Mi idemo u grad.

we

Breakdown of Mi idemo u grad.

• ići: to go
• u: to
• grad: city

Questions & Answers about Mi idemo u grad.

What does Mi mean, and is it necessary in the sentence?

Mi is the first-person plural pronoun “we.” In Croatian the verb ending often already tells you the subject, so you can drop mi and simply say Idemo u grad. Including mi adds emphasis or clarity (“We are going to town,” as opposed to someone else).

How do you form idemo, and what verb is it from?

Idemo is the present-tense form of the irregular verb ići (to go) for we. The full present-tense conjugation is:
• ja idem (I go)
• ti ideš (you go)
• on/ona/ono ide (he/she/it goes)
• mi idemo (we go)
• vi idete (you pl./formal go)
• oni/one/ona idu (they go)

What tense is used in Mi idemo u grad, and can it refer to the future?

This is the present tense. In Croatian, the present can express both a current action (“we are going right now”) and a near future (“we’re going to town in a moment”), depending on context.

Why is the preposition u used here, and what case does it require?

U means “into/to.” When expressing motion toward a location, u takes the accusative case. That’s why grad stays in its basic form (accusative singular of a masculine inanimate noun):
• Nom. grad → Acc. grad

Could we say Idemo u grad without Mi? Would the meaning change?

Yes. Idemo u grad is perfectly natural and probably more common in casual speech. Omitting mi doesn’t change the core meaning; it just removes the explicit pronoun (the verb ending still shows you’re talking about we).

What’s the difference between ići, hodati, and šetati?

• ići = to go, to move somewhere with purpose
• hodati = to walk (no focus on direction or destination; simply the act of walking)
• šetati = to stroll or take a leisurely walk, often without a fixed goal

How do you pronounce idemo?

The stress is on the first syllable: Í-de-mo
Pronunciation guide: i = “ee,” d = as in “dog,” e = “eh,” mo = “moh.”

Is word order fixed in Croatian? Why is it Mi idemo u grad and not U grad idemo mi?

Croatian has relatively flexible word order because the case endings show each word’s role. The typical neutral order is Subject–Verb–Object/Adverbial, i.e. Mi idemo u grad. You can move words around for emphasis (e.g., U grad idemo mi to emphasize “we” rather than someone else), but the default SVO sounds most natural here.