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Breakdown of Roditelji idu u ljekarnu svaki tjedan.
ići
to go
u
to
svaki
every
tjedan
week
roditelj
parent
ljekarna
pharmacy
Questions & Answers about Roditelji idu u ljekarnu svaki tjedan.
What does the verb form idu correspond to, and how is ići conjugated?
- 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”?
- Moji roditelji idu u ljekarnu svaki tjedan.
- moji agrees with masculine plural roditelji.
How do I say “They are at the pharmacy” vs. “They are going to the pharmacy”?
- Location (at/in): Oni su u ljekarni. (locative)
- Movement (to): Oni idu u ljekarnu. (accusative with motion)
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?
- Roditelji ne idu u ljekarnu svaki tjedan.
- Place ne directly before the verb.
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