Learn Hardcore Croatian: Hodnik je sada prazan, jer su djeca u sobama ili u dnevnom boravku. - The hallway is empty now because the children are in the rooms or in the living room.

Hodnik je
- hodnik = corridor/hallway (singular, 3rd person)
- je = is (3rd person singular of biti “to be”)
Djeca su
- djeca = children (logically plural)
- su = are (3rd person plural of biti “to be”)

So:

Hodnik je sada prazan = The corridor is empty now.
Djeca su u sobama = The children are in the rooms.

Even though djeca is grammatically a special type of noun (see below), it still takes su (plural verb).

But isn’t djeca grammatically neuter singular (from dijete)? Why does it take su, the plural verb?

Historically, djeca is the plural of dijete (child). In modern usage:

dijete = child (neuter singular)
djeca = children (grammatical gender is neuter plural, but it behaves like a plural in every practical way)

With djeca you:

Use plural verbs:
- Djeca su u sobama. (The children are in the rooms.)
Usually use plural adjectives/pronouns referring to people:
- Mala djeca su vani. (Small children are outside.) – adjective mala is plural.

So: treat djeca as a normal plural “children” for agreement (use su, not je).

Why is there a comma before jer? Do you always put a comma before jer?

Yes, in standard Croatian you always put a comma before jer when it introduces a clause meaning “because”.

Hodnik je sada prazan, jer su djeca u sobama ili u dnevnom boravku.
= The corridor is empty now, because the children are in (their) rooms or in the living room.

Jer is a subordinating conjunction (“because”), and the rule is:

Main clause , jer
- reason clause

Examples:

Ne mogu doći, jer sam bolestan.
I can’t come because I’m ill.
On ne govori, jer je umoran.
He isn’t speaking because he is tired.

What is the difference between jer and zato što? Could I say … prazan, zato što su djeca…?

You can say:

Hodnik je sada prazan, zato što su djeca u sobama ili u dnevnom boravku.

Both jer and zato što mean because, but:

jer
- Very common, neutral.
- Shorter, often preferred in speech.
zato što
- Literally “because of that that…”
- Can feel a bit more emphatic or explanatory: “for the reason that…”
- Often used when answering a zašto (“why?”) question:
  - Zašto je hodnik prazan?
    Zato što su djeca u sobama.

In everyday use, they often overlap, and both are fine here.

Why is it prazan and not prazno or prazna?

Adjectives in Croatian agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

hodnik is masculine singular nominative
The adjective must match:
- prazan = masculine singular nominative
- prazna = feminine singular nominative
- prazno = neuter singular nominative

So:

Hodnik je prazan. (The corridor is empty.) – masculine
Soba je prazna. (The room is empty.) – feminine
Dvorište je prazno. (The yard is empty.) – neuter

What case is u sobama in, and why does it end with -ama?

U sobama is locative plural.

Preposition u (in) + location / no movement → locative case
soba (room) – nominative singular
u sobama – locative plural (“in the rooms”)

The ending -ama is one regular locative plural ending for feminine nouns like soba.

Comparison:

soba – room (nom. sg.)
u sobi – in the room (loc. sg.)
u sobama – in the rooms (loc. pl.)

Why is it u dnevnom boravku and not u dnevni boravak?

Again, it’s about case and movement vs. location:

u + locative = “in / inside” (static location)
u + accusative = “into” (movement into a place)

In the sentence:

u dnevnom boravku = in the living room (location → locative)

Forms:

dnevni boravak = the living room (nom. sg.)
u dnevnom boravku = in the living room (loc. sg.)

If there were movement into the living room, you’d use accusative:

Idem u dnevni boravak.
I am going into the living room. (accusative: dnevni boravak)

Why does boravak become boravku in u dnevnom boravku?

This is just the regular locative singular of a masculine noun ending in -ak.

Pattern:

boravak (stay, living area) – nominative singular
u boravku – in the living room / in the living area – locative singular

The consonant k stays k, and the ending -u is added for the masculine locative singular. The adjective also changes:

dnevni boravak (nom. sg.)
u dnevnom boravku (loc. sg.)
- dnevni → dnevnom (locative masculine singular adjective)
- boravak → boravku (locative masculine singular noun)

What’s the difference between dnevni boravak and dnevna soba? Are they both “living room”?

Both can be translated as living room, but there’s a nuance:

dnevni boravak
- Most common neutral term for “living room” in modern Croatian.
- Literally: “daily stay”.
- Used in real estate, everyday speech, floor plans, etc.
dnevna soba
- Also “living room”.
- Sounds slightly more old-fashioned or stylistically marked in some contexts, but it’s understood and used.

In your sentence, dnevni boravak is the natural choice. You could also say:

… u sobama ili u dnevnoj sobi.

That would be grammatically correct and easily understood.

Why do we say u sobama ili u dnevnom boravku and not repeat u twice in English (“in rooms or in the living room”)?

In Croatian you can:

Repeat the preposition:
- u sobama ili u dnevnom boravku
Or leave it out before the second noun if the structure is clear:
- u sobama ili dnevnom boravku (this is also possible)

In your sentence, u is only written once (before sobama) but understood for both parts:

u sobama [ili (u)] dnevnom boravku

English tends to repeat “in”:

in (their) rooms or in the living room

Croatian is more flexible: repeating u is clear and a bit more formal; omitting it in the second part is common in speech. The provided sentence repeats u explicitly in writing, which is perfectly fine and clear.

Can I move sada to another place, like Sada je hodnik prazan or Hodnik je prazan sada?

Yes. Croatian word order is flexible, and sada (now) can move without changing the core meaning:

Hodnik je sada prazan. (neutral)
Sada je hodnik prazan.
Hodnik je prazan sada.

Differences:

Hodnik je sada prazan.
Slight focus on the time (“now the corridor is empty”).
Sada je hodnik prazan.
Stronger emphasis on “now” as contrast (before it wasn’t empty, now it is).
Hodnik je prazan sada.
Can sound slightly more emphatic or stylistically marked; still correct.

All are grammatical; intonation and context will decide where the emphasis feels strongest.

Could the sentence start with Djeca su instead: Djeca su u sobama ili u dnevnom boravku, pa je hodnik sada prazan?

Yes, that would also be natural and correct. For example:

Djeca su u sobama ili u dnevnom boravku, pa je hodnik sada prazan.
The children are in the rooms or in the living room, so the corridor is empty now.

Notes:

Using pa (“so/and so”) changes the connection slightly:
- jer = “because” (explains the reason for the first clause)
- pa = “so/and therefore” (moves forward to the consequence)

Original:

Hodnik je sada prazan, jer su djeca u sobama ili u dnevnom boravku.
Focus on the corridor being empty, then explain why.

Alternative:

Djeca su u sobama… pa je hodnik sada prazan.
Focus on where the children are, then give the result.

What is the difference between hodnik and words like predsoblje or koridor?

All relate to spaces you pass through, but they’re used differently:

hodnik
- General word for hallway / corridor in homes, schools, offices.
- The most common, neutral term.
predsoblje
- Literally “pre-room” = entrance hall / vestibule.
- The first small area you enter from outside, where you take off shoes, coats, etc.
koridor
- Borrowed from international vocabulary (“corridor”).
- More technical/formal; used in architecture, on ships, in public buildings, etc.

In a house or flat, hodnik is usually the main word for the interior corridor connecting rooms, which fits your sentence.

How do you pronounce dj in djeca? Is it like English “j” in “judge”?

The sequence dj in djeca is pronounced as one sound, very close to the English “j” in “judge”:

djeca ≈ “jetsa” in English spelling (but shorter and cleaner)

Details:

IPA: roughly [d͡ʑɛtsa] in many accents.
It’s a palatalized d followed by a soft “j-like” sound, but learners can safely pronounce it like a soft “j” and be understood.

So:

djeca – children – say it like “jetsa”, not dee-yet-sa.