Learn Hardcore Croatian: Mačka spava ispod stola. - The cat sleeps under the table.

ispod = under/below (focuses on being beneath; always takes genitive: ispod stola).
pod = under (more general; takes instrumental for location and accusative for motion):
- Location (static): pod stolom (The cat is under the table.)
- Motion (to under): pod stol (The cat goes under the table.)

In many everyday contexts, ispod and pod (static) are interchangeable physically; ispod is also used for figurative “below” (e.g., ispod 10 kuna).

How do I say “The cat is going under the table”?

With motion and pod (accusative): Mačka ide pod stol.
With ispod (still genitive, even with motion): Mačka ide ispod stola.

Why isn’t there a word for “is”? Why not Mačka je spava?

Croatian doesn’t form the present continuous with “to be” + participle. The simple present covers both “sleeps” and “is sleeping.”

Correct: Mačka spava. (means both “The cat sleeps” and “The cat is sleeping.”)
Incorrect: Mačka je spava.

What’s the infinitive of spava, and how do you conjugate it?

The infinitive is spavati (to sleep). Present tense:

ja spavam
ti spavaš
on/ona/ono spava
mi spavamo
vi spavate
oni/one/ona spavaju

What gender is mačka, and does the verb agree with it?

Mačka is feminine (ending in -a). It can mean “a female cat” or “cat” generically.
A specifically male cat is mačak.
In the present tense, verbs don’t show gender, so both are spava. In the past, they do:
- Mačka je spavala. (feminine)
- Mačak je spavao. (masculine)

Croatian has no articles. So how do I express “the cat” vs “a cat”?

Context usually handles definiteness:

Mačka spava… can mean “The cat…” or “A cat…” To be explicit:
“the/that cat”: ta mačka
“this cat”: ova mačka
“a/one cat” (emphatic, introducing): jedna mačka
“my cat”: moja mačka

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Word order is flexible for emphasis.

Neutral: Mačka spava ispod stola.
Emphasize place/new info first: Ispod stola spava mačka. (often sounds like “There’s a cat sleeping under the table.”)
Focus on the verb/state: Spava mačka ispod stola. Meaning stays, but focus shifts.

How do I negate it?

Place ne directly before the verb:

Mačka ne spava ispod stola. (The cat is not sleeping under the table.) For “never”: Mačka nikad ne spava ispod stola.

How do I make a yes–no question?

Use the particle li after the verb and invert:

Spava li mačka ispod stola? Colloquial alternative: Da li mačka spava ispod stola? You can also use rising intonation on the statement: Mačka spava ispod stola?

How do I talk about multiple cats or multiple tables?

Plural subject: Mačke spavaju ispod stola. (cats sleep under the table)
Multiple tables (genitive plural): Mačka spava ispod stolova.
Both plural: Mačke spavaju ispod stolova.

How would I add adjectives or a possessive?

Adjectives and possessives agree in gender, number, and case.

Moja crna mačka spava ispod starog stola.
- moja crna mačka (fem. nom. sg.)
- starog stola (masc. gen. sg. after ispod)

Any pronunciation tips for these words?

č in mačka = “ch” in “chocolate.”
Each vowel is clear and short: a like “father,” o like “not,” i like “machine.”
So: Mačka (MA-chka), spava (SPA-va), ispod (EE-spod), stola (STO-la).

How does ispod work with pronouns?

It still takes the genitive:

ispod njega (under him/it, masc.)
ispod nje (under her/it, fem.)
ispod njih (under them)

What’s the difference between spavati and zaspati?

spavati = to sleep (state, imperfective): Mačka spava ispod stola.
zaspati = to fall asleep (entry into the state, perfective): Mačka je zaspala ispod stola.

How would this change with a feminine object like “chair”?

Feminine nouns in -a typically take -e in the genitive singular:

stolica (chair) → genitive stolice
Mačka spava ispod stolice.