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Questions & Answers about Vježba je danas u učionici.
What does vježba usually mean here—exercise, practice, or a class?
It depends on context:
- Academic: vježba/vježbe often means a practical class, tutorial, or lab session (as opposed to a lecture, predavanje).
- Physical exercise: vježba = an exercise; vježbati = to exercise/practice.
- Sports team practice is more often called trening rather than vježba.
How do I pronounce the tricky parts (like vjež-, ž, č, and c)?
- v like English v, j like y in yes, so vj ≈ “vy”.
- ž like s in “measure”.
- č like ch in “chop”.
- c like ts in “cats”.
- je is pronounced “ye”.
- Rough guide: Vježba ≈ “VYEHZ-bah”; učionici ≈ “oo-chee-OH-nee-tsee”.
Why is it učionici and not učionica?
Because of case. With the preposition u meaning “in/at” (location), Croatian uses the locative:
- Place where: u
- locative → u učionici (in the classroom)
- Motion into: u
- accusative → u učionicu (into the classroom) Here, učionica (classroom) becomes locative singular učionici after u.
What is je, and why is it in that position?
- je = 3rd person singular of biti (to be), i.e., “is”.
- It’s a clitic and usually sits in second position in the clause: Vježba je…, Danas je vježba…, U učionici je vježba….
- Formal/emphatic jest exists but is rare. The negative is nije (“is not”).
Can I change the word order?
Yes. Common, natural variants (with slightly different emphasis) include:
- Danas je vježba u učionici. (focus on “today”)
- Vježba je u učionici danas. (focus on location)
- U učionici je danas vježba. (focus on location, new info at end) Just keep the clitic je in second position.
Why is there no word for “the”?
Croatian has no articles. Definiteness is inferred from context or shown with demonstratives:
- ova vježba = this exercise/class
- ta vježba = that exercise/class
What gender and number is vježba, and how does that affect the verb?
- vježba is feminine singular.
- The verb je doesn’t change for gender, only for number:
- Singular: je (Vježba je…)
- Plural: su (Vježbe su… → “The practicals are…”)
Why u and not na? When do I use each?
- u = “in/inside” enclosed spaces: u učionici, u školi.
- na = “on/at” open areas, surfaces, or set venues/events: na fakultetu (at the faculty), na satu (in class/lesson), na stadionu (at the stadium). For a physical classroom (a room), use u učionici.
Is razred the same as učionica?
Not quite:
- učionica = the physical classroom (the room).
- razred = a class/grade (the group of students, or “class” as a level/year). u razredu often means “in class (during class)”, not “in the classroom” as a room.
How do I turn this into a question or a negative?
- Yes/no question: Je li vježba danas u učionici? (Colloquial: Da li je…)
- Wh-question: Gdje je vježba danas? (Where is the practice today?)
- Negative: Vježba danas nije u učionici.
How do I specify a room number or name?
- Numbers: u učionici 12 or u učionici broj 12.
- Labels/codes: u učionici A-101. For large lecture halls, you’ll often see u dvorani A-101.
Is it okay to drop je in notices?
In headlines or brief announcements, you may see an ellipsis style like Vježba danas u učionici. In full sentences (speech or formal writing), keep je.