Learn Croatian: Jesi li kasnio na sastanak? - Were you late for the meeting?

Jesi li kasnio na sastanak?

Were you late for the meeting?

Breakdown of Jesi li kasnio na sastanak?

on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)

Questions & Answers about Jesi li kasnio na sastanak?

How is the past tense yes/no question formed here?

It starts with the helper verb jesi, followed by the question particle li, and then the past tense verb kasnio. This jesi li + past tense verb pattern is the standard way to ask a 'Did you...?' or 'Were you...?' question to a single person.

In English we say 'Were you late' using 'late' as an adjective. Is kasnio an adjective?

No, in Croatian, being late is expressed with an action verb, kasniti (to be late). Because of this, the sentence is literally structured as 'Did you late?'. That is why we use the past tense verb form kasnio instead of an adjective.

How would this sentence change if I were asking a woman?

You would need to change the main verb to its feminine form and ask Jesi li kasnila na sastanak?. The 'o' ending of kasnio tells us that the person being asked in this specific sentence is male.

Why does the sentence use na for 'for'? Can I use za?

In Croatian, going to or attending scheduled events, like a meeting (sastanak), a class, or a concert, usually takes the preposition na (which normally means 'on'). So instead of being late 'for' the meeting, the Croatian phrasing is closer to being late 'onto' the meeting.