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U ovoj zgradi se ne puši.

U ovoj zgradi se ne puši.
There is no smoking in this building.
From Lesson 149:Impersonal and passive (se)·Croatian

Questions & Answers about U ovoj zgradi se ne puši.

Why do we use se with ne puši in this sentence?
This is the impersonal use of se, which you are learning in this lesson. Instead of saying who exactly isn't smoking, we use se with the third-person singular verb puši (smokes) to mean 'one does not smoke' or 'smoking is not allowed' in a general sense.
Why is the phrase ovoj zgradi instead of ova zgrada?
The preposition u (in) requires the locative case when talking about a fixed location. The dictionary form is the feminine phrase ova zgrada (this building). In the locative case, the ending changes to -i, making it u ovoj zgradi.
Why is the word se placed after zgradi rather than right after U?
The word se is an enclitic, meaning it is a 'weak' word that usually wants to be in the second position of a sentence. Here, the entire prepositional phrase U ovoj zgradi (in this building) acts together as the first block of information, so se naturally takes the spot right after it.
Does the negative word ne always have to be right next to the verb?
Yes! In Croatian, the negative particle ne must come immediately before the verb it negates, which is puši in this case. You cannot put other words between ne and the verb.

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