The Genitive Case and Prepositions
In Croatian, the genitive case is used with more prepositions than any other case. If you learn a new preposition, it likely takes the genitive.
Visiting People: kod
To say you are at someone's place, such as a friend's house or a professional's office, use kod (at, by) followed by the genitive. For example, zubar (dentist) becomes zubara.
| I am at the dentist. | Kod zubara sam. |
| My sister is at the hairdresser. | Moja sestra je kod frizera. |
Describing Locations: ispred, iza, pokraj
Many spatial prepositions require the genitive case, including ispred (in front of), iza (behind), and pokraj (next to).
| The car is in front of the bridge. | Auto je ispred mosta. |
| The park is behind the building. | Park je iza zgrade. |
| They are resting next to the river. | Odmaraju se pokraj rijeke. |
Movement and Paths: preko, do
Genitive prepositions also describe movement. Use preko to mean "across" or "over," and do to mean "to" or "up to" a destination.
| The birds are flying over the forest. | Ptice lete preko šume. |
| We must go to the bridge. | Moramo ići do mosta. |
| We are walking to the river. | Šetamo do rijeke. |
Doing Things "Without": bez
Use bez (without) followed by the genitive to say you are missing something or doing an activity without someone.
| We cannot live without water. | Ne možemo živjeti bez vode. |
| I do not want to travel without friends. | Ne želim putovati bez prijatelja. |
Time and Sequence: prije, poslije
Genitive prepositions also map out time. Use prije (before) and poslije (after) to describe the sequence of events.
| I was not at the hairdresser before lunch. | Nisam bio kod frizera prije ručka. |
| Where is he after work? | Gdje je on poslije posla? |
