Learn Hardcore Croatian: Noću pas spava ispod stola. - At night the dog sleeps under the table.

Noću is an adverb of time made from the noun noć (night) + the adverbial ending -u. It answers “when?” and doesn’t need a preposition. It corresponds to “at night/by night.”

Can I say u noći or po noći instead of noću?

noću: the most natural, default way to say “at night” in general statements.
po noći: common in everyday speech; a bit colloquial/regional.
u noći: “in the night,” sounds specific/poetic; typically with a specifier (e.g., u noći s petka na subotu = on the night from Friday to Saturday). For habitual meaning, prefer noću.

Why is there no article before pas? How do I say “the dog” vs “a dog”?

Croatian has no articles. Pas can mean either “the dog” or “a dog,” depending on context. To be explicit, use:

taj pas = that/the dog (specific)
ovaj pas = this dog
jedan pas = a/one dog (introducing a new referent)

What does spava express—“sleeps” or “is sleeping”?

Both. Spava is present tense of the imperfective verb spavati. Croatian uses the simple present for habitual and ongoing actions. Noću makes it clearly habitual. To stress “right now,” add sada/trenutno: Sada pas spava ispod stola.

What’s the infinitive of spava, and is there a perfective partner?

Infinitive: spavati (to sleep), imperfective.
Useful perfectives:
- zaspati = to fall asleep
- odspavati = to get some sleep / sleep for a while
- prespavati = to sleep through (e.g., prespavati sat = sleep through a class)

How flexible is the word order? Could I say Pas spava noću ispod stola?

Yes. Croatian word order is flexible and driven by emphasis.

Neutral options include: Noću pas spava ispod stola., Pas noću spava ispod stola., Pas spava noću ispod stola.
Fronting an element (like Noću) highlights it.

Why is it ispod stola, not ispod stol or ispod stolu?

Because ispod (“under/below”) always takes the genitive case. Stol (table) in the genitive singular is stola.

What’s the difference between ispod and pod?

ispod
- genitive: emphasizes being below something (e.g., ispod stola).
pod:
- static location: pod
  - instrumental → pod stolom (under the table)
- movement to a position: pod
  - accusative → pod stol (go under the table) In many contexts, ispod stola and pod stolom both mean “under the table,” with ispod slightly stressing vertical “below.”

Can you show the key forms of stol so I see where stola comes from?

Singular forms you’ll most often need:

Nominative: stol (table)
Genitive: stola (of the table; used after ispod)
Dative/Locative: stolu
Accusative: stol
Instrumental: stolom (used after pod for location: pod stolom)

How do I say “under the tables” (plural)?

Use the genitive plural after ispod: ispod stolova. With pod for location, use instrumental plural: pod stolovima.

Does pas decline too? What are the common singular forms?

Yes:

Nominative: pas (subject)
Genitive/Accusative: psa
Dative/Locative: psu
Instrumental: psom In the sentence, pas is the subject, so nominative is used.

Can I drop the noun and just say Noću spava ispod stola?

Only if the subject is clear from context (e.g., you’re already talking about the dog). Croatian readily drops subject pronouns (on/ona), but dropping a noun like pas can be vague unless the referent is obvious.

How do I negate the sentence?

Place ne directly before the verb: Noću pas ne spava ispod stola. Word order can still vary for emphasis: Pas noću ne spava ispod stola.

How do I pronounce ć in noću? How is it different from č?

ć is a softer, palatal “ch” [tɕ] (like the “t”+“y” in “cute” blended).
č is a harder “ch” [tʃ], as in “chocolate.” So noću sounds roughly like “noh-choo” with a soft, palatal “ch.”

Is stol the same as sto?

In standard Croatian, stol is the usual word for “table.” Sto means “one hundred.” In other standards/varieties (e.g., Serbian), sto can mean “table,” and Croatians will understand it, but stol/stola is the Croatian form used here.