Abstract and Causal Prepositions | Croatian Grammar

Not every preposition points at a place or a time. A large group of them work in the abstract realm — they express why something happens (cause, purpose), what it is about (topic), and on whose authority a claim rests (source). These prepositions are where Croatian draws distinctions English happily ignores, and the sharpest of them is zbog ("because of") versus radi ("for the sake of"). This page walks through the causal, topical, and authority prepositions, the cases they govern, and the fine lines that separate the look-alikes.

zbog vs radi: cause vs purpose

This is the headline distinction of the page. Both zbog and radi take the genitive, and both translate loosely as "because of / for." But Croatian keeps them apart by direction of reasoning:

zbog + genitive = "because of" — looks backward to a cause. Something already true makes the event happen. Often the cause is negative or simply a fact.
radi + genitive = "for the sake of / in order to" — looks forward to a purpose. You act in order to achieve a goal that is not yet real.

Preposition	Reasoning	Test phrase	Example
zbog + gen.	cause (backward)	"as a result of"	zbog kiše (because of the rain)
radi + gen.	purpose (forward)	"in order to / for the sake of"	radi posla (for work, for the sake of the job)

Zakasnio sam zbog kiše.

I was late because of the rain. — 'zbog' = cause; the rain (already there) made me late.

Učim hrvatski radi posla.

I'm learning Croatian for work. — 'radi' = purpose; the job is the goal I'm acting toward.

Zbog gripe je ostala kod kuće.

Because of the flu she stayed home. — 'zbog' + genitive 'gripe', a backward-looking cause.

Vježbam svaki dan radi zdravlja.

I exercise every day for my health. — 'radi' + genitive 'zdravlja', a forward-looking purpose.

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The honest truth: even native speakers blur this, and you will hear zbog creeping into purpose contexts in casual speech (zbog tebe sam došao for "I came for you"). In careful and written Croatian the distinction holds firmly. The reliable test: if you can swap in "in order to" or "for the sake of," use radi; if you mean "as a result of," use zbog.

A small caution: do not confuse radi (purpose, "for the sake of") with raditi (the verb "to work / to do"). They are unrelated words that merely look alike.

o + locative: "about"

O + locative is the all-purpose "about / concerning" preposition — the one you reach for to name the topic of speaking, thinking, writing, or dreaming. It pairs with a whole family of verbs of mental and verbal activity (govoriti o, razmišljati o, pisati o, sanjati o).

Cijelu večer smo pričali o politici.

We talked about politics all evening. — 'o' + locative 'politici' for the topic.

Napisala je knjigu o svom djetinjstvu.

She wrote a book about her childhood. — 'o' + locative 'djetinjstvu', the subject matter.

Beware: English "think about" does not default to o in Croatian — the everyday verb misliti ("to think of / about someone") takes na + accusative instead. That mismatch gets its own treatment on the preposition pitfalls page; the topical o is for "discussing / writing about a subject." More on the topical locative is on the locative topic and other uses page.

po + locative and prema + dative: "according to"

Two prepositions translate "according to / by," and learners mix them up. Po + locative is the more idiomatic, everyday choice; prema + dative is a touch more formal and is preferred when citing a named source.

Preposition	Case	Sense	Example
po	locative	according to, by, in line with	po zakonu (according to the law)
prema	dative	according to (a stated source)	prema istraživanju (according to the study)

Po mom mišljenju, to je pogreška.

In my opinion, that's a mistake. — 'po' + locative 'mišljenju', the fixed phrase for 'in my view'.

Po zakonu, pušenje je ovdje zabranjeno.

By law, smoking is forbidden here. — 'po' + locative 'zakonu' = in accordance with the law.

Prema istraživanju, cijene će rasti.

According to the study, prices will rise. — 'prema' + dative 'istraživanju', citing a source. (formal)

The fixed phrase po mom mišljenju ("in my opinion") is worth memorizing whole — it is the standard way to hedge an opinion, far more common than any literal translation of "I think that." More on prema with the dative is on the dative with verbs and adjectives page.

The genitive abstract prepositions

A set of high-frequency abstract prepositions all govern the genitive: bez (without), protiv (against), umjesto (instead of), and pomoću (by means of).

Preposition	Meaning	Example (genitive)
bez	without	bez problema (without a problem)
protiv	against	protiv rata (against the war)
umjesto	instead of	umjesto mene (instead of me)
pomoću	by means of, with the help of	pomoću aplikacije (using an app)

Ne mogu raditi bez kave.

I can't function without coffee. — 'bez' + genitive 'kave'.

Glasali su protiv prijedloga.

They voted against the proposal. — 'protiv' + genitive 'prijedloga'.

Idi ti umjesto mene, meni se ne da.

You go instead of me, I can't be bothered. — 'umjesto' + genitive of the pronoun 'mene'.

Riješila je problem pomoću jednostavnog trika.

She solved the problem using a simple trick. — 'pomoću' + genitive 'trika' = by means of.

Note that pomoću ("by means of an instrument or method") competes with the bare instrumental of means: you can say pomoću noža or simply nožem for "with a knife." The bare instrumental is the default for plain tools; pomoću adds a sense of "with the help / aid of," and is the natural choice for abstract methods (pomoću aplikacije, pomoću nove tehnologije). For the bare instrumental of means, see the means and accompaniment page.

Common Mistakes

❌ Zakasnio sam radi kiše.

Incorrect — rain is a cause, not a purpose, so 'zbog kiše' (because of), not 'radi'.

✅ Zakasnio sam zbog kiše.

I was late because of the rain. — 'zbog' for a backward-looking cause.

❌ Učim hrvatski zbog posla.

Debatable, but in careful Croatian a purpose ('in order to get a job') is 'radi posla'; 'zbog' would read as 'because of the job (that already exists)'.

✅ Učim hrvatski radi posla.

I'm learning Croatian for the sake of work. — 'radi' for a forward-looking purpose.

❌ Pričali smo na politici.

Incorrect — the topic 'about politics' is 'o politici' (o + locative), not 'na'.

✅ Pričali smo o politici.

We talked about politics. — 'o' + locative for the topic of discussion.

❌ Po mene, to je pogreška.

Incorrect — 'in my opinion' is the fixed 'po mom mišljenju' (po + locative), not 'po mene'.

✅ Po mom mišljenju, to je pogreška.

In my opinion, that's a mistake. — the standard 'po + locative' opinion phrase.

❌ Glasali su protiv prijedlog.

Incorrect — 'protiv' takes the genitive: 'protiv prijedloga', not the nominative 'prijedlog'.

✅ Glasali su protiv prijedloga.

They voted against the proposal. — 'protiv' + genitive.

Key Takeaways

zbog + genitive = "because of" (cause, looks backward); radi + genitive = "for the sake of / in order to" (purpose, looks forward). Test: swap in "as a result of" (→ zbog) or "in order to" (→ radi). Natives blur it in speech; careful Croatian keeps it sharp.
o + locative = "about / concerning" the topic of speaking, writing, thinking (govoriti o, pisati o) — but "think about someone" is misliti na + accusative, not o.
"According to": po + locative (everyday, po zakonu, po mom mišljenju) vs prema + dative (formal, citing a source, prema istraživanju).
Genitive abstract prepositions: bez (without), protiv (against), umjesto (instead of), pomoću (by means of).
pomoću competes with the bare instrumental of means: pomoću noža ≈ nožem, but pomoću suits abstract methods (pomoću aplikacije).

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