Breakdown of Momci igraju nogomet u parku.
park
park
igrati
to play (sports)
nogomet
football
momak
young man, lad
Questions & Answers about Momci igraju nogomet u parku.
What is the singular form of momci, and why does it look so different?
The singular is momak (lad or young man). To make it plural, two things happen: first, the -a- drops out, leaving the stem momk-. Then, the k changes to a c before the plural ending -i. This is a very common sound change in Croatian for masculine words ending in -k, -g, or -h.
I've seen the verb igrati se used for playing. Why is there no se in this sentence?
When you specify exactly what sport or game someone is playing as a direct object (like nogomet), you use the regular verb igrati. The reflexive version, igrati se, is mostly used when talking about children playing generally or playing with toys, without naming a specific sport or game.
Why does nogomet look like it's in the dictionary form if it is the direct object?
Nogomet (football) is indeed the direct object, so it is in the accusative case. However, for masculine nouns that represent non-living things (like sports or inanimate objects), the accusative case looks exactly the same as the dictionary (nominative) form.
Why is it u parku and not u park?
The preposition u can mean either 'in' or 'into'. Because the lads are already playing in the park (showing a static location), we use the locative case ending -u for the masculine noun park. If they were walking into the park (showing destination or movement), we would use the accusative case instead, which would be u park.
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