Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku.

Tonight we are sitting calmly in the park.

Breakdown of Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku.

• u: in
• večeras: tonight
• sjediti: to sit
• park: park
• mirno: calmly

Questions & Answers about Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku.

Why is the present tense sjedimo used when we are talking about večeras (tonight), which is in the future?

In Croatian, the present tense is very often used for near, planned future actions, especially when there is a time word like večeras, sutra (tomorrow), uskoro (soon), etc.

So Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku. can mean:

• Tonight we are sitting calmly in the park.
  in the sense of a plan/arrangement, similar to English we’re sitting / we’re going to sit.

You could also use a future tense (sjest ćemo, sjedat ćemo), but for a simple planned activity later the same day, the present is very natural and common.

Why is there no word for we in the sentence? Where is mi?

Croatian is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns (like ja, ti, mi) are usually omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• sjedimo = we sit / we are sitting (1st person plural)

So:

• Mi večeras mirno sjedimo u parku. – grammatically correct, but sounds emphatic (stressing we).
• Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku. – the usual, neutral way to say it.

You add mi only if you want to contrast or emphasize:

• Mi večeras mirno sjedimo u parku, a oni idu u kino.
  (We are calmly sitting in the park tonight, and they are going to the cinema.)

What is the literal meaning of večeras, and can I also say ove večeri?

večeras literally means this evening / tonight and is a single adverbial word.

You can say ove večeri (genitive of ova večer), but:

• večeras = the normal, everyday word for tonight / this evening
• ove večeri = sounds more formal, written, or stylistically marked

So in normal speech you would almost always say:

• Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku.
  and not:
• Ove večeri mirno sjedimo u parku.

What exactly does mirno mean here, and why is it before sjedimo?

mirno is an adverb meaning calmly, peacefully, or quietly, derived from the adjective miran (calm, peaceful).

It describes how we are sitting:

• sjedimo – we sit / we are sitting
• mirno sjedimo – we are sitting calmly / peacefully

Position:

• Adverbs of manner like mirno commonly come just before the verb in neutral word order.
• Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku. is perfectly natural.

Other possible orders (with slightly different emphasis):

• Večeras sjedimo mirno u parku. – a bit more emphasis on mirno as a contrast (not loudly, not nervously, etc.)
• Mirno večeras sjedimo u parku. – emphasizing mirno even more (stylistic, poetic, or contrastive).

How is sjedimo formed, and what is the dictionary form of this verb?

The dictionary (infinitive) form is sjediti = to sit.

Conjugation in the present tense (imperfective verb):

• ja sjedim – I sit / I am sitting
• ti sjediš – you sit / you are sitting (singular)
• on/ona/ono sjedi – he/she/it sits / is sitting
• mi sjedimo – we sit / we are sitting
• vi sjedite – you sit / you are sitting (plural/polite)
• oni/one/ona sjede – they sit / are sitting

So sjedimo is 1st person plural present: we (are) sit(ting).

In English we distinguish we sit vs we are sitting. Does sjedimo cover both meanings?

Yes. Croatian present tense usually covers both English:

• simple present (we sit) and
• present continuous (we are sitting)

Context decides how to translate it:

• Svakog dana sjedimo u parku. – We sit in the park every day.
• Sada sjedimo u parku. – We are sitting in the park now.
• Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku. – best as Tonight we are sitting calmly in the park. (a planned arrangement in the near future)

Why is it u parku and not u park or something else?

u requires different cases depending on meaning:

1. u + accusative – movement into something

   • Idemo u park. – We are going to the park (into it).

2. u + locative – location in something (no movement)

   • Sjedimo u parku. – We are sitting in the park.

In Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku., we are just located there, not moving there, so we use locative singular of park:

• nominative: park
• locative: u parku

So u parku means in the park / at the park as a place where the action happens.

Why is there no article like a or the before park?

Croatian has no articles (no direct equivalents of English a/an or the).

park (in u parku) can mean:

• in a park
• in the park

Context decides whether the listener understands it as specific or general. In most cases, English uses the park here, so the natural translation is:

• Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku. – Tonight we are sitting calmly in the park.

Could I say na parku instead of u parku? What is the difference between u and na?

For parks, the normal preposition is u (in):

• u parku – in the park

na means on or at and is used with certain nouns (e.g. na plaži – on the beach, na ulici – in the street).

You would usually not say na parku. It would sound wrong or at best very unusual. Always use:

• u parku for in the park.

Is this word order fixed, or can I say Mirno sjedimo večeras u parku or U parku večeras mirno sjedimo?

Croatian word order is relatively flexible. All of these can be grammatically correct:

• Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku. – neutral, focuses on when first
• Mirno sjedimo večeras u parku. – more emphasis on how (mirno) and that this is tonight
• U parku večeras mirno sjedimo. – draws attention to where first

Meaning stays essentially the same, but what you highlight or contrast changes. The given sentence is the most neutral and typical way to say it.

Can večeras appear at the end of the sentence, like Mirno sjedimo u parku večeras?

Yes, that is also possible:

• Mirno sjedimo u parku večeras.

Placing večeras at the end often gives it extra emphasis (you are adding when almost as an afterthought, or contrasting it with another time):

• Mirno sjedimo u parku večeras, a sutra putujemo.
  We’re sitting calmly in the park tonight, and tomorrow we’re travelling.

So:

• Večeras mirno sjedimo u parku. – neutral, time first
• Mirno sjedimo u parku večeras. – slightly stronger focus on tonight as the time you’re talking about.