Kamen je blizu mete.

The stone is close to the target.

Breakdown of Kamen je blizu mete.

• biti: to be
• blizu: near
• meta: a target (object aimed at)
• kamen: a stone

Questions & Answers about Kamen je blizu mete.

What does each word in Kamen je blizu mete mean?

• kamen = stone / rock
• je = is
• blizu = near / close to
• mete = target in a dependent form

So the sentence is literally Stone is near target, which in natural English becomes The stone is near the target.

Why is mete not meta?

Because blizu normally requires the genitive case in Croatian.

The basic dictionary form is meta = target.
After blizu, it changes to mete, which is the genitive singular form.

So:

• meta = target
• blizu mete = near the target

This is one of the most important things to notice in the sentence.

Does blizu always take the genitive case?