Naša jakna uvijek visi u hodniku.

Our jacket always hangs in the hallway.

Breakdown of Naša jakna uvijek visi u hodniku.

• u: in
• uvijek: always
• jakna: jacket
• naš: our
• hodnik: hallway
• visjeti: to hang

Questions & Answers about Naša jakna uvijek visi u hodniku.

Why is it naša jakna and not naš jakna?

In Croatian, possessive adjectives (naš, naša, naše, etc.) must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify.

• jakna is a feminine, singular noun in the nominative case.
• The feminine nominative form of naš is naša.

So you must say naša jakna, just like in English you say our jacket (not our jack).

Why is it jakna and not jaknu?

Jakna is the subject of the sentence, so it has to be in the nominative case.

• jakna = nominative singular (subject form)
• jaknu = accusative singular (used mostly for direct objects, e.g. Vidim jaknu – I see the jacket).

Because the jacket is the one doing the action (it hangs), we use jakna, not jaknu.

Why is there no word for “the” in this sentence?

Croatian has no articles (no direct equivalent of the, a, an).

• Naša jakna can mean our jacket or our the jacket in the sense of a specific jacket, depending on context.
• Definiteness (whether something is specific) is understood from context, possessives, demonstratives (like ova = this), and word order, not from an article.

So Naša jakna uvijek visi u hodniku naturally translates as Our jacket always hangs in the hallway, with the added in English because it sounds natural there.

What does visi mean exactly, and what form is it?

Visi is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb visjeti (to hang, be hanging).

• on/ona/ono visi = he/she/it hangs / is hanging
• The meaning is “is hanging” in the sense of being suspended, not “spending time” like English hang out.

So jakna visi is literally the jacket hangs / is hanging.

Why say visi and not just je u hodniku?

There is a meaning difference:

• Naša jakna uvijek je u hodniku = Our jacket is always in the hallway (just located there, somewhere).
• Naša jakna uvijek visi u hodniku = Our jacket is always hanging in the hallway (on a hook, hanger, etc.).

Visi adds a specific way of being there: not on a chair or on the floor, but suspended.

Can I change the word order, like Naša jakna visi uvijek u hodniku or U hodniku naša jakna uvijek visi?

Yes, both are grammatically correct, but the neutral, most natural order is:

• Naša jakna uvijek visi u hodniku.

Other options:

• Naša jakna visi uvijek u hodniku. – Slight emphasis on visi (the action of hanging).
• U hodniku naša jakna uvijek visi. – Emphasis on u hodniku (you’re talking about what is in the hallway).

Croatian word order is relatively flexible, but changing it usually changes focus or emphasis.

Why is it u hodniku and not u hodnik?

The preposition u can take either accusative or locative, depending on meaning:

• u + accusative = movement into something
  
  • Idem u hodnik. – I’m going into the hallway.
• u + locative = location inside something (no movement)
  
  • Naša jakna je u hodniku. – Our jacket is in the hallway.

In Naša jakna uvijek visi u hodniku, there is no movement, just location, so u hodniku (locative) is correct, not u hodnik.

What form is hodniku, and how is it formed from hodnik?

Hodnik is a masculine noun. Its locative singular form is hodniku.

• nominative singular: hodnik (the basic dictionary form)
• locative singular: hodniku (used after u, na, etc. when expressing location)

Pattern (simplified):

• hodnik (N)
• o hodniku, u hodniku (L)

So u hodniku literally means in the hallway (in the locative case).

Can I say na hodniku instead of u hodniku?

U hodniku and na hodniku are not the same:

• u hodniku = in the hallway, inside that space (default for this kind of location).
• na hodniku can sound like on the corridor (e.g. in school contexts, “out in the corridor”), and is less neutral; it may imply the open passage area rather than a room-like hallway.

For a normal home hallway, u hodniku is the standard and safest choice.

When do you use u and when na for places in Croatian?

There are tendencies (with many exceptions), for example:

• u (in): u hodniku (in the hallway), u sobi (in the room), u kući (in the house), u gradu (in the city).
• na (on/at): na stolu (on the table), na zidu (on the wall), na kolodvoru (at the station), na poslu (at work), na plaži (at the beach).

You mostly have to learn place names with their usual preposition, but for enclosed spaces u is very frequent.

How would the sentence look in the plural, if we mean several jackets?

For plural jackets, you need plural forms of both the noun and the verb:

• Naše jakne uvijek vise u hodniku.
  • naše = plural feminine possessive (for jakne)
  • jakne = nominative plural of jakna
  • vise = 3rd person plural of visjeti
  • u hodniku stays the same (still one hallway)

Meaning: Our jackets always hang in the hallway.

How do you say the opposite: “Our jacket never hangs in the hallway”?

You need nikad (never) and the negative verb form with ne:

• Naša jakna nikad ne visi u hodniku.

Points:

• nikad = never
• ne visi = does not hang

Word order can vary a bit (Nikad naša jakna ne visi u hodniku), but the neutral one is Naša jakna nikad ne visi u hodniku.

How do you pronounce naša jakna uvijek visi u hodniku?

Approximate pronunciation (English-style):

• naša → NA-sha (š like sh in she)
• jakna → YAK-na (j like English y, a like a in father)
• uvijek → OO-vy-ehk (u like oo in food, je like ye in yes)
• visi → VEE-see
• u → oo
• hodniku → HOD-nee-koo (h is pronounced, like in house)

Stress is usually toward the first syllable in each word here: NA‑ša JAK‑na U‑vijek VI‑si HO‑dniku.