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Questions & Answers about Oni idu kući.
What does Oni mean, and is it necessary in this sentence?
Oni is the third-person plural pronoun meaning they (specifically for an all-male or mixed-gender group). In Croatian, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending on idu already tells you the subject is “they.” So both Oni idu kući and simply Idu kući mean “They are going home,” with the latter being more common in everyday speech.
What is idu, and which person and tense does it represent?
Idu is the present tense, third-person plural form of the verb ići (to go). The full present-tense paradigm of ići 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 go)
- oni/one idu (they go)
Why is it kući and not kuća?
Kuća is the nominative form meaning house. Kući is a special, frozen form of kuća that functions as a directional adverb meaning home (as in “toward home”). It’s historically the locative or dative of kuća, but you don’t use a preposition with it—just kući by itself.
Why isn’t there a preposition before kući, and how is it different from u kuću?
Because kući is an adverb meaning “homeward,” it replaces any need for a preposition.
- idu kući = “they go home.”
By contrast, u kuću uses the preposition u- accusative kuću and literally means “into the house” (emphasizing entering the building), not “going home.”
What about u kući? I’ve seen that too.
U kući is a prepositional phrase (preposition u + locative kući) meaning in the house (i.e., located inside). Don’t confuse it with u kuću (accusative) “into the house” or the bare adverb kući “home.”
When should I use oni versus one?
Croatian plural pronouns agree in gender:
- oni = they for an all-male or mixed group
- one = they for an all-female group
Either way, the verb form stays idu.
How do I pronounce kući correctly?
Kući is pronounced [KOO-chee], with:
- k as in “king”
- u as in “put” (short)
- ć like a soft “ch” (palatalized)
- i as in “machine”
Stress typically falls on the first syllable: KU-ći.
Does Croatian have a separate continuous tense like English’s “They are going”?
No. Croatian does not distinguish between simple and continuous in the present tense. Idu kući can mean both “they go home” (habitual) and “they are going home (right now).” Context tells you which one.
Can I say Oni idu doma instead of Oni idu kući?
Yes. Doma is another adverb meaning home, derived from dom (home). Idu kući and idu doma are largely interchangeable, though one or the other may sound more natural in certain regions or contexts.