Decades (osamdesetih godina)

In English, we refer to decades by saying "in the eighties" or "during the 1930s." In Croatian, you express this by using the ordinal number for the decade along with the word godina (year). Both words must take the genitive plural form.

Naming the Decades

To construct a specific decade:

• Take the ordinal number for the decade, like trideseti (thirtieth).
• Change it to the genitive plural ending -ih: tridesetih.
• Add the genitive plural of godina, which is simply godina.
• Together, they form phrases like tridesetih godina (literally "of the thirtieth years").

Because this phrase is already in the genitive case, it pairs perfectly with prepositions that require the genitive, such as tijekom (during). However, you can also use it completely on its own without any preposition to mean in that decade.

Word Order and Time Prepositions

When a bare time phrase like četrdesetih godina starts a sentence, remember the second-position clitic rule. A clitic (like the auxiliary verbs je or su) will tuck itself right after the very first word, effectively splitting the ordinal number from godina.

You will also frequently see these decade expressions used with the preposition krajem (at the end of), which likewise takes the genitive case.

Culture and History

You will use these time expressions constantly when discussing history, cultural shifts, and the impact of past events. Let's look at some key vocabulary for discussing society, paired with the remaining decades of the 20th century.