Breakdown of Ne mogu ići na stadion.
ne
no, not
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
ići
to go
stadion
stadium (m)
moći
can
Questions & Answers about Ne mogu ići na stadion.
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
In Croatian, you usually drop the subject pronouns (like ja for "I") because the verb form already tells us who is doing the action. Mogu specifically means "I can", so saying Ja ne mogu is only needed if you want to add special emphasis.
Why do we use the dictionary form ići instead of idem (I go)?
This is exactly how modal verbs like moći (can) work! Just like in English where you say "I can go", you conjugate the first verb (mogu) and leave the second verb in its base infinitive form (ići).
Why are ne and mogu written as two separate words?
To make most verbs negative in Croatian, you simply put the word ne right before the verb as a separate word. There are a few exceptions you might learn early on (like nemam for "I do not have" or neću for "I will not"), but mogu follows the normal rule: ne mogu.
Why do we say na stadion instead of u stadion for "to the stadium"?
While u usually means "in" or "into", Croatian uses na (literally "on") for certain open public spaces and events. Since a stadium is traditionally an open structure, you go na stadion.
Is stadion in its base dictionary form here?
It looks like it, but it is actually in the accusative case because it is the destination of your movement. For masculine non-living things like stadion, the accusative form just happens to be exactly the same as the base dictionary form.
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