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Questions & Answers about Sunce sja ujutro.
What are the parts of speech in this sentence?
- Sunce — noun, neuter, nominative singular (“sun”).
- sja — verb, 3rd person singular present of sjati (“shines”).
- ujutro — adverb meaning “in the morning” (written as one word).
Why is there no word for “the” in Croatian?
Croatian has no articles. Definiteness is understood from context. Sunce naturally refers to “the sun.”
How is the verb form sja pronounced, and what does the “sj” mean?
- sja is pronounced roughly like “sya” ([sja]).
- j is a “y” sound, so sj = s + y.
- Don’t confuse sj with š (sh). It’s sja, not ša.
Is it ever “sija” instead of “sja”?
In standard Croatian, the sun sja (from sjati “to shine”). You may hear sija in other standards/regions (e.g., Serbian/Bosnian) meaning “shines,” but in Croatian that form belongs to sijati “to sow.” So for Croatian, stick with sja when you mean “shines.”
What kind of meaning does the present tense convey here?
The present of the imperfective verb sjati expresses a general truth or habitual action: “The sun (generally) shines in the morning.”
Can I move ujutro to a different position?
Yes. Common options:
- Sunce sja ujutro. (neutral)
- Ujutro sunce sja. (emphasis on “in the morning”)
- Ujutro sja sunce. (strong focus on the time, then the verb; stylistic) All are correct; word order mainly changes emphasis.
Is ujutro one word or two (u jutro)?
For the meaning “in the morning” as a general time, it’s one word: ujutro. The two-word u jutro is uncommon/older and typically used only when referring to a specific morning (“on the morning of …”). Also note: jutros = “this morning.”
How would I say “every morning” or “in the mornings”?
- svakog jutra or svako jutro = “every morning” (both are used; the first is a bit more formal/common in writing).
- Example: Sunce sja svakog jutra. Plain ujutro can already imply a general/habitual time, but add “svakog/svako” to make it explicit.
How do I negate this sentence?
Add ne before the verb:
- Sunce ne sja ujutro. = “The sun doesn’t shine in the morning.”
How do I make a yes/no question from it?
Use the particle li after the verb:
- Sja li sunce ujutro? (“Da li sja sunce ujutro?” is common in other standards; Croatian prefers the simple li construction.)
How do I say it in the past or future?
- Past: Sunce je sjalo ujutro. (“The sun shone in the morning.”)
- Future: Sunce će sjati ujutro. (“The sun will shine in the morning.”) Note the neuter past participle sjalo with sunce.
What is the gender of sunce, and does that affect agreement?
Sunce is neuter singular. Adjectives and past participles agree:
- Toplo sunce sja ujutro. (“The warm sun shines in the morning.”)
- Sunce je sjalo. (neuter participle)
Are there useful synonyms or related verbs?
- sjajiti — “to shine/gleam”: Sunce sjaji ujutro.
- svijetliti — “to give off light”: Sunce svijetli.
- obasjavati (+ object) — “to illuminate”: Sunce obasjava grad ujutro.
- grijati — “to warm”: Sunce grije ujutro.
- Perfective counterpart: zasjati (“to begin to shine, burst into shine”): Sunce je iznenada zasjalo.
What’s the difference between “Sunce sja ujutro” and “Sunce izlazi ujutro”?
- sja = “shines” (emits light/gleams).
- izlazi = “rises/comes up.” So the second talks about sunrise timing, not shining per se.
Should sunce be capitalized?
Only at the beginning of a sentence. Otherwise it’s lowercase: sunce. Croatian doesn’t capitalize common nouns like English sometimes does poetically.
Can I intensify the verb “shine”?
Yes, add an adverb:
- Sunce jako/vrlo snažno sja ujutro. = “The sun shines very strongly in the morning.” (Most natural: Sunce jako sja ujutro.)
What are other time-of-day adverbs like ujutro?
Common ones:
- prijepodne / ujutro — in the morning
- poslijepodne / popodne — in the afternoon
- navečer — in the evening
- noću — at night Word order and usage parallel ujutro (e.g., Sunce zalazi navečer.).