Breakdown of Živim u maloj županiji na sjeveru.
mali
small
živjeti
to live
u
in, into
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
sjever
north
županija
county
Questions & Answers about Živim u maloj županiji na sjeveru.
Why does this sentence use na sjeveru instead of u sjeveru?
In Croatian, compass directions always take the preposition na rather than u when talking about location. You will see this with all directions: na sjeveru (in the north), na jugu (in the south), na istoku (in the east), and na zapadu (in the west).
What exactly is a županija?
A županija is a specific administrative division in Croatia, translating directly to county. Croatia is divided into 20 of these, plus the capital city of Zagreb. If you were talking about a more general geographical region, you would likely use regija or pokrajina instead.
Both županiji and sjeveru express location here. Why do they use different prepositions?
The preposition u is generally used for locations with clear political or physical boundaries, like a specific county (u županiji). The preposition na is used for broader geographic concepts, compass directions, islands, and open surfaces, which is why the direction requires na sjeveru.
How would I rephrase this to say 'in northern Croatia' instead of 'in the north'?
You would turn north into the adjective sjeverni and make it agree with Croatia in the locative case, resulting in u sjevernoj Hrvatskoj. You could also say na sjeveru Hrvatske, which means 'in the north of Croatia' using the genitive case for the country.
Learn Živim u maloj županiji na sjeveru and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free