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Breakdown of Moji roditelji vole kad je knjižnica blizu kuće.
biti
to be
kuća
house
moj
my
voljeti
to like
kad
when
blizu
near
roditelj
parent
knjižnica
library
Questions & Answers about Moji roditelji vole kad je knjižnica blizu kuće.
Is kad the same as kada? Can I use either here?
Yes. kad is the shortened, very common form of kada. They’re interchangeable in meaning; kad sounds a bit more colloquial. Example: Moji roditelji vole kad/kada je knjižnica blizu kuće.
Why is je placed right after kad?
Because je is a clitic (an unstressed short word) and Croatian clitics normally go in second position within their clause. The conjunction kad counts as the first element, so we get kad je knjižnica..., not kad knjižnica je....
Can I drop je and just say kad knjižnica blizu kuće?
No. Here je (the verb “to be”) is required: knjižnica je blizu is the predicate. Omitting je would be ungrammatical in standard Croatian.
Why is it Moji roditelji and not Moj roditelji?
Agreement. roditelji is masculine plural, so the possessive must be nominative masculine plural: moji. Singular would be moj roditelj or moja majka/moj otac.
Why roditelji (nominative plural) and not roditelja?
Because roditelji is the subject of the sentence, so it must be in the nominative. roditelja is genitive plural and would be used after certain prepositions, numbers, or in possessive contexts (e.g., knjiga mojih roditelja).
What case is kuće after blizu, and why?
Genitive singular. The preposition/adverb blizu governs the genitive when it takes an object: blizu kuće (“near the house”). Without an object, you can also say simply blizu (“nearby”).
Why not blizu kući?
kući is dative/locative. After blizu, you need genitive: kuće. Compare:
- blizu kuće = near the house (genitive)
- kod kuće = at home (fixed phrase with genitive after kod)
- u kući = in the house (locative)
Does blizu kuće mean “near their house”? Should I say blizu svoje kuće?
Context usually makes it clear, and blizu kuće can function like “near home.” If you want to make it explicit that it’s the subject’s own house, use the reflexive possessive: blizu svoje kuće.
- blizu svoje kuće = near their own house (subject’s house)
- blizu njihove kuće = near their house (could refer to some other “they” in context)
Could I use da instead of kad, like Vole da je knjižnica blizu kuće?
In standard Croatian, with this meaning you typically use kad/kada (“they like it when…”). Vole da je… is much more common in Serbian; in Croatian it can sound nonstandard or suggest a different nuance (“they prefer that…”).
Do I need a comma before kad here?
No comma is needed when the kad-clause follows the main clause: Moji roditelji vole kad je…. If you front the time clause, you do use a comma: Kad je knjižnica blizu kuće, moji roditelji to vole.
If I move the kad-clause to the front, is anything else needed?
It’s natural to add to (“that/it”) in the main clause:
Kad je knjižnica blizu kuće, moji roditelji to vole.
Without to, the main clause can feel incomplete.
What’s the difference between knjižnica, knjižara, and biblioteka?
- knjižnica = library (standard in Croatia)
- knjižara = bookstore (don’t confuse with library)
- biblioteka = also “library”; understood and used, but knjižnica is preferred in Croatia.
Croatian has no articles, so how do I know if it’s “a library” or “the library”?
Context. knjižnica can mean “a library” or “the library.” Here it’s naturally read as “the library” (the one near their home).
How would I say “whenever the library is close…”?
Use kad god: Moji roditelji vole kad god je knjižnica blizu kuće.
How do I talk about the future: “when the library will be close…”?
Use kad with the future auxiliary bude in the subordinate clause:
Moji roditelji će voljeti kad bude knjižnica blizu kuće.
Colloquial kad će biti is heard but is not standard in this kind of time clause.
Can I say knjižnica je bliska kući?
Not for physical proximity. blizak + dative is mainly for figurative closeness to people (e.g., blizak majci). For physical nearness use:
- knjižnica je blizu (kuće)
- knjižnica je u blizini kuće
- knjižnica je pokraj/pored/kraj kuće (right next to)
How do I say “closer to the house”?
Use the comparative:
- As an adverb: bliže kući (“closer to the house”)
- As an adjective with “to be”: knjižnica je bliža kući (“the library is closer to the house”)
Is there an alternative to vole like English “like” vs “find pleasant”?
Yes, sviđa se with a dative experiencer:
- Moji roditelji vole kad je…
- Mojim roditeljima se sviđa kad je… (literally “It is pleasing to my parents when…”).
Note the grammar: sviđa se- dative (Mojim roditeljima) + se.
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