Learn Hardcore Croatian: Njena priča o rijeci je kratka, ali on priča dužu priču. - Her story about the river is short, but he tells a longer story.

Yes. Both Njena and Njezina mean “her” and are standard in Croatian. Njezina is traditionally preferred in careful/standard Croatian; Njena is also common and acceptable. So Njezina/Njena priča… are both fine.

What case is rijeci after o, and why?

The preposition o (“about”) requires the locative case. Rijeci is the locative singular of rijeka (“river”): nominative rijeka, genitive rijeke, dative/locative rijeci. Hence o rijeci = “about the river.”

I see rijeci and riječi in Croatian. Which one is this, and what’s the difference?

Here it’s rijeci (with plain c), from rijeka (“river”). Riječi (with ć) is from riječ (“word”). So o rijeci = “about the river,” while o riječi = “about the word.”

Why is je placed after the long phrase Njena priča o rijeci?

Je is a clitic (short form of biti, “to be”) that tends to occupy second position in the clause—after the first stressed phrase. The first phrase here is Njena priča o rijeci, so je follows it: Njena priča o rijeci je kratka. Variants like Njena priča o rijeci kratka je are possible but less neutral. You cannot start a clause with je.

Is this je the verb “is” or the pronoun “her/them”?

It’s the verb je = “is” (3rd singular of biti). The clitic object pronoun je (“her/them”) isn’t used here.

Why does kratka end with -a?

It’s an adjective agreeing with the feminine singular noun priča in the nominative: kratak (masc) → kratka (fem). Predicate adjectives after je agree with the subject’s gender and number.

Why is it dužu priču? What are those endings?

Priču is the accusative singular of the feminine noun priča (“story”). The verb priča (“he/she tells”) takes a direct object in the accusative. The comparative adjective dužu agrees with priču: feminine accusative singular.

Should it be dužu or dulju?

Both are acceptable comparatives of dug (“long”):

dulji/dulja/dulje (traditional/standard preference)
duži/duža/duže (very common and also standard) So dužu priču and dulju priču are both fine.

Can I drop the repeated noun and say only “ali on priča dužu”?

Yes. If priča is understood from context, you can omit it: …ali on priča dužu. This is common in speech and informal writing.

Could I say “ali on priča duže” instead?

That changes the meaning. Duže is an adverb (“for a longer time”), so on priča duže means “he talks longer,” not “he tells a longer story.” To compare the story’s length, keep dužu/dulju priču.

Can I omit the pronoun on?

Often yes. Croatian frequently drops subject pronouns: …ali priča dužu priču is grammatical. Including on adds clarity and contrast with njena (“her”), emphasizing that it’s he (not she) who tells the longer story.

Why is priča both a noun and a verb here?

Croatian has:

Noun priča = “a story” (here: Njena priča)
Verb pričati = “to tell” (3rd singular present: on priča) They look the same in writing; context shows which is meant.

Could I use govoriti, reći/kazati, or ispričati instead of pričati?

pričati = to tell/narrate (ongoing/habitual).
ispričati (perfective) = to tell something to completion (once).
govoriti = to speak/talk (not specifically to tell a story).
reći/kazati = to say/tell a specific piece of information. For “tell a (longer) story,” use pričati (priču) or ispričati (priču).

Why is there a comma before ali?

Croatian uses a comma before ali (“but”) when it connects two clauses: …je kratka, ali on priča…

Can the word order be changed for emphasis?

Yes. Examples:

Njena priča o rijeci je kratka (neutral).
Njena priča o rijeci kratka je (marked/stylistic).
Ali dužu priču on priča (focus on “a longer story”). Keep clitics like je in appropriate second position within their clause.