Past tense word order (Prvo sam radio...)

Telling a Story

To narrate a series of events in the past, use sequence words:

• prvo (first)
• onda (then)
• zatim (next)
• konačno (finally)

The Second Position Rule

You already know the auxiliary verb je (he, she, it). For yourself (I), use sam.

These auxiliary verbs are clitics—short, unstressed words that must take the second position in a Croatian sentence.

When you start a sentence with a sequence word, that word takes the first position. The auxiliary verb comes immediately after it, followed by the main verb or subject.

Here is how this looks with prvo (first):

For the next steps in your story, use onda (then) or zatim (next):

To conclude, place konačno (finally) in the first position:

Notice how the auxiliary verb (sam or je) always stays in position number two.