Questions & Answers about Oni su iz Amerike, a ne iz Hrvatske.
Why do the countries end in -e (Amerike, Hrvatske) instead of -a?
The preposition iz (meaning "from") always requires the noun following it to be in the Genitive case. For feminine nouns that normally end in -a like Amerika and Hrvatska, the Genitive ending is -e.
Why does this sentence use a for "and" instead of i?
In Croatian, a is used to show contrast, often translating to "but", "whereas", or "and" when comparing two different things. Because we are contrasting where they are from with where they are not from, a is the correct choice.
Could I just say a ne Hrvatske and skip the second iz?
It is highly recommended to repeat the preposition iz here. In Croatian, repeating the preposition when making a contrast helps the sentence sound much more natural and clear.