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Questions & Answers about Djeca su unutra.
Does this mean “the children are inside” or just “children are inside”? There are no articles in Croatian, right?
Correct—Croatian has no articles. Djeca su unutra can mean either “the children are inside” or “children are inside,” depending on context. To be explicit:
- Ta djeca su unutra = Those/The children are inside.
- Neka djeca su unutra = Some children are inside.
- Sva djeca su unutra = All children are inside.
Why is it su and not je?
Su is the 3rd-person plural form of biti (to be). Djeca is plural, so you use su. For one child (dijete), you’d say Dijete je unutra.
What exactly is djeca? Why isn’t the plural something like “dijeti”?
It’s irregular. Singular is dijete (child), plural is djeca (children). Cases:
- Genitive: djece
- Dative/Locative: djeci
- Accusative: djecu
- Instrumental: djecom Grammatically, djeca behaves as neuter plural.
How does agreement work after djeca with adjectives and past participles?
Use neuter plural agreement:
- Djeca su mala/dobra. (The children are small/good.) Not mali/dobri.
- Past tense: Djeca su bila unutra. Not bili.
Can I change the word order, e.g., Unutra su djeca?
Yes. Both Djeca su unutra and Unutra su djeca are correct. The second version puts focus on “inside” (often contrasting with “outside”).
Why does su come after the first word? Could I say Su djeca unutra?
Short forms of biti (sam, si, je, smo, ste, su) are clitics and normally occupy the “second position” in the clause:
- Djeca su unutra.
- Unutra su djeca.
- Ta djeca su unutra. Starting a statement with Su is not standard.
How do I ask “Are the children inside?”
- Standard in Croatian: Jesu li djeca unutra?
- Rising intonation (informal): Djeca su unutra?
- With da li: Da li su djeca unutra? (common in Bosnian/Serbian; colloquial/marked in Croatian)
How do I negate it?
Use negative forms of biti:
- Djeca nisu unutra. (The children are not inside.)
- Past: Djeca nisu bila unutra.
What’s the difference between unutra, u, and unutar?
- Unutra: adverb “inside/indoors,” stands alone. Djeca su unutra.
- u + locative (location): Djeca su u kući/školi. (in the house/school)
- u + accusative (motion into): Djeca idu u kuću. (into the house)
- unutar + genitive: “within” (more formal): Djeca su unutar kuće (less common than u kući).
How do I say “The children went inside” vs “The children went into the house”?
- Went inside (general): Djeca su ušla unutra.
- Into a specific place: Djeca su ušla u kuću.
What’s the opposite of unutra?
- Adverb: vani (outside). Djeca su vani.
- Prepositional: izvan + genitive (outside of): Djeca su izvan kuće.
How do I refer back to djeca with “they”?
Use the neuter plural pronoun ona in standard Croatian: Ona su unutra. Agreement stays neuter plural: Ona su bila dobra. In casual speech some say oni, but standard with djeca is ona.
How can I make it more specific, like “Those kids are inside”?
- Ta djeca su unutra. (Those children are inside.)
- Colloquial “kids”: Klinci su unutra. (informal)
Can I omit su and just say Djeca unutra, like in some other Slavic languages?
Not in standard Croatian. You normally keep present-tense biti. You might see Djeca unutra on a sign or note, but full sentences use su.
Where do time words go relative to su?
Time adverbs can go early or later, but the clitic su still seeks second position:
- Danas su djeca unutra.
- Djeca su danas unutra.
How do I emphasize that they really are inside?
Use the stressed form jesu or an adverb:
- Djeca jesu unutra. (They are inside, indeed.)
- Djeca su doista/stvarno unutra.
How do you pronounce djeca and unutra?
- djeca ≈ “dyeh-tsa” (the dj before e/i is a soft “dy” sound).
- unutra ≈ “oo-noo-trah.”