Breakdown of Je li kuća na otoku?
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
kuća
house
li
question particle
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
otok
island
Questions & Answers about Je li kuća na otoku?
Why is the word for island otoku instead of otok?
The base word for island is otok, which is a masculine noun. Because we are talking about a location using the preposition na (on), we must put the noun into the locative case. For masculine nouns, this means adding the ending -u, giving us otoku.
How do I know whether to use na or u for a location like an island?
In Croatian, islands always take the preposition na (on). This matches English perfectly ("on the island"). While u is used for enclosed spaces, cities, and countries (like u kući for "in the house"), open geographical features like islands, mountains, and beaches usually take na.
Could I just say Je kuća na otoku? to ask this question?
No, you need the little question word li. To ask a yes/no question using the verb "to be", we put the verb first (Je), followed immediately by the question particle li. Together, Je li acts like "Is..." at the start of the sentence.
Does kuća (house) need a special ending here because it's part of a sentence about location?
No, because kuća is the subject of the sentence—it is the thing that is on the island. Subjects always use their base dictionary form (the nominative case). Only the actual location (otok) gets a special ending to match the preposition na.
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