Genitive Spatial Prepositions
To describe where things are located, you will rely on spatial prepositions. In Croatian, the most common spatial prepositions require the following noun to be in the Genitive case:
- pored (next to)
- iznad (above)
- ispod (under)
- ispred (in front of)
- iza (behind)
- između (between)
Forming the Genitive Case
As a quick refresher on Genitive noun endings:
- Masculine & Neuter nouns usually add -a (e.g., krevet becomes kreveta, stol becomes stola).
- Feminine nouns usually change their ending from -a to -e (e.g., kuća becomes kuće, polica becomes police).
You will also frequently see phrases like u kutu (in the corner) and u sredini (in the middle) to establish a layout.
| I will put the vase next to the bed. | Stavit ću vazu pored kreveta. |
| The shelf which is in the corner is above the table. | Polica koja je u kutu je iznad stola. |
Contrasting Locations
Prepositions like ispred, iza, and ispod allow you to map out spaces in relation to other objects. Notice how the nouns take Genitive endings.
| There is a lot of space in front of the house, but there is no space behind the house. | Ispred kuće ima puno mjesta, ali iza kuće nema mjesta. |
| You must move the box which is under the table. | Moraš maknuti kutiju koja je ispod stola. |
Between Two Objects
The preposition između (between) involves two reference points. Both objects following između must be in the Genitive case, linked by i (and).
| I will put the vase between the television and the shelf. | Stavit ću vazu između televizora i police. |
| The bed is in the middle of the room, between the shelf and the window. | Krevet je u sredini sobe, između police i prozora. |
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