Learn Hardcore Croatian: U susjednoj ulici je malo slavlje, i cijela ulica miriše na kolače. - In the neighboring street there is a small celebration, and the whole street smells like cakes.

u ulici = in the street
na ulici can sometimes be heard, but it more often means out on the street in a general sense (e.g. outdoors, in the public space).

Here, the idea is a specific neighbouring street as a place, so u susjednoj ulici (in the neighbouring street) is the standard and most natural choice.

What case is susjednoj ulici, and why that form?

Susjednoj ulici is in the locative singular.

Nominative: susjedna ulica (neighbouring street)
Locative: u susjednoj ulici = in the neighbouring street

The preposition u takes the locative when it expresses static location (where something is). Since the celebration is located there, we use u + locative.

The adjective susjednoj and the noun ulici both show feminine singular locative endings -oj / -i, agreeing in gender, number, and case.

Why is the verb je placed after u susjednoj ulici instead of immediately after the subject?

Croatian word order is more flexible than English. The usual neutral order for “There is a small celebration in the neighbouring street” would be:

U susjednoj ulici je malo slavlje.

This order:

Puts u susjednoj ulici first, emphasizing location.
Keeps je (is) in second position, which is very typical for clitics (short unstressed forms like je, se, ga, mi etc.) in Croatian.

You could say Malo slavlje je u susjednoj ulici, but that puts more focus on malo slavlje (the existence/identity of the celebration), not on where it is. Both are grammatically correct; the choice affects emphasis.

Why is it malo slavlje and not mala slavlje?

The noun slavlje is neuter in Croatian.

The adjective mali (small) has gender forms:

Masculine: mali
Feminine: mala
Neuter: malo

Since slavlje is neuter, the adjective must agree:

malo slavlje = a small celebration

Mala slavlje would be wrong because mala is the feminine form.

What exactly is slavlje, and is there a difference from proslava or zabava?

All three can be translated as some kind of celebration/party, but they differ slightly:

slavlje – celebration in general (birthday, victory, holiday), often with a bit of a festive or solemn feel.
proslava – more like commemoration, official celebration, often used for events like proslava godišnjice (anniversary celebration), proslava praznika (holiday celebration).
zabava – more like a party, focusing on fun and entertainment (music, dancing, etc.).

In this sentence, malo slavlje suggests just a small, probably informal celebration, without specifying whether it’s official or just for fun.

Could je be left out and just say U susjednoj ulici malo slavlje?

No; in this kind of sentence you need the verb biti (to be), here as je.

U susjednoj ulici je malo slavlje. ✅
U susjednoj ulici malo slavlje. ❌ (sounds incomplete/incorrect)

Unlike some Slavic languages that often drop “to be” in the present tense, standard Croatian keeps it in such sentences. You can omit je in some set phrases or headlines, but not in normal neutral speech like this.

Why is there a comma before i in ..., i cijela ulica miriše na kolače?

Croatian can use a comma before i (and) when it connects two independent clauses, each with its own subject and verb:

Clause 1: U susjednoj ulici je malo slavlje
Clause 2: cijela ulica miriše na kolače

Because both parts are full sentences, putting a comma before i is acceptable and quite common in Croatian. It’s not mandatory in all styles, but it’s not considered wrong here.

Why is cijela ulica in the nominative?

In the second part, cijela ulica miriše na kolače, the subject of the verb miriše is cijela ulica (the whole street). Subjects are in the nominative case, so:

Nominative: cijela ulica (the whole street)
Verb: miriše (smells)

So the structure is: [Subject in nominative] + [verb] + [rest of the sentence].

What does miriše na mean exactly, and is na always used with mirišati?

The verb mirisati (here form miriše) can be used:

Intransitively – to say something smells (usually nicely):
- Cvijeće miriše. – The flowers smell (good).
With na
- accusative
– to say smells like/of something:
- Miriše na kolače. – It smells like cakes.
- Miriše na kavu. – It smells like coffee.

So mirisati na + accusative is the standard pattern for “to smell like/of X”.

Why is it na kolače and not na kolači or kolači?

Kolači is the nominative plural of kolač (cake, pastry):

Nominative plural: kolači (as a subject)
Accusative plural: kolače (as a direct object)

After na with the meaning “like, of” (in mirišati na), Croatian uses the accusative:

miriše na kolače – smells like cakes (accusative plural)

So na kolače is na + accusative plural, which is grammatically required here.

Is there a difference between miriše na kolače and miriše po kolačima?

Both can appear, but:

miriše na kolače – the most common, neutral way to say “it smells like cakes”.
miriše po kolačima – sounds more colloquial or regional; can have a nuance of “it smells of cakes, smells from cakes”.

In standard, neutral Croatian, miriše na + accusative is what you should learn first and use in most cases.

What does cijela mean, and how does it agree with ulica?

Cijeli means whole / entire.

It has gender forms:

Masculine: cijeli
Feminine: cijela
Neuter: cijelo

Since ulica is feminine, we use the feminine form:

cijela ulica – the whole street

So cijela agrees with ulica in gender (feminine), number (singular), and case (nominative).

What cases appear in this sentence overall?

You see three different cases:

Locative – u susjednoj ulici (in the neighbouring street)
- Used with u to express location.
Nominative – malo slavlje, cijela ulica
- Subjects or predicate nouns:
  - Subject clause 1: malo slavlje
  - Subject clause 2: cijela ulica
Accusative – na kolače (like cakes)
- Used after na in the expression mirisati na + accusative.

This single sentence is a nice compact example of u + locative, subject in nominative, and na + accusative.

Could the sentence be rephrased as U susjednoj ulici je jedno malo slavlje? What changes?

Yes, you can say:

U susjednoj ulici je jedno malo slavlje.

Jedno is the neuter form of “one”, and here it works like “a” / “one” small celebration. The difference:

malo slavlje – a small celebration (no focus on number, just describes it).
jedno malo slavlje – one small celebration, a bit more specific, highlighting that there is one particular small celebration there.

Both are correct and natural; the original is just a little more neutral and less specific about number.