Breakdown of Ujutro radim, a popodne gledam filmove.
ujutro
in the morning
gledati
to watch
film
movie
raditi
to work
Questions & Answers about Ujutro radim, a popodne gledam filmove.
What does the conjunction a mean here—is it “and” or “but”?
A is a coordinating conjunction that often means “and,” but with a contrastive or “whereas/while” nuance between the two clauses. It contrasts two different times/activities: morning vs. afternoon. Using plain i would feel more purely additive, with less contrast.
Why is there a comma before a?
In Croatian, you put a comma before a when it connects two independent clauses. Each part (morning clause and afternoon clause) has its own verb, so a comma is required: ..., a ....
Why is ujutro written as one word, and why is there no preposition like “in”?
Ujutro is an adverb meaning “in the morning.” Historically it comes from “u jutro,” but in modern standard Croatian it’s fused and functions as a single adverb, so you don’t add another preposition. Note: in Serbian you’ll see ujutru; in Croatian the common form is ujutro.
What’s the difference between popodne and poslijepodne?
Both are correct in Croatian:
- poslijepodne — more formal/standard (“afternoon”).
- popodne — very common colloquial/short form with the same meaning. There’s also prijepodne for “forenoon/late morning (before noon).”