Learn Hardcore Croatian: Za vrijeme vožnje slušamo glazbu.

In za vrijeme vožnje, the word vožnje is in the genitive singular because the expression za vrijeme requires the genitive of the following noun phrase.

Declension of vožnja (singular):

Nominative: vožnja (the ride) – dictionary form
Genitive: vožnje (of the ride)
Dative: vožnji
Accusative: vožnju
Vocative: vožnjo
Locative: (o) vožnji
Instrumental: vožnjom

So za vrijeme + GENITIVE → za vrijeme vožnje.

What exactly does vožnja / vožnje refer to here? Is it only about driving a car?

Vožnja is a general noun for “a ride” or “driving / being driven.” It can refer to:

a car ride
a bus or train ride
a bike ride
even a ride in an amusement park

In context, za vrijeme vožnje usually means “while we’re in the vehicle / while we’re driving or being driven.” The vehicle type is understood from context, not from the word itself.

Could I say dok se vozimo instead of za vrijeme vožnje?

Yes.

Za vrijeme vožnje slušamo glazbu.
Dok se vozimo, slušamo glazbu.

Both mean roughly “While we are driving / during the ride, we listen to music.”

Differences in feel:

za vrijeme vožnje is a bit more noun‑based and neutral, slightly formal.
dok se vozimo is clause‑based, more everyday / conversational.

Grammatically:

dok = “while”
se vozimo = “we are driving / we are riding” (reflexive verb)

A very natural everyday sentence would be:

Dok se vozimo, slušamo glazbu.

Can I use other expressions instead of za vrijeme vožnje, like tijekom vožnje or u vožnji?

Yes, there are a few common alternatives:

Tijekom vožnje slušamo glazbu.
- tijekom
  - genitive also means “during”.
- Very close in meaning to za vrijeme vožnje.
U vožnji slušamo glazbu.
- u
  - locative (vožnji)
- Literally “in (the) ride”; also used with the meaning “while we are driving / during the ride”.

All three sound natural; za vrijeme vožnje and tijekom vožnje are closest in style and are slightly more neutral/formal than u vožnji.

Why is it glazbu and not glazba? What case is that?

The base form is glazba = “music” (feminine noun).

Here it is the direct object of the verb slušamo (“we listen to”), so it goes into the accusative singular:

Nominative: glazba (subject)
Accusative: glazbu (object)

So:

Što slušamo? – Glazbu.
“What do we listen to? – (We listen to) music.”

That’s why the sentence has slušamo glazbu.

What’s the difference between glazba and muzika? Can I use both?

Both glazba and muzika mean “music”.

Usage:

In standard Croatian, glazba is considered more standard and neutral.
muzika is understood by everyone but can sound more colloquial or is more typical in some other ex‑Yugoslav varieties (Serbian, Bosnian).

In everyday conversation in Croatia you will hear both, but if you want to stick to standard Croatian, prefer glazba.

Your sentence could also be:

Za vrijeme vožnje slušamo muziku. (understood, slightly less “textbook Croatian”)

What does slušamo mean exactly, and how is it conjugated?

Slušamo is 1st person plural present tense of the verb slušati (to listen).

Verb: slušati (imperfective) – “to listen (to)”

Present tense:

ja slušam – I listen / I am listening
ti slušaš – you listen (sg.)
on/ona/ono sluša – he/she/it listens
mi slušamo – we listen
vi slušate – you listen (pl./formal)
oni/one/ona slušaju – they listen

So slušamo = “we listen” or “we are listening.”

Does slušamo here mean a habitual action (“we usually do this”) or what we’re doing right now?

Croatian present tense can express both:

Ongoing action right now:
- “Right now, while we are driving, we are listening to music.”
Habit / general rule:
- “When we drive (in general), we (usually) listen to music.”

Which meaning is intended depends on context. The sentence Za vrijeme vožnje slušamo glazbu. can naturally be understood in either way unless the context makes it specific.

Can I change the word order, for example to Slušamo glazbu za vrijeme vožnje?

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English. These variants are all grammatically correct:

Za vrijeme vožnje slušamo glazbu. (neutral)
Slušamo glazbu za vrijeme vožnje.
Za vrijeme vožnje glazbu slušamo. (unusual in English, possible in Croatian; emphasizes glazbu)

In speech, the default / neutral version is very similar to your original:

Za vrijeme vožnje slušamo glazbu.
or
Slušamo glazbu za vrijeme vožnje.

Changes in word order mostly affect emphasis, not basic meaning.

Could I just say Za vožnje slušamo glazbu without vrijeme?

In modern, everyday Croatian, Za vožnje slušamo glazbu sounds unusual or old‑fashioned.

The standard and most natural options are:

Za vrijeme vožnje slušamo glazbu.
Tijekom vožnje slušamo glazbu.

So it’s better to keep vrijeme in this pattern (za vrijeme + GENITIVE).

How do I pronounce vožnje and glazbu?

Approximate pronunciation (Croatian is mostly phonetic):

vožnje → VO-žnje
- ž like s in measure or French j in je
- nj = a single sound like ñ in Spanish señor or Italian gn in gnocchi
- syllables: vo-žnje (often felt as two syllables)
glazbu → GLAZ-bu
- g always hard, like in go
- z like English zoo
- stress typically on the first syllable: GLAZ-bu

What’s the base (dictionary) form of vožnje and glazbu, and how would I say “the ride is long” and “music is loud”?

Base / dictionary forms:

vožnje → vožnja (ride / drive / trip)
glazbu → glazba (music)

Examples in the nominative (subject form):

Vožnja je duga. – “The ride is long.”
Glazba je glasna. – “The music is loud.”

In your original sentence, those nouns change case because they are not subjects:

vožnje → genitive (after za vrijeme)
glazbu → accusative (object of slušamo)