Learn Hardcore Croatian: U kazalištu gledamo novu predstavu, a glumac govori polako. - At the theatre we are watching a new play, and the actor speaks slowly.

In the sentence, we have u kazalištu – u means in, and when u expresses location (being in/at a place, not movement into it), it requires the locative case.

Nominative: kazalište – a theatre
Locative singular: kazalištu – in the theatre

So u kazalištu literally means in (the) theatre.
If you talked about going into the theatre (movement), you’d use the accusative: u kazalište = into the theatre.

Why is there no word for we in gledamo?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns (like I, you, we) because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

gledam – I watch
gledaš – you (sg) watch
gleda – he/she/it watches
gledamo – we watch
gledate – you (pl/formal) watch
gledaju – they watch

So gledamo on its own means we are watching / we watch, and adding mi (mi gledamo) is optional and used only for emphasis or clarity.

What is the difference between gledamo and gledati?

Gledati is the infinitive form: to watch, to look at.

Gledamo is the present tense, 1st person plural: we watch / we are watching.

You use:

gledati after some verbs or as a dictionary form: Volimo gledati predstave. – We like to watch plays.
gledamo when it is the main verb of the sentence: Sada gledamo novu predstavu. – We are watching a new play now.

Why is it novu predstavu and not nova predstava?

Predstava (play, performance) is a feminine noun.

In gledamo novu predstavu, novu predstavu is the direct object of the verb gledamo, so it must be in the accusative case (feminine singular).

Nominative (subject):
- nova predstava – a new play (as subject)
- Nova predstava počinje. – The new play is starting.
Accusative (object):
- novu predstavu – (a/the) new play as object
- Gledamo novu predstavu. – We are watching a new play.

Both adjective and noun change:

nova → novu
predstava → predstavu

They must agree in gender, number and case.

What exactly does a mean here, and how is it different from i or ali?

In ..., a glumac govori polako, the a is a conjunction.

i = and (simply adding, with no contrast)
- Gledamo predstavu i jedemo kokice. – We’re watching the play and eating popcorn.
ali = but (strong contrast/opposition)
- Gledamo predstavu, ali ne čujemo dobro. – We’re watching the play, but we can’t hear well.
a = somewhere between and and but. It often:
- introduces a mild contrast, or
- just links two related, parallel pieces of information.

Here it’s like saying:
We’re watching a new play in the theatre, and meanwhile / and in contrast, the actor is speaking slowly.

So a often suggests a new angle, another side, or a gentle contrast, rather than a strong opposition.

Why is glumac used, and what form is it in?

Glumac means actor (male). Its nominative singular form is glumac.

In the sentence a glumac govori polako, glumac is the subject of the second clause:

Subject: glumac – the actor
Verb: govori – speaks / is speaking
Adverb: polako – slowly

This is nominative case, because it answers who is speaking? → glumac.

Note that glumac govori (singular) matches in number: one actor, one speaking person.

Plural would be:

glumci govore polako. – The actors speak slowly.

Where is the or a in this sentence? How do you know if it’s definite or indefinite?

Croatian has no articles like a / an / the.

So:

kazalište can mean a theatre or the theatre, depending on context.
predstava can be a play or the play.
glumac can be an actor or the actor.

The sentence U kazalištu gledamo novu predstavu, a glumac govori polako could be translated in different natural ways:

In the theatre, we’re watching a new play, and the actor is speaking slowly.
In a theatre, we’re watching a new play, and an actor is speaking slowly.

Context (what has been mentioned before, what is obvious in the situation) tells you which English article fits best.

Can I change the word order, for example: Gledamo novu predstavu u kazalištu or Glumac polako govori?

Yes. Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and changes in order usually change emphasis, not basic meaning.

Some natural alternatives:

Gledamo novu predstavu u kazalištu.
Almost the same meaning; neutral emphasis.
U kazalištu novu predstavu gledamo.
Emphasizes in the theatre and the new play.
Glumac polako govori.
Slight emphasis on glumac (the actor).
Polako glumac govori.
Stronger emphasis on polako (slowly).

The original:

U kazalištu gledamo novu predstavu, a glumac govori polako.
Slightly foregrounds the setting (in the theatre) before telling what’s happening.

What does polako mean exactly, and is it an adjective or an adverb?

Polako here is an adverb meaning slowly.

It comes from the adjective polak (rare / dialectal; standard adjective is usually spor = slow), but in actual use:

spor – slow (adjective): spor glumac – a slow actor
sporo govori – he speaks slowly
polako govori – also he speaks slowly, often with a nuance of calmly, gently, not rushed.

So polako modifies the verb govori and answers how does he speak? → slowly / calmly.

Word order:

glumac govori polako
glumac polako govori
polako govori glumac

All are possible; the difference is just in emphasis.

What is the difference between u kazalištu and u kazalište?

Both use u (in / into), but the case and the meaning differ:

u kazalištu – locative case, static location
- Gdje smo? – U kazalištu. – Where are we? – In the theatre.
- U kazalištu gledamo novu predstavu. – In the theatre, we’re watching a new play.
u kazalište – accusative case, movement into
- Idemo u kazalište. – We are going to the theatre / into the theatre.

So:

u + locative → in / at (no movement)
u + accusative → into / to (with movement toward/into a place)

Does gledamo mean we watch (habitually) or we are watching (right now)?

Croatian present tense can cover both meanings; there is no separate present continuous tense like in English.

Gledamo novu predstavu can mean:

We’re watching a new play (right now).
We (generally) watch a new play (e.g. every Friday).

Context (time expressions, the situation) clarifies which reading is intended.
If you want to make it clearly “right now”, you can add something like sada or trenutno:

Sada gledamo novu predstavu. – We are watching a new play now.

How do you pronounce words like kazalištu, glumac, and govori?

Some key pronunciation points:

kazalištu: ka-za-li-štu
- ž / š / č / ć are always one sound each; š is like English sh in ship.
- Stress is usually on the first syllable: KA-za-li-štu (exact accent can vary by dialect).
glumac: glu-mac
- c is pronounced like ts in cats → GLU-mats.
govori: go-vo-ri
- Each vowel is clearly pronounced; there are no silent letters.
- g is always hard, like g in go.

General rules that help:

Every letter is pronounced.
Stress is typically on one of the first two syllables.
č and ć are both “ch”-type sounds (with a difference that learners can mostly ignore at first), š is “sh”, c is “ts”.