Learn Hardcore Croatian: Kad sunce zalazi, baka i ja sjedimo u parku. - When the sun sets, grandmother and I sit in the park.

general truths and repeated actions (habitual)
actions happening now So zalazi (present of zalaziti) works for “is setting” in English. In time clauses with kad, the present is normal for repeated or ongoing situations.

What’s the difference between kad and dok here?

Kad = when (a point or event in time). It can also cover “as/when” in general.
Dok = while (emphasizes simultaneity/overlap). In this sentence, you could also say: Dok sunce zalazi, baka i ja sjedimo u parku. That highlights the overlapping duration (“while” it’s setting).

Why zalazi and not zađe?

Aspect. Croatian verbs come in imperfective/perfective pairs:

zalaziti (imperfective) = be setting / be in the process of setting
zaći (perfective) → zađe (3sg present with future meaning) = set (reach completion) Compare:
Kad sunce zalazi, ... = while the sun is setting (ongoing)
Kad sunce zađe, ... = when/after the sun has set (completed event)

Why are there no articles like “the” before sunce or park?

Croatian has no articles. Definiteness is inferred from context. Sunce translates as “the sun,” and u parku as “in the park,” without adding any extra word.

What case is u parku, and why?

U parku uses the locative case after u to show location (“in”). Compare:

Location: Sjedimo u parku. (locative)
Motion into: Idemo u park. (accusative)

Why does park become parku?

It’s the masculine singular locative ending. Many masculine nouns take -u in the locative:

Nominative: park
Locative: (u) parku

Why is it sjedimo (1st person plural)? How does agreement work with baka i ja?

The subject is compound: baka i ja = “grandma and I” = we. The verb agrees with that, so you use 1st person plural: sjedimo.

Can I say ja i baka instead of baka i ja?

Grammatically yes, but style-wise it’s more polite/natural to put yourself last: baka i ja. Saying ja i baka can sound self-centered.

Should I say moja baka i ja to mean “my grandmother and I”?

You can. Baka i ja often implies “my grandma and I” from context, but moja baka i ja makes it explicit. Both are fine.

Why is there a comma after Kad sunce zalazi?

Because the time clause comes first. In Croatian, a subordinate clause placed before the main clause is followed by a comma:

Kad/Kada sunce zalazi, baka i ja sjedimo u parku. If the main clause comes first, you usually omit the comma:
Baka i ja sjedimo u parku kad sunce zalazi.

Why u parku and not na parku?

For parks, u (“in”) is standard because you’re inside an area. Na (“on/at”) is used with many open/flat places (e.g., na trgu = at the square), but with park you say u parku.

How do I pronounce tricky letters like j, c, and the cluster sj in sjedimo?

j sounds like English “y” in “yes” (so ja = “ya”).
c sounds like “ts” (so sunce ≈ “soonts-eh”).
sj is pronounced as s
- y together; you’ll hear a slight “sy” onset in sjedimo (≈ “syed-ee-mo”). Vowels are pure: u is like “oo,” a like “ah,” e like “eh,” i like “ee,” o like “aw/o.”

What’s the difference between sjedimo and sjednemo?

sjediti (imperfective) → sjedimo = we sit/are sitting (state)
sjesti (perfective) → sjednemo = we sit down (the act of sitting down) So your sentence describes the ongoing sitting, not the moment of sitting down.

Could I say this with s (“with”): like “My grandma and I sit...” using the instrumental?

Yes, that changes the structure:

S bakom sjedim u parku. = “I sit in the park with my grandma.” (1st person singular)
To keep “we,” you use the compound subject: Baka i ja sjedimo u parku.

Why not sunce se zalazi? Do we need se here?

No. Zalaziti “to set (of the sun)” is intransitive and not reflexive in standard usage. You just say Sunce zalazi.

Can I change the word order, e.g., Kad zalazi sunce or U parku sjedimo?

Yes. Croatian allows flexible word order for emphasis/focus:

Kad sunce zalazi, ... (neutral)
Kad zalazi sunce, ... (slight focus on the verb)
U parku sjedimo (focus on location) Meaning stays the same; nuance/stress shifts.

Is there a synonym for zalaziti for the sun?

You’ll also hear sunce zađe (perfective “sets/has set”). Regional/literary options like zapadati exist, but the standard, most common phrasing is sunce zalazi / sunce je zašlo (past) or sunce zađe (perfective present with future meaning in time clauses).