Breakdown of Idem u mesnicu po svježe meso.
meso
meat
u
in, into
ići
to go
svjež
fresh
po
for (to fetch)
mesnica
butcher shop
Questions & Answers about Idem u mesnicu po svježe meso.
Why is po used here instead of za to mean "for"?
When you go somewhere specifically to fetch, collect, or pick something up, Croatian uses the preposition po followed by the accusative case. Using za here is a very common mistake for English speakers, but it sounds unnatural in Croatian. You use po because you are going to the butcher specifically to bring meat back with you.
What case is svježe meso in after po?
It is in the accusative case. The preposition po requires the accusative when it means "to get" or "to fetch". Because meso is a neuter noun, its accusative form is identical to its nominative (dictionary) form, and the adjective svježe (fresh) matches this neuter accusative form.
Why do we use u mesnicu instead of the locative form u mesnici?
Because the verb ići (conjugated here as idem) indicates motion towards a destination. When the preposition u shows direction or destination, it requires the accusative case, which makes the feminine noun end in -u (mesnicu). If you were already inside the shop, you would use the locative case, for example: Kupujem meso u mesnici (I am buying meat in the butcher shop).
Is the -nica ending in mesnica a common pattern for naming shops?
Yes, adding the suffix -nica to a noun or verb root is a very standard way to form the name of a shop, store, or workspace in Croatian. Here, meso (meat) becomes mesnica (butcher shop). Other common examples you will see include pekarnica (bakery) from the word for baker, and slastičarnica (pastry shop) from the word for sweets.
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