Breakdown of Kolega, čestitam ti na mirovini i uspjehu!
i
and (additive)
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
ti
to you (sg.)
kolega
colleague (m)
Questions & Answers about Kolega, čestitam ti na mirovini i uspjehu!
Why does the sentence use ti and then na mirovini?
This is the standard pattern for the verb čestitati (to congratulate). In Croatian, you congratulate to someone using the Dative case (here, the short pronoun ti) and on something using the preposition na followed by the Locative case (na mirovini).
Are mirovini and uspjehu both in the Locative case?
Yes! The preposition na applies to both of the things being congratulated on. Because mirovina is a feminine noun, its Locative ending is -i (mirovini). Uspjeh is a masculine noun, so its Locative ending is -u (uspjehu).
Wait, shouldn't the Vocative case for kolega be kolego?
You have a good memory! For most nouns ending in -a, the Vocative does change to -o (like žena becoming ženo). However, kolega is an exception. It is completely normal and very common to just say Kolega when addressing someone, though kolego is also technically correct.
Does mirovina mean retirement or pension?
It means both! In Croatian, mirovina is used to talk about the lifestyle stage of being retired as well as the actual pension money you receive.