Preko vikenda volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.

Over the weekend we like to spend time in the park.

Breakdown of Preko vikenda volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.

• u: in
• park: park
• voljeti: to like
• vrijeme: time
• vikend: weekend
• preko: during
• provoditi: to spend

Questions & Answers about Preko vikenda volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.

What does “preko vikenda” literally mean, and is it the same as “on/over the weekend” in English?

Literally, preko vikenda means something like “across the weekend” or “over the course of the weekend.”

• preko = over, across
• vikenda = of the weekend (genitive singular of vikend)

In everyday usage, preko vikenda is best translated as “over the weekend / during the weekend.”

It’s very close in meaning to English “on/over the weekend”, and in most contexts you can treat it as equivalent.

Why is it “vikenda” and not “vikend” after “preko”?

Because preko requires the genitive case.

• Nominative (dictionary form): vikend
• Genitive singular: vikenda

In Croatian, many prepositions govern specific cases. preko is one of those that take the genitive, so the word changes form:

• preko vikenda – over the weekend
• preko ljeta – over the summer
• preko noći – overnight (literally over the night)

Could you also say “vikendom volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku”? What’s the difference?

Yes, that sentence is also correct:

• Preko vikenda volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.
• Vikendom volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.

Both mean roughly “On/over the weekend we like to spend time in the park.”

Nuance:

• vikendom (instrumental singular used adverbially) is more like “on weekends / at weekends” in general, as a habitual action.
• preko vikenda can also describe a habitual action, but it can more easily be understood as this or that weekend or over the course of a weekend. In practice, though, they often overlap and both sound natural for a general habit.

What case is “vrijeme” in, and why?

vrijeme is in the accusative singular.

Reason: It’s the direct object of the verb provoditi (to spend).

• provoditi (što?) – to spend (what?)
  → vrijeme (time)

Neuter nouns in the singular often have the same form in nominative and accusative, so vrijeme looks the same in both, but its role in the sentence shows it’s accusative here.

Why do you need “vrijeme”? Could you say just “volimo provoditi u parku”?

You normally cannot drop vrijeme here. The verb provoditi in this sense means “to spend (time)”, so it almost always needs an object:

• provoditi vrijeme u parku – to spend time in the park

If you say just “volimo provoditi u parku”, it sounds incomplete or wrong, as if something is missing (spend what?).

You could use different verbs without vrijeme, e.g.:

• Volimo biti u parku. – We like being in the park.
• Volimo šetati u parku. – We like walking in the park.

But with provoditi, you normally say provoditi vrijeme.

What’s the difference between “provoditi” and “provesti”?

They are aspect pairs of the same basic verb “to spend (time)”:

• provoditi – imperfective

  • Focuses on the ongoing / repeated nature of the action
  • Used for habits, general statements, “we like to spend time…”
  • Example: Preko vikenda volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.

• provesti – perfective

  • Focuses on the completed, one-time event
  • Often used in past or with intent to complete something
  • Example: Proveli smo vikend u parku. – We spent the weekend in the park.

In the given sentence about what you like doing in general, the imperfective (provoditi) is the natural choice.

Why is it “volimo provoditi” and not something like “sviđamo provoditi” to mean “we like spending time”?

Croatian uses voljeti + infinitive to express liking to do something:

• voljeti (što raditi) – to like / love doing (something)

So:

• Volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.
  = We like to spend time in the park.

The verb sviđati se is used differently:

• Nešto se (nekome) sviđa. – Something is pleasing to someone; someone likes something.
  • Sviđa mi se ovaj park. – I like this park. (literally: This park is pleasing to me.)

Notice:

• With voljeti, the person is the subject: Mi volimo (We like).
• With sviđati se, the thing is the subject, and the person is in the dative: Park mi se sviđa.

Can I change the word order, for example: “Volimo preko vikenda provoditi vrijeme u parku”?

Yes. Croatian word order is relatively flexible because meaning is shown by case endings, not position. All of these are grammatically correct and natural, with only small differences in emphasis:

• Preko vikenda volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.
  (Neutral; sets the time frame first.)
• Volimo preko vikenda provoditi vrijeme u parku.
  (Slightly more emphasis on the fact that it’s weekends when we like it.)
• U parku volimo preko vikenda provoditi vrijeme.
  (Brings u parku to the front; emphasizing the location.)

For a beginner, the original sentence order is a very good model to follow.

Why is it “u parku” and not “u park”?

Because u in the sense “in a place” requires the locative case.

• Nominative: park
• Locative singular: parku

So:

• u parku – in the park (locative)
• Idemo u park. – We are going to the park. (here u takes the accusative park, because it expresses motion into a place)

Summary:

• u + locative → location (where?)
  u parku – in the park
• u + accusative → direction (where to?)
  u park – to the park

What does “preko” mean in other contexts? Is it always about time?

preko is a versatile preposition. It often means:

1. Over / across (spatial)

   • preko mosta – over the bridge
   • preko rijeke – across the river

2. Over / via (means, medium)

   • preko interneta – over the Internet / online
   • preko telefona – over the phone

3. Over / during (time)

   • preko vikenda – over the weekend
   • preko noći – overnight

So no, it’s not only about time; it can be spatial, temporal, or about the means of doing something.

Is “preko vikenda” the only way to say “on/over the weekend” in Croatian?

No, there are several common options, with very similar meanings:

• preko vikenda – over the weekend
• za vikend – on/at the weekend
• tijekom vikenda – during the weekend (a bit more formal)
• vikendom – on weekends (habitually)

Examples:

• Za vikend volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.
• Tijekom vikenda često šetamo.
• Vikendom volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku.

All of these sound natural; the choice often depends on style and small nuance rather than strict meaning.

How is the word “provoditi” pronounced, and where is the stress?

Approximate pronunciation (in IPA): [prɔˈvɔditi]

• pro-VO-di-ti (stress on the VO)
• Each vowel is clearly pronounced: pro-vo-di-ti (four syllables)
• r is tapped/flapped (a quick single r sound), not like English “r”.

So, syllable by syllable:

• pro – like “pro” in “problem,” but with a shorter o
• vo – like “vo” in “volleyball”
• di – like “dee”
• ti – like “tee”

Can “volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku” also mean we “love” spending time there, not just “like”?

Yes. voljeti covers both “to like” and “to love.” The strength of the feeling is usually understood from context or extra words.

• volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku
  → We like / love spending time in the park.
• jako volimo provoditi vrijeme u parku
  → We really love spending time in the park.
• obožavamo provoditi vrijeme u parku
  → We adore / absolutely love spending time in the park.

So volimo is flexible; without context, you can safely translate it as “like” in most learner situations.