Breakdown of Plan je da večeras učimo hrvatski.
biti
to be
hrvatski
Croatian
večeras
tonight
učiti
to study
da
that
plan
plan
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Questions & Answers about Plan je da večeras učimo hrvatski.
What does the word je do here?
It’s the 3rd-person singular of the verb biti (to be), acting as a copula: Plan je… = “The plan is…”. As a clitic, je typically sits in second position. You can also use the emphatic full form jest in formal style: Plan jest da…
Why is da used?
da introduces a content clause, roughly equivalent to English “that”: Plan je da … = “The plan is that …”. It’s the standard way to state plans, wishes, intentions, and reported content.
Why is the verb after da in the present (učimo) if it refers to tonight?
In Croatian, the present in a da-clause commonly refers to the future when a time word clarifies it (here večeras). So da … učimo with večeras naturally means a plan for tonight.
Can I say Plan je da ćemo večeras učiti hrvatski?
It’s possible, but most speakers avoid it here because da + present already conveys future time. More natural:
- Plan je da večeras učimo hrvatski.
- Or use a main-clause future: Večeras ćemo učiti hrvatski. / Učit ćemo večeras hrvatski.
Could I use an infinitive instead of the da-clause?
Yes: Plan je večeras učiti hrvatski. Many speakers prefer the da-clause in everyday speech; the infinitive can feel a bit more formal or “plan-like,” but both are fine.
Why is hrvatski not capitalized?
Language names are written in lowercase in Croatian (unless at the start of a sentence): hrvatski, engleski, španjolski, etc.
What case is hrvatski, and why doesn’t it change form?
It’s the direct object in the accusative. For inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative equals the nominative, so hrvatski looks unchanged.
Can I say hrvatski jezik instead of just hrvatski?
Yes. učimo hrvatski and učimo hrvatski jezik both work. The shorter hrvatski is very common in speech.
Where can I put večeras?
It’s flexible:
- Neutral: Plan je da večeras učimo hrvatski.
- End-focus on time: Plan je da učimo hrvatski večeras.
- Fronted time: Večeras je plan da učimo hrvatski. All are acceptable; word order subtly affects focus/emphasis.
What’s the difference between večeras and noćas?
- večeras = this evening/tonight (evening hours)
- noćas = tonight during the night (late night/after midnight)
Does učimo mean “we teach” or “we learn”?
učiti can mean both, but with a language as the object it normally means “to learn/study.” To say “teach (a subject),” use predavati (e.g., Predajemo hrvatski) or učiti nekoga (nečemu) (“to teach someone (something)”).
Can I drop je and say Plan da…?
Not in standard Croatian. Keep the copula: Plan je da… (Colloquial dropping of je is best avoided, especially in writing.)
How do I negate this?
Two common options:
- Negate the activity: Plan je da večeras ne učimo hrvatski.
- Negate the plan: Plan nije da večeras učimo hrvatski.
Do I need a comma before da?
No. Write: Plan je da večeras učimo hrvatski. The da-clause is a complement, so no comma is used.
Croatian has no articles—so how do I specify whose plan it is?
Add a determiner:
- Possessive: Naš je plan da… / Plan nam je da… (“our plan”)
- Demonstrative: Taj je plan da… (“that plan is that…”) Context usually supplies “the/a.”
Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- č (in učimo, večeras) = “ch” in “church.”
- c (in hrvatski) = “ts.”
- Trilled/tapped r in hrvatski; syllables: hr-va-tski.
- je sounds like “ye.”