Breakdown of Ostat ćemo ovdje za vikend.
ovdje
here
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
za
for / at (a table) (+ instrumental)
vikend
weekend
ostati
to stay
Questions & Answers about Ostat ćemo ovdje za vikend.
Why does the sentence use ćemo if the current lesson is about the verb 'to want'?
Ćemo is the short (clitic) form of hoćemo, which means 'we want'. However, in Croatian, these short forms of htjeti are used as helper verbs to create the future tense. When combined with the main verb ostati, it translates to 'we will stay' rather than 'we want to stay'.
Why is the verb ostati (to stay) written as ostat here?
When a verb in its dictionary form (the infinitive) ends in -ti and is placed immediately before a short future tense word like ćemo, Croatian drops the final 'i'. This makes the pronunciation smoother. So, ostati + ćemo becomes ostat ćemo.
Where is the Croatian word for 'we' in this sentence?
Croatian frequently drops subject pronouns like mi (we) because the helper verb already tells you who is acting. The word ćemo specifically means 'we will'. You would only add mi if you wanted to strongly emphasize that we (and not someone else) are staying.
Is vikend a borrowed word, and does it change form after za?
Yes, vikend is borrowed from the English 'weekend'. The preposition za (for) requires the following noun to be in the accusative case to show direction or intention. But because vikend is a non-living masculine noun, its accusative form is identical to its basic dictionary form, so the ending does not change here.
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