Questions & Answers about Danas jedemo ribu i krumpir.
Why is the word for fish ribu instead of riba?
Because it is the direct object of the sentence—the thing being eaten. In Croatian, feminine nouns ending in -a (like riba) change their ending to -u in the accusative case, which is used for direct objects.
Then why doesn't krumpir change its ending too? Isn't it also being eaten?
Yes, krumpir is also in the accusative case. However, it is a masculine inanimate noun (a non-living thing). Masculine inanimate nouns don't change their endings in the accusative case; they look exactly the same as their dictionary form.
The English translation says 'potatoes', but isn't krumpir singular?
That's right, krumpir is singular here. In Croatian, it is very common to use the singular form for types of food or crops (like potato, bean, or cabbage) when talking about them as a meal or ingredient. It is similar to how we say 'I am eating fish' rather than 'fishes' in English.
How do I know if jedemo means 'we eat' or 'we are eating'?
You rely on the context! Croatian does not have a separate continuous tense like English does. The single present tense verb jedemo translates to both 'we eat' (a habit) and 'we are eating' (happening right now). Because the sentence starts with danas (today), 'we are eating' makes the most sense in English.