Questions & Answers about Živim u mračnoj i uskoj ulici.
Why do the adjectives mračnoj and uskoj both end in -oj?
They are describing the feminine noun ulica (street), which is in the locative case here. In Croatian, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. For feminine singular nouns in the dative or locative case, adjectives take the -oj ending.
What are the dictionary forms of those adjectives?
The basic (masculine nominative) forms are mračan (dark) and uzak (narrow). Both words have a fleeting a, meaning the final a drops out when endings are added. The stems become mračn- and usk-, to which we add the feminine locative ending -oj.
Why are we using the locative case here instead of the accusative? Doesn't the preposition u sometimes take the accusative?
Yes, u takes the accusative when showing movement toward a destination. However, when describing a static location (where something is or where an action happens), u takes the locative case. Since živim (I live) shows a static location without movement, we use the locative.
How does the noun ulica become ulici?