Questions & Answers about Jutarnja smjena radi od osam do četiri sata.
The lesson says od and do take the Genitive case. Why don't the numbers osam and četiri change their endings?
While od and do strictly require the Genitive case for nouns, most numbers in Croatian don't change their endings. The number osam (eight) is completely indeclinable. The number četiri (four) technically has a Genitive form, but it is rarely used in everyday Croatian, especially when telling time, so it stays in its base form here.
Why is the word for o'clock sata here instead of sati?
This is a great refresher on Croatian counting rules! The form of the noun depends on the number immediately preceding it, which is četiri (four). The numbers 2, 3, and 4 are always followed by the Genitive singular form of the noun, which is sata. If the shift ended at five (or any number 5 and up), you would use the Genitive plural form instead: pet sati.
Could I leave out the word sata completely?
Yes! Just like in English where you can say 'from eight to four' without adding 'o'clock', if the context of telling time is obvious, you can simply drop the word and say Jutarnja smjena radi od osam do četiri.