Questions & Answers about Gdje je ključ od stana?
- Gdje = where
- je = is (3rd person singular of biti = to be; a clitic)
- ključ = key (nominative singular, the subject)
- od = of/from (preposition that takes the genitive)
- stana = of the apartment (genitive singular of stan = apartment)
So it literally reads: Where is key of apartment?
- ključ is in the nominative (it’s the subject of the sentence).
- stana is in the genitive because the preposition od governs the genitive and expresses possession/association (key of the apartment).
Yes. Both are correct:
- ključ od stana is extremely common in everyday speech.
- ključ stana (a bare genitive) is often considered more concise or stylistically “neater,” sometimes preferred in formal writing. Meaning is the same.
je is a clitic and follows the “second position” rule: it must come immediately after the first stressed word or phrase in the clause. In Gdje je ključ od stana?, the first unit is Gdje, so je comes next.
Gdje ključ je? sounds unnatural in standard Croatian because it puts the clitic in the wrong position.
- gdje = where (location/state). Example: Gdje je ključ? (Where is the key?)
- kamo = to where (destination). Example: Kamo si stavio ključ? (Where did you put the key?)
- kuda = which way/by which route. Example: Kuda si prošao s ključem? (Which way did you go with the key?)
- gdje: say it as a cluster, roughly “gd-yeh.” Many learners find “g-dyeh” a good approximation.
- ključ: roughly “klyooc,” with:
- lj as a single palatal sound (like the ‘lli’ in Italian “famiglia” or the ‘ll’ in some pronunciations of “million”).
- č like English “ch” in “church.”
Because od always takes the genitive. The genitive of stan (masculine) is stana.
Quick pattern for stan (singular):
- Nominative: stan
- Genitive: stana
- Dative/Locative: stanu
- Accusative: stan
- Instrumental: stanom
Use od for possession/belonging: ključ od stana (the apartment’s key).
za means “for” (purpose/intended use) and is common with tools or functions, e.g., ključ za vijke (a wrench/spanner for bolts). While you may hear ključ za vrata, ključ od vrata is the default for “the key to the door” in Croatian.
Use the plural:
- Gdje su ključevi od stana? = Where are the apartment keys?
Notes: ključevi (nominative plural), verb agrees: su (they are).
- I don’t have the apartment key: Nemam ključ od stana. (Object stays accusative in standard Croatian.)
- There is no apartment key: Nema ključa od stana. (Here genitive expresses non-existence/absence.)
Neutral is Gdje je ključ od stana?
For emphasis or style you might hear topicalizations like Ključ od stana — gdje je?, but clitics still follow the second-position rule in their clause. Don’t say Gdje od stana je ključ? in neutral speech; it’s odd.
Not exactly:
- stan = a regular apartment/flat (where someone lives long-term).
- apartman = often a holiday apartment or a more upscale term in ads/hospitality.
For your own place in a residential building, stan is the default.
It’s neutral/informal. To be polite, add a softener:
- Molim vas, gdje je ključ od stana? (Please, where is the apartment key?)
- Oprostite, znate li gdje je ključ od stana? (Excuse me, do you know where the apartment key is?)