Question 1

Why does the word for store end in -i here (trgovini)?

Accepted Answer

This is the locative case, which is used after prepositions like u (in) to show where an action is happening. The dictionary form is trgovina (store). For feminine nouns ending in -a, you drop the -a and add -i to make the locative case.

Question 2

Who is the subject of this sentence since there is no word for 'you'?

Accepted Answer

The subject is built directly into the verb radite. The ending tells us it means 'you' (either a group of people, or one person you are addressing formally). Croatian usually leaves out the pronoun vi (you) because the verb's ending already makes it clear who is doing the action.

Question 3

Is the negative word ne always written as a separate word?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when negating almost all regular verbs, ne is placed directly in front of the verb as a separate word, like ne radite (you do not work). There are only a very few exceptions (like the verbs for 'to be' or 'to have') where the negative particle attaches to the verb itself.

Question 4

Does u trgovini always mean 'in the store' or can it mean 'into the store'?

Accepted Answer

Because trgovini uses the locative case ending -i, it strictly describes a static location (being in the store). If you wanted to talk about motion, such as walking into the store, you would use the exact same preposition u but with a different noun ending.

Ne radite u trgovini.

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