Word
On radi na institutu u gradu Zagrebu.
Meaning
He works at the institute in the city of Zagreb.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about On radi na institutu u gradu Zagrebu.
Why are both gradu and Zagrebu declined, instead of saying u gradu Zagreb?
In Croatian, when a generic geographic noun like grad (city) is paired with its actual name (Zagreb), they both must agree in case. Since the preposition u for a static location requires the locative case, both words take the locative endings, giving us u gradu Zagrebu.
Why do we use na for the institute but u for the city?
Preposition choice in Croatian depends on the noun. Institutions, public services, and events often take na for location, which is why we say na institutu (at the institute) or na fakultetu (at the university). Geographic areas and enclosed spaces take u, hence u gradu (in the city).
Is it mandatory to include gradu here, or could I just say u Zagrebu?
You can definitely just say u Zagrebu (in Zagreb) in everyday conversation. Adding gradu to make it u gradu Zagrebu (in the city of Zagreb) sounds more formal or official, just like it does in English.
Zagrebu is both the dative and locative form. How do we know which one it is in this sentence?