Breakdown of U zdjeli je samo žlica riže.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
samo
only
u
in, into
zdjela
bowl
žlica
spoon
riža
rice
Questions & Answers about U zdjeli je samo žlica riže.
Why is the word for rice spelled riže here instead of riža?
The dictionary form is riža, which is a feminine noun ending in -a. Because we are saying "a spoonful of rice", we need the genitive case to show the quantity. In the genitive singular, feminine nouns drop the -a and add -e, which gives us riže. This is exactly how we say "of [something]" for feminine words.
Why does the sentence use zdjeli instead of zdjela?
The preposition u (meaning "in" or "inside") requires the locative case when we are talking about a location where something is resting. The noun zdjela (bowl) is feminine, and its locative singular ending is -i, making it zdjeli.
Does žlica mean "spoon" or "spoonful"?
It means both! The literal translation of žlica is "spoon". Croatian simply uses the name of the utensil followed by a noun in the genitive case (like riže) to express a measurement. It works just like saying "a spoon of rice" in English.
Why is the verb je placed right after U zdjeli?
The word je (is) is an enclitic, meaning it is a short, unstressed word. Croatian grammar rules strictly require enclitics to take the "second position" in a sentence. The phrase U zdjeli (In the bowl) counts as the first piece of information, so je must come immediately after it.
Learn U zdjeli je samo žlica riže 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