Breakdown of Oni nas zovu na zabavu.
oni
they
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
zvati
to invite
nas
us
Questions & Answers about Oni nas zovu na zabavu.
Why does nas come before the verb zovu?
Nas is a clitic pronoun, which is a short, unstressed word. In Croatian, clitics strongly prefer to go in the second position of a sentence. Since the subject pronoun Oni is in the first position, the clitic nas (us) must tuck in right after it, which places it before the verb.
The word zovu usually means "they are calling". Does it also mean "inviting"?
Yes! The verb zvati is used for calling someone, like on the phone or calling out their name, but it is also the standard word for inviting someone to an event or place.
Why is the word for party spelled zabavu instead of zabava?
Because it is in the accusative case. The preposition na (to) is followed by the accusative case when it shows movement or direction towards a destination. Since zabava is a feminine noun ending in -a, its ending changes to -u in the accusative.
Could we drop the word Oni (they) in this sentence?
Yes, you can often drop subject pronouns in Croatian because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. However, because the clitic nas cannot be the first word in a sentence, dropping Oni means the word order must change to: Zovu nas na zabavu.