Questions & Answers about U srijedu putuje u Ameriku.
Why do we say u srijedu instead of just using the word for Wednesday (srijeda)?
To say "on" a certain day in Croatian, you use the preposition u followed by the accusative case. The word for Wednesday is srijeda. Because it is a feminine noun ending in -a, its ending changes to -u in the accusative case, giving us u srijedu.
The preposition u is used twice in this sentence. Does it mean the same thing both times?
In English translations, no. The first u translates to "on" (time: on Wednesday), while the second translates to "to" (destination: to America). However, in Croatian grammar, they work exactly the same way here! Both use u + the accusative case to show either a specific point in time or motion toward a place. Since Amerika is also a feminine noun, it becomes u Ameriku.
How do we know it means "She is traveling"? There's no word for "she" in the sentence.
We actually do not know for sure just from looking at this one sentence! The verb putuje is the 3rd person singular ("he/she/it") form. Croatian often drops subject pronouns like ona (she) or on (he) because the verb ending usually gives enough information. You would know exactly who is traveling based on the context of the conversation.
What is the dictionary form of the verb putuje?