Breakdown of Tvoj otac je na stadionu.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
otac
father
tvoj
your (informal)
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
stadion
stadium (m)
Questions & Answers about Tvoj otac je na stadionu.
This lesson is about using na for destination, so why is it na stadionu and not na stadion?
Because this sentence describes a fixed location (where he is right now), not a destination (where he is going). For locations, we use the locative case, which adds -u to masculine nouns like stadion. If he were moving toward the stadium, it would be the accusative case for destination: Ide na stadion (He is going to the stadium).
Why do we use na (on/at) for a stadium instead of u (in)?
In Croatian, na is typically used for open spaces, surfaces, public events, and certain institutions. Because a stadium is traditionally a large open-air venue, it takes na instead of u.
Why is the word for 'your' spelled Tvoj here?
Possessive words must match the gender of the noun they belong to. Because otac (father) is a masculine noun, 'your' takes the masculine form tvoj. If you were talking about a feminine noun like majka (mother), you would use tvoja.
Could I put the word je at the end of the sentence?
No, je (is) cannot go at the end. It is a special type of short, unstressed word called an enclitic. Enclitics naturally want to sit in the second position of a sentence, which in this case is right after the first logical phrase (Tvoj otac).
Learn Tvoj otac je na stadionu and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free