |
| locative | — | čovjecima |
| instrumental | — | čovjecima |
References
- “čovjek” in Hrvatski jezični portal
- “čovjek”, in Речник српскохрватскога књижевног језика (in Serbo-Croatian), volume 6, Друго фототипско издање edition, Нови Сад, Загреб: Матица српска, Матица хрватска, 1967–1976, published 1990, page 891
- Речник српскога језика (2007, Прво издање), Нови Сад: Матица српска, page 1520
- Đuro Daničić, Matija Valjavac, Pero Budmani, editor (1884-1886), “čòvjek”, in Rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika (in Serbo-Croatian), volume 2, Zagreb: JAZU, page 68