Learn Hardcore Croatian: Idem iz škole kući. - I am going home from school.

Idem = I go / I’m going (1st person singular present of ići).
iz = from, out of (a preposition that governs the genitive case).
škole = of school (genitive singular of škola).
kući = home, to home (the dative/locative singular form of kuća, used adverbially to mean “home(wards)”).

The whole sentence means: I’m going home from school.

Why is there no word for “I” (ja)?

Croatian normally drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person and number. Idem already tells you “I go.” You can add Ja idem to emphasize the subject (e.g., contrast: “I am going, not him.”).

Does idem mean “I go” or “I’m going”? Is there a progressive form?

Croatian has one present tense for both simple and progressive meanings. Idem can mean either “I go (habitually)” or “I’m going (right now).” Context clarifies:

Habit: Svaki dan idem iz škole kući. (Every day I go home from school.)
Right now: Sad idem iz škole kući. (I’m going home from school now.)

How do I say it in the past or future?

Past (imperfective, neutral):
- masculine: Išao sam iz škole kući.
- feminine: Išla sam iz škole kući.
Past (perfective, focusing on the completed departure):
- masculine: Otišao sam iz škole kući.
- feminine: Otišla sam iz škole kući.
Future: Ići ću iz škole kući. You’ll also hear: Krenut ću iz škole kući. or Poći ću iz škole kući.

What case is kući, and why is there no preposition?

Kući is the dative/locative singular form of kuća, but here it’s used adverbially with the meaning “home(wards).” It’s a set expression that doesn’t take a preposition. Think of it as a special, preposition-less way to say “home.”

What’s the difference between kući, u kuću, u kući, and kod kuće?

kući = to home (destination; no preposition): Idem kući.
u kuću (accusative) = into the house (movement into a building): Ulazim u kuću.
u kući (locative) = in the house (location): Sam u kući.
kod kuće (genitive with kod) = at home: Sam kod kuće.

Why is it iz škole and not od škole or sa škole?

iz is used for movement “out of” an enclosed space or institution: iz škole, iz kina, iz crkve.
od often marks origin, source, or distance (e.g., od… do…), not literally leaving the inside of a building.
sa/s means “from (off) a surface” or “from an event” and is standard in some contexts (e.g., s posla, sa sastanka). In standard Croatian you say iz škole. You may hear sa škole regionally (especially in Serbian usage), but in Croatian the norm is iz škole.

What case is škole, and how is it formed?

It’s genitive singular of škola. For many feminine -a nouns, the genitive singular ends in -e:

škola → škole
trgovina → trgovine
crkva → crkve

Can I change the word order?

Yes. All of these are grammatical, with subtle emphasis changes:

Idem iz škole kući. (neutral)
Idem kući iz škole. (slight emphasis on destination “home” by placing it earlier)
Iz škole idem kući. (fronts “from school,” emphasizing the starting point)
Kući idem iz škole. (strong focus on “home”)

Croatian word order is flexible; the last position often carries focus.

How do I ask “Are you going home from school?”

Neutral colloquial yes/no: Ideš iz škole kući? (rising intonation)
With the particle li (more neutral/formal): Ideš li iz škole kući?
Polite/plural: Idete li iz škole kući?

How do I say “I’m not going home from school”?

Put ne directly before the verb:

Ne idem iz škole kući. You can keep the same word-order variations; ne always comes right before the main verb: Ne idem kući iz škole, etc.

What other verbs could I use instead of ići here?

Vraćam se iz škole kući. = I’m returning home from school. (imperfective; ongoing or habitual)
Vratit ću se iz škole kući. = I’ll return home from school. (future perfective)
Dolazim kući iz škole. = I’m coming home from school. (focus on arrival)
Odlazim iz škole. = I’m leaving school. (focus on departure, not necessarily the destination)

Is there a common alternative to kući, like “doma”?

Yes. In Croatia, doma is a very common adverb meaning “home.”

Idem doma. = I’m going home. Both Idem kući and Idem doma are natural in Croatian. Don’t combine them together.

Any pronunciation or spelling tips for this sentence?

kući is spelled with ć (soft “ch”), not č.
š in škole is “sh” as in “shoe.”
In fast speech, many speakers devoice the z in iz before the voiceless š, so iz škole may sound close to “is škole.” Spelling stays iz škole.

How do you conjugate ići in the present?

ja idem
ti ideš
on/ona/ono ide
mi idemo
vi idete
oni/one/ona idu

Is there any nuance if I say Idem kući iz škole instead?

It’s fine and common. Slightly more attention falls on the destination (kući) by mentioning it earlier, but in everyday speech both orders are equally clear.

Which prepositions should I use with other places, like “work” or “the store”?

Common patterns in Croatian:

Enclosed places/institutions: iz
- genitive
  - iz trgovine (from the store)
  - iz kina (from the cinema)
  - iz grada (from town/city center)
  - iz škole (from school)
Events/activities or surfaces: s(a)
- genitive
  - s posla (from work)
  - s fakulteta / s predavanja (from faculty/lecture)
  - s plaže (from the beach)

Can I say Idem od škole kući?

Not to mean “I’m going home from school.” Od with places is used for distances or endpoints in the pair od… do…:

Od škole do kuće idem pješice. (From school to home I go on foot.) To express leaving the school building, use iz škole.