To describe motion downward from a surface (like falling off a bed) or originating from an event, Croatian uses the preposition s (or sa), followed by the Genitive case.
The Genitive Case for "Off"
When you fall, step, or slip "off" something, the object you leave behind must take its Genitive ending.
| Gender | Nominative | Genitive (after s/sa) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine / Neuter | krevet | kreveta |
| Feminine | stijena | stijene |
Notice how masculine nouns like bicikl take an -a, while feminine nouns like stijena take an -e.
| I fell off the bed and got a bruise. | Pao sam s kreveta i dobio modricu. |
| The fast cyclist fell off the bicycle. | Brzi biciklist je pao s bicikla. |
| The tourist slipped off the wet rock. | Turist se poskliznuo s mokre stijene. |
When to Use "sa"
The preposition s changes to sa whenever the following word begins with s, z, š, ž, or certain tricky consonant clusters. This simply makes the phrase easier to pronounce. For example, falling off a table (stol) requires sa.
| I lost my balance and fell off the table. | Izgubio sam ravnotežu i pao sa stola. |
Mishaps and Injuries
When clumsiness leads to a mishap (nezgoda), you might need to explain the outcome. A trip or slip can leave you needing a bandage (zavoj) or even a cast (gips).
| After the accident, the cyclist got a cast. | Nakon nezgode, biciklist je dobio gips. |
| He does not have a cast, only a bandage and a bruise. | Nema gips, samo zavoj i modricu. |