Learn Hardcore Croatian: Mi smo ovdje.

In Croatian, mi means “we” and smo is the verb “to be” in the 1st person plural (“are”). Croatian is a pro‐drop language, so grammatically you can say Smo ovdje and be understood, but it sounds colloquial or incomplete. Including mi adds clarity or emphasis (“we are here,” as opposed to someone else).

What exactly is smo?

Smo is the present‐tense, 1st person plural form of the verb biti (“to be”).
Conjugation of biti in the present tense:

Ja sam (I am)
Ti si (You are)
On/ona je (He/she is)
Mi smo (We are)
Vi ste (You pl. are)
Oni/one su (They are)

What part of speech is ovdje and what does it mean?

Ovdje is an adverb of place meaning “here” (in this location). It answers the question Gdje? (“Where?”).

How is ovdje different from tu or tamo?

Ovdje = “here,” specifically pointing to the exact spot you’re in.
Tu = “here,” slightly less specific, often interchangeable with ovdje, but a bit more conversational.
Tamo = “there,” indicating a location away from both the speaker and listener.

Can I change the word order to Ovdje smo mi? Does that change the meaning?

Yes. Ovdje smo mi is perfectly correct. Swapping order shifts emphasis:

Mi smo ovdje. (neutral statement “We are here.”)
Ovdje smo mi. (emphasizes location: “It is here that we are.”)
Mi ovdje smo. sounds odd; avoid breaking the verb phrase.

How do I pronounce ovdje?

A good phonetic approximation is “OH-vdjeh.” In IPA it’s [ˈɔʋd͡ʑe].

o as in “or” (without the r)
vdj is like “vdye” with a soft, single consonant sound
e as in “met”

How do I make this sentence negative: “We are not here”?

Insert ne before the verb:
Mi nismo ovdje.
Literally “We are not here.” You can also say Nismo ovdje (dropping mi).

How would I ask “Are we here?” in Croatian?

You can form a yes/no question by intonation or adding li after the verb:

Smo li ovdje? (more formal/literary)
Jesmo li ovdje? (using the full form jesmo)
Simply rising intonation: Mi smo ovdje? (“We’re here?”)