Breakdown of Otišao je u grad po skije.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
grad
city
u
in, into
otići
to leave, to go away
po
for (to fetch)
skije
skis
Questions & Answers about Otišao je u grad po skije.
Why is po used here to mean "to get", rather than a verb?
In Croatian, the preposition po followed by the accusative case is the most natural way to express going somewhere to fetch, pick up, or collect something. You could use a verb phrase like da uzme skije, but using po is much more common and idiomatic for running errands.
What case is skije taking after po?
It is in the accusative plural. When the preposition po means "to fetch" or "to pick up", it always requires the accusative case. For the feminine noun skija, the accusative plural is skije, which happens to look identical to its nominative plural.
Could I say išao je instead of otišao je?
Yes, but the focus shifts. Otišao je is the perfective verb meaning "he left for" or "he went away," emphasizing the departure and often implying he hasn't returned yet. Išao je is imperfective and focuses on the trip itself, which usually implies the trip is completely over and he has already returned.
Why is it u grad instead of the locative u gradu?
Because the sentence involves motion toward a destination. The preposition u takes the accusative case (grad) when answering the question "where to?" (destination). It only takes the locative case (gradu) when answering "where at?" (static location).
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