Questions & Answers about U automobilu nema goriva.
Why is the word for fuel written as goriva instead of just gorivo?
The dictionary word for fuel is gorivo. However, when we say that something does not exist or is missing by using the word nema, the missing item must be in the genitive case. For a neuter noun like gorivo, the genitive ending is -a, which changes it to goriva.
What exactly is nema?
Why does automobil have a -u at the end here?
The preposition u (in) requires the locative case when you are talking about a fixed location. Automobil is a regular masculine noun, and masculine nouns take the ending -u in the locative case, giving us u automobilu.
Could I change the word order and say Nema goriva u automobilu?
Yes, that is perfectly fine! Croatian word order is quite flexible. Starting the sentence with u automobilu just puts a little more focus on where the fuel is missing, but starting with nema is also completely natural.