Djeca idu spavati kasno kad je školski praznik.

to be

Breakdown of Djeca idu spavati kasno kad je školski praznik.

• ići: to go
• kasno: late
• kad: when

Questions & Answers about Djeca idu spavati kasno kad je školski praznik.

Why is it “Djeca idu spavati” and not something like “Djeca idu na spavanje” or “Djeca idu da spavaju”?

In Croatian, ići + infinitive is a very common structure to mean “to go and do X”:

• ići jesti – to go eat
• ići spavati – to go (to) sleep

So “Djeca idu spavati” literally means “The children go sleep,” i.e. “The children go to sleep.”

You can also say:

• Djeca idu na spavanje. – literally “The children are going to (the) sleeping” (a more noun-like expression).

Both idu spavati and idu na spavanje are correct and natural.
The form “idu da spavaju” is not standard in Croatian; it sounds more like Serbian/Montenegrin usage. In standard Croatian, you generally use ići + infinitive (ići spavati) or a noun phrase (ići na spavanje).

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What tense is “idu” here, and why is present tense used for something habitual?