Breakdown of Bili bismo išli na skijalište, ali nismo imali auto.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ali
but (strong contrast)
imati
to have
auto
car (short form)
Questions & Answers about Bili bismo išli na skijalište, ali nismo imali auto.
What grammar structure is bili bismo išli?
This is the past conditional (also called the second conditional), used to express an action that would have happened in the past but didn't. It is formed by combining the present conditional of the verb biti (which is bili bismo for 'we would be') with the past participle of the main verb (išli).
Could we just say išli bismo instead?
You could, but it changes the meaning. Išli bismo is the present conditional, meaning 'we would go' (if we had a car right now). By using the past conditional bili bismo išli, you are clearly stating 'we would have gone', referring to a closed, unfulfilled situation in the past.
Why do we use na skijalište instead of the locative na skijalištu?
Because the verb išli implies motion toward a destination, the preposition na requires the accusative case (skijalište). If you were already at the resort doing an activity, you would use the locative case (na skijalištu). Even at the B2 level, it is easy to mix up destination versus location with places ending in -šte.
Since auto ends in -o, shouldn't it be a neuter noun?
Usually, nouns ending in -o are neuter, but auto (short for automobil) is a common exception and is always masculine. In this sentence, it is the direct object of imali, so it is in the accusative case. Because it is an inanimate (non-living) masculine noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative form.