Idem s njom u grad.

I am going to the city with her.

Breakdown of Idem s njom u grad.

• ići: to go
• u: to
• grad: city
• s: with
• njom: her

Questions & Answers about Idem s njom u grad.

Why isn’t the subject pronoun ja used?

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: the verb ending already shows the person. Idem ends in -m, which marks 1st person singular, so ja is usually omitted. You can add it for emphasis or contrast: Ja idem s njom u grad, a on ostaje. (I’m the one going, he’s staying.)

What is njom, and why not nju or njoj?

The preposition s/sa (with) requires the instrumental case. Njom(e) is the instrumental singular of the pronoun ona (she).

• Direct object (accusative): nju (e.g., see her)
• Indirect object (dative): njoj (e.g., to her)
• With “with” (instrumental): njom(e) → s njom

When do I use s versus sa? Is sa njom okay?

• Use s by default: s njom.
• Use sa to ease pronunciation, especially before words starting with s, z, š, ž or before clusters: sa sestrom, sa ženom, sa mnom.
• Both s njom and sa njom are acceptable; s njom is the neutral default here.

Why u grad and not u gradu?

With motion/direction, u takes the accusative: u grad (into the city).
With location/state, u takes the locative: u gradu (in the city).
Note that for masculine inanimate nouns like grad, the accusative form looks like the nominative (grad), while the locative is gradu.

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Croatian word order is flexible, and changes mainly affect emphasis:

• Neutral: Idem s njom u grad.
• Emphasize destination: Idem u grad s njom.
• Emphasize companion: S njom idem u grad.
  All are grammatical.

How do I pronounce s njom?

• nj is a single sound [ɲ], like the “ny” in “canyon.”
• Say it as one flow: s‑nyom (no extra vowel between s and nj).
• The j here isn’t its own sound; it helps mark the palatal nj.

Does idem mean “I’m going (now)” or “I go (habitually)”? Can it refer to the future?

All of the above, depending on context and time words:

• Present ongoing: now.
• Habitual: regularly.
• Near/arranged future with an adverb: Sutra idem s njom u grad.
  For a clear future, you can also use the future tense: Ići ću u grad.

How do I say “with me/you/him/us/them” with this structure?

All are instrumental after s/sa:

• with me: sa mnom (often preferred) / s mnom
• with you (sg): s tobom / sa tobom
• with him/it (m/n): s njim / sa njim (also s njime)
• with her/it (f): s njom / sa njom (also s njome)
• with us: s nama / sa nama
• with you (pl): s vama / sa vama
• with them: s njima / sa njima

Why not sa njoj or sa ona?

Because s/sa governs the instrumental case.

• njoj is dative/locative,
• ona is nominative,
• nju is accusative.
  Only the instrumental fits here: s njom (njome).

Why use u and not na with a city?

With cities/towns, you normally use u (into/in): u grad, u Zagreb.
Na is used for surfaces/occasions or certain set destinations: na posao (to work), na more (to the seaside). Na grad would mean “onto/against the city” in contexts like napad na grad (an attack on the city).

How do I negate the sentence?

Put ne directly before the verb: Ne idem s njom u grad.

Is njome also correct instead of njom?

Yes. Both njom and njome are standard instrumental forms. Njom is more common in everyday speech; njome can sound a bit more formal or careful.

Does u grad imply anything like “downtown,” and do I need an article?

Croatian has no articles, so there’s no “the/a.” In everyday speech, u grad often means “into town/downtown” (the city center), with the specific city understood from context. If you need to specify, you name it: u Zagreb, u Split, etc.