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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?