Breakdown of Idem s njima na natjecanje.
oni
they
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
ići
to go
s
with
Questions & Answers about Idem s njima na natjecanje.
Why do we use njima for "them" here?
Njima is the instrumental case of oni (they). Because the preposition s (with) requires the instrumental case to show company or association, "with them" becomes s njima.
Why is the preposition just s instead of sa?
The preposition "with" is usually just s. It only changes to sa when the next word starts with a similar sound (like s, z, š, ž) or a difficult consonant cluster (like in sa mnom). Since njima starts with nj, the short form s is perfectly easy to say.
Why do we say na natjecanje instead of u natjecanje for "to the competition"?
In Croatian, we use the preposition na (literally "on") for events, public gatherings, and activities. A competition is an event, so you go na natjecanje, just like you go na koncert (to a concert) or na posao (to work).
What case is the word natjecanje in this sentence?