Learn Hardcore Croatian: Roditelji idu u ljekarnu svaki tjedan.

idu = 3rd person plural present of ići (they go).
Present conjugation of ići: idem, ideš, ide, idemo, idete, idu.
ići is imperfective, so it naturally expresses habitual actions like “every week.”

Why is it u ljekarnu and not u ljekarni?

Movement into a place uses u + accusative: u ljekarnu (to the pharmacy).
Location (being inside) uses u + locative: u ljekarni (in/at the pharmacy).
So: Idem u ljekarnu vs. Jesam u ljekarni / Nalazim se u ljekarni.

Why does ljekarna change to ljekarnu?

Ljekarna is a feminine noun in -a. In the singular accusative (used after motion with u), -a changes to -u: ljekarnu.
Similar patterns: škola → školu, pošta → poštu, kuća → kuću.

Why use u and not na here?

u is generally used for going into enclosed spaces/buildings: u ljekarnu, u školu, u kino.
na is often used for surfaces, events, and certain institutions: na tržnicu (to the market), na koncert, na fakultet.
For a pharmacy, standard Croatian uses u ljekarnu.

Is svaki tjedan the same as svakog tjedna?

Both mean “every week.”
svaki tjedan uses the accusative as an adverbial time expression.
svakog tjedna uses the genitive and is also common; some feel it’s a bit more formal. Both are correct in Croatian.

Why svaki, not svaku or svake?

tjedan (week) is masculine singular, so you use masculine svaki.
svaku is feminine accusative (e.g., svaku subotu = every Saturday).
svake could be feminine genitive or plural forms in other contexts; it doesn’t match tjedan here.

Can I move parts of the sentence around?

Yes. Croatian word order is flexible; changes mostly affect emphasis:

Roditelji idu u ljekarnu svaki tjedan (neutral).
Roditelji svaki tjedan idu u ljekarnu (slight emphasis on frequency).
Svaki tjedan roditelji idu u ljekarnu (stronger emphasis on “every week”).
U ljekarnu roditelji idu svaki tjedan (emphasis on destination; more marked style).

Why are there no articles like “the” or “a” in the sentence?

Croatian has no articles. Specificity is usually clear from context.
If you need to specify, you can use demonstratives: ti roditelji (those parents), ta ljekarna (that pharmacy), neka ljekarna (some pharmacy).

What’s the difference between ljekarna, apoteka, and drogerija?

ljekarna: standard Croatian for “pharmacy.”
apoteka: common in Serbian and Bosnian; understood in Croatia but not standard Croatian.
drogerija: a “drugstore”/“chemist” selling cosmetics and household items; typically not prescription meds.

What gender/number/case is roditelji, and why not roditelje?

roditelji = nominative plural (subject) of roditelj (parent).
roditelje = accusative plural (direct object). Since they are the subject, nominative roditelji is required.

Can I replace roditelji with a pronoun?

Yes: Oni idu u ljekarnu svaki tjedan. (They go to the pharmacy every week.)
Croatian often omits subject pronouns if context is clear; the verb ending shows the person/number.

How would I say “My parents go to the pharmacy every week”?

How do I say “They are at the pharmacy” vs. “They are going to the pharmacy”?

Any pronunciation tips for ljekarnu and tjedan?

lj in ljekarnu is a palatal sound, similar to the “lli” in English “million.”
je is like “ye” in “yes”: lje- ≈ “lye-.”
In tjedan, tj is pronounced with a slight “ty” glide: tje- ≈ “tye-.” Primary stress is typically on the first syllable: TJE-dan.

Is there any regional variation for “week” (like tjedan, sedmica, nedelja/nedjelja)?

tjedan is standard Croatian.
sedmica is common in Bosnian and also heard regionally.
nedelja/nedjelja means “Sunday” in Croatian; in Serbian, nedelja can mean “week,” which can confuse Croatian speakers. In Croatian, don’t use nedjelja for “week.”

How do I make the sentence negative?