Breakdown of U ponedjeljak ide na posao.
posao
job / work
u
in, into
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
ići
to go
ponedjeljak
Monday
Questions & Answers about U ponedjeljak ide na posao.
Why does the sentence use u to mean 'on' Monday?
In English, we say 'on' a specific day, but Croatian uses the preposition u (which typically means 'in' or 'into') followed by the accusative case to say something happens on a given day of the week.
Is ponedjeljak in the accusative case here? It looks just like the dictionary word.
Yes, it is! For masculine nouns that do not represent a living being (masculine inanimate nouns), the accusative form is exactly the same as the nominative (dictionary) form.
Why do we say na posao instead of u posao for going 'to work'?
While u is often used for going 'into' a building or space, certain locations and events traditionally use na (on/onto) instead. Posao (work) is a very common exception that always pairs with na when you are going there.
Since na shows movement to a destination, what case is posao in?
It is in the accusative case, which is required for motion towards a destination. Just like with ponedjeljak, because posao is a masculine non-living thing, its accusative form looks identical to its dictionary form.
Where is the word for 'he' in this sentence?
It is hidden in the verb! Ide is the he/she/it form of ići (to go). Croatian usually drops subject pronouns like on (he) because the verb form already shows the person, and the conversation's context fills in the rest.
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