Word
U banci se čeka u redu.
Meaning
At the bank one waits in a line.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about U banci se čeka u redu.
What does the particle se do in the sentence?
In U banci se čeka u redu, se forms an impersonal/reflexive-passive construction. It means “one waits/people wait/you wait” in a general, rule-like way. There is no explicit subject. So the sentence means “At the bank, you wait in line” (generally).
Can I drop se and just say U banci čeka u redu?
No. Without se, the verb needs a subject, so U banci čeka u redu is ungrammatical. You have two good options:
- Keep the impersonal: U banci se čeka (u redu).
- Use an explicit subject: Ljudi u banci čekaju u redu.
Why is it u banci and not u banku or u banka?
Because u takes:
- Locative for a static location: u banci = “in/at the bank”
- Accusative for motion into: u banku = “into the bank” There are no articles in Croatian, so context supplies “the/a.”
Why is it banci and not banki?
It’s a spelling/phonological change (palatalization): in the dative/locative singular, k + i often becomes c + i. So from banka (bank), you get u banci (in the bank), not “banki.”