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Questions & Answers about Oni uče hrvatski sada.
Why is uče used to translate are learning? How does Croatian express continuous actions without a progressive form?
Croatian doesn’t have a separate progressive aspect. The simple present of učiti covers both English learn and are learning. There is no auxiliary to be or an -ing form—uče simply means they learn/are learning depending on context.
How do you conjugate the verb učiti in the present tense?
Here is the full present-tense paradigm of učiti (to learn):
- ja učim (I learn/am learning)
- ti učiš (you sing. learn/are learning)
- on/ona/ono uči (he/she/it learns/is learning)
- mi učimo (we learn/are learning)
- vi učite (you pl. learn/are learning)
- oni/one/ona uče (they learn/are learning)
Is the subject pronoun oni necessary in Oni uče hrvatski sada?
No. Croatian is a pro-drop language: verb endings already show person and number. uče alone tells you it’s 3rd person plural. You can omit oni unless you want extra clarity or emphasis:
- Uče hrvatski sada.
- Oni uče hrvatski sada.
What case is hrvatski in, and why doesn’t it change form here?
hrvatski is a substantive adjective that stands in for hrvatski jezik (Croatian language). As a masculine inanimate noun/adjective used as an object, it takes the accusative. For inanimate masculine nouns/adjectives the nominative and accusative are identical, so hrvatski looks unchanged.
Why is hrvatski not capitalized in Croatian?
Unlike English, Croatian does not capitalize the names of languages or nationalities when used as common nouns or adjectives. Hence hrvatski remains lowercase.
What part of speech is sada, and can its position change in the sentence?
sada is an adverb meaning now. Croatian word order is flexible, so you can place sada at the beginning, after the subject, or after the verb:
- Sada oni uče hrvatski.
- Oni sada uče hrvatski.
- Oni uče hrvatski sada.
How would you say I am learning Croatian now instead of they?
Use the 1st person singular of učiti and optionally drop ja:
- (Ja) učim hrvatski sada.
- Sada učim hrvatski.
Why can we omit the noun jezik (“language”) after hrvatski?
In Croatian, adjectives naming languages often function as substantives (they become nouns). So hrvatski by itself implies hrvatski jezik. You could say učiti hrvatski jezik, but it’s more natural and concise to say učiti hrvatski.