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Questions & Answers about Oni su u kući.
What part of speech is oni in the sentence Oni su u kući, and what does it indicate?
oni is the third-person plural subject pronoun ("they"). In Croatian it refers to a group of males or a mixed-gender group.
What is su, and what tense and person does it represent?
su is the present-tense, third-person plural form of the verb biti ("to be"). Together, oni su literally means “they are.”
Can you omit oni and just say su u kući?
Yes. Croatian is a pro-drop language, so the subject pronoun is optional.
• Grammatically you can say Su u kući, but this word order sounds unusual.
• More common is U kući su or simply U kući if context is clear.
Why is there no article like the before kući in Croatian?
Croatian has no definite or indefinite articles. Nouns stand alone, and context (or adjectives) tells you if you mean “a house” or “the house.”
What case is kući, and why does it end in -i?
kući is the locative singular of kuća. After the preposition u (when indicating location, not motion), you use the locative case. The -i ending marks that case.
What is the difference between u kući and u kuću?
- u kući (locative) means “inside the house” or “at home” (answers Where?).
- u kuću (accusative) means “into the house” (answers Where to?/motion toward).
How do you pronounce kući, and what sound does ć represent?
Pronounce kući roughly as KOO-t͡ɕee. The letter ć is a soft “ch” (voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate), softer than č. Think of the “t”+“y” in British “tune” or the “ch” in “cheer” but more palatal.
How would you ask “Are they in the house?” in Croatian?
Invert verb and subject:
• Jesu li (oni) u kući?
You can drop oni: Jesu li u kući?
How do you say “They are at home,” and is it different from Oni su u kući?
• Oni su kod kuće. is the normal way to say “They are at home.”
• Oni su u kući. specifically means “They are inside the (particular) house.”
If the group is all-female, how would you say “They are in the house”?
Use the feminine-plural pronoun one:
• One su u kući.
You can still drop one and say Su u kući or U kući su if context makes it clear.