Čekaj me ispred škole, hvala.

Wait for me in front of the school, thank you.

Breakdown of Čekaj me ispred škole, hvala.

• škola: school
• ispred: in front of
• čekati: to wait
• hvala: thank you
• me: me

Questions & Answers about Čekaj me ispred škole, hvala.

What form is the word Čekaj, and when do I use it?

• Čekaj is the 2nd person singular imperative of čekati (to wait).
• Use it to tell or ask one person you’re on familiar terms with to wait.
• For a neutral subject pronoun, Croatian usually drops ti. You’d only add Ti for emphasis: Ti me čekaj ispred škole.

How do I say this to more than one person or more politely?

• Plural/polite imperative: Čekajte me ispred škole, hvala.
• To make it extra polite, add:
  • Informal: molim te → Čekaj me…, molim te.
  • Formal/plural: molim vas → Čekajte me…, molim vas.

Why is it me and not mene?

• me is the unstressed clitic (accusative of ja) used by default next to the verb: Čekaj me.
• mene is the stressed form, used for emphasis or contrast: Čekaj mene, a ne njega.

Where does me go in the sentence? Can I move it?

• me is a clitic and tends to sit in “second position” within its clause.
• In a simple command, put it right after the imperative: Čekaj me ispred škole.
• If you front another element, me follows that first stressed chunk:
  • Ispred škole me čekaj.
  • Samo me čekaj ispred škole.
• Avoid placing me at the very end: Čekaj ispred škole me sounds wrong.

Do I need na like English “wait for”? Should I say čekaj na mene?

• No. Standard Croatian uses a direct object: čekati + accusative → Čekaj me.
• čekati na is common with things or events: čekati na tramvaj, čekati na red.
• With people, čekati nekoga is strongly preferred; čekati na nekoga is heard but is less standard/regionally colored.

Why is it ispred škole and not something like ispred školu?

• The preposition ispred (“in front of”) governs the genitive.
• škola (school) → genitive singular škole: ispred škole.
• For plural “schools,” genitive plural is also škola: ispred škola.

Can I say pred školom instead of ispred škole?

• Yes. pred
  • instrumental (for location) → pred školom (“in front of the school”).
• Nuance:
  • ispred is very common and concrete.
  • pred can sound a bit shorter/more formal or literary.
• With motion towards the spot, pred may take accusative: Dođi pred školu.

How do I make it negative: “Don’t wait for me in front of the school”?

• Two natural options:
  • Ne čekaj me ispred škole.
  • Nemoj me čekati ispred škole.
• For plural/polite: Ne čekajte me… / Nemojte me čekati…

What’s the difference between čekaj, pričekaj, and sačekaj?

• čekaj: neutral “wait.”
• pričekaj: “wait a bit/hold on a moment” (often implies a short wait).
• sačekaj: perfective “wait until (something happens/I arrive)”; common, somewhat more colloquial/regional in tone in parts of Croatia. All three are widely understood.

Is the comma before hvala correct? Could I punctuate it differently?

• Yes, the comma is fine: …, hvala.
• Alternatives:
  • Period or exclamation: Čekaj me ispred škole. Hvala!
  • You can also start a new sentence: Hvala.
• After a comma, hvala is lowercase; at the start of a sentence, capitalize Hvala.

Why is there no “the” before škole?

• Croatian has no articles. Specificity is inferred from context.
• ispred škole naturally corresponds to English “in front of the school.”

Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?

• č = “ch” in “chocolate” (a bit harder), š = “sh”.
• aj = “eye”; vowels are short and pure: e as in “bed,” a as in “father.”
• Rolled r in ispred.
• Rough guide: CHEH-kai meh EES-pred SHKO-leh, HVAH-lah.