Breakdown of Prije konferencije moramo napraviti prijavu na mrežu.
Questions & Answers about Prije konferencije moramo napraviti prijavu na mrežu.
Konferencije is in the genitive singular.
The preposition prije (before) always takes the genitive case:
- prije konferencije – before the conference
- prije sastanka – before the meeting
- prije ručka – before lunch
So you cannot say prije konferenciju; with prije you must use the genitive: prije + genitive.
Konferencije here is singular, meaning before the conference (one specific conference).
- Nominative singular: konferencija
- Genitive singular: konferencije
Konferencija is a feminine noun ending in -a, and in the genitive singular that -a changes to -e: konferencija → konferencije.
Konferencija in the plural genitive would be konferencija (same form as nominative plural), but that would mean before (some) conferences in general, which is not the meaning here.
Moramo means we must / we have to.
It is the 1st person plural, present tense of the verb morati (to have to, must).
Conjugation of morati (present, short overview):
- (ja) moram – I must
- (ti) moraš – you must (sg, informal)
- (on/ona/ono) mora – he/she/it must
- (mi) moramo – we must
- (vi) morate – you must (pl/formal)
- (oni/one/ona) moraju – they must
So moramo corresponds directly to English we must / we have to.
Croatian uses an infinitive after modal verbs like morati (must), htjeti (want), moći (can).
The pattern is:
[modal verb] + [infinitive]
Moramo napraviti – We must make / We have to make
So:
- moramo napraviti – we must make
- moramo otići – we must go
- moramo platiti – we must pay
There is no extra word like English to between them; napraviti already is the infinitive form.
Both are possible, but they sound slightly different and are used in different style contexts.
napraviti prijavu (na mrežu) – literally to make a registration (on the network).
- This is a light-verb construction: verb (napraviti) + noun (prijavu).
- Often sounds a bit more formal/administrative: filling in a form, registering for something.
prijaviti se (na mrežu) – literally to register oneself / to log on (to the network).
- This is a reflexive verb that directly means to sign up / log in.
- Common in everyday speech for logging into a system, Wi‑Fi, a website, etc.
In many real-life contexts of “logging onto a network,” prijaviti se na mrežu would actually sound more natural.
The original sentence with napraviti prijavu na mrežu might be used in written instructions, official texts, or where the “act of registration” is emphasized.
Napraviti is perfective. It focuses on completion of the action: to make (and finish making) something.
- napraviti prijavu – to complete the registration / to submit a registration
Raditi / praviti are imperfective verbs:
- raditi prijavu – to be doing/making the registration (process, not completion)
- praviti prijavu – similarly, to be making / preparing a registration
In this sentence, the goal is to have the registration done before the conference, so the perfective napraviti is appropriate.
Prijavu is the accusative singular of prijava (registration, application).
The structure is:
napraviti + (što?) prijavu – to make (what?) a registration
Napraviti takes a direct object in the accusative, answering the question što? (what?):
- nominative: prijava (dictionary form)
- accusative: prijavu
Since prijava is a feminine noun ending in -a, its accusative singular ends in -u: prijava → prijavu.
The preposition na can use either accusative or locative, depending on meaning:
- na + accusative → movement/direction: onto, to
- na + locative → location: on, at
Here we have na mrežu – accusative (feminine singular): it implies movement or entering the network (registering/connecting to it).
Compare:
- Prijavili smo se na mrežu. – We logged onto the network. (direction / result)
- Sada smo na mreži. – Now we are on the network. (location/state)
So na mrežu (accusative) is correct because the action is about getting onto the network, not just being on it.
Yes, Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and your example is correct:
- Prije konferencije moramo napraviti prijavu na mrežu.
- Moramo prije konferencije napraviti prijavu na mrežu.
Both are natural. The differences are mainly in emphasis and rhythm:
- Starting with Prije konferencije puts more emphasis on the time frame: Before the conference (specifically), we must…
- Starting with Moramo emphasizes the obligation first: We must, before the conference, make…
Other possible (still natural) orders:
- Prije konferencije moramo se prijaviti na mrežu. (if you use prijaviti se)
- Moramo napraviti prijavu na mrežu prije konferencije.
Both can often be translated as we have to / we need to, but there is a nuance:
- moramo – stronger sense of obligation/necessity, closer to must.
- trebamo – more like we need to / we should, often slightly softer.
So:
Prije konferencije moramo napraviti prijavu na mrežu.
– Before the conference, we must register on the network. (strong, maybe a rule)Prije konferencije trebamo napraviti prijavu na mrežu.
– Before the conference, we need to/should register on the network. (more like a recommendation or practical necessity)
Literally, mreža means network (any kind: computer network, fishing net, social network, etc.).
In context, prijava na mrežu can mean:
- logging onto a local network (e.g., company network)
- connecting to Wi‑Fi
- in some contexts, loosely, connecting to the internet
More specific terms:
- na internet – onto the internet
- na Wi‑Fi – onto Wi‑Fi
- u mrežu – into the network (also used, especially for technical networking contexts)
So the exact English translation depends on the context, but structurally mreža = network.
Yes, Prije konferencije moramo se prijaviti na mrežu is fully correct and natural, especially in everyday speech.
- moramo napraviti prijavu na mrežu – slightly more formal/administrative tone
- moramo se prijaviti na mrežu – more direct and common for users logging into Wi‑Fi, a system, or an app
Meaning-wise, in many practical situations they are almost equivalent. The choice is more about style than grammar.