Learn Hardcore Croatian: On briše stol nakon večere.

on briše stol = he wipes / is wiping the table.
Croatian only has one present tense form, so briše can translate both English wipes and is wiping, depending on context.

Is the pronoun On necessary? Could I just say Briše stol nakon večere?

You can drop on.

On briše stol nakon večere. = He wipes the table after dinner.
Briše stol nakon večere. = (He/She) wipes the table after dinner.

Croatian is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending (-e in briše) already shows the person and number (3rd person singular).

Use on when:

You want to emphasise that it’s he (not someone else).
The context is unclear and you need to specify gender (he vs she).

Why is it stol and not something like stola or stolu? Which case is that?

Stol here is in the accusative singular (direct object).

Masculine inanimate nouns like stol (table) have the same form in:

nominative singular: stol (subject)
- Stol je velik. – The table is big.
accusative singular: stol (direct object)
- On briše stol. – He wipes the table.

So:

We use the accusative after a verb when it’s the thing being acted on.
It just happens to look the same as the nominative for this type of noun.

What case is večere in nakon večere, and why does it take that form?

Večere is the genitive singular of večera (dinner).

The preposition nakon (after) always takes the genitive case, so:

nakon večere = after dinner
nakon ručka = after lunch
nakon posla = after work

Base form:

večera (nominative singular) – dinner
Genitive singular pattern:
večera → večere

What is the difference between nakon večere and poslije večere? Are both correct?

Yes, both are correct and very common:

nakon večere – after dinner
poslije večere – after dinner

Both nakon and poslije take the genitive (so večere stays the same).

Stylistically:

nakon sounds a bit more neutral / slightly formal.
poslije is very everyday / conversational.

In most contexts, they’re interchangeable.

Can I change the word order, for example Nakon večere on briše stol or On nakon večere briše stol?

Yes, Croatian word order is quite flexible. All of these are grammatically correct, but they change the emphasis:

On briše stol nakon večere.
- Neutral: He wipes the table after dinner.
Nakon večere on briše stol.
- Emphasis on time: After dinner, he (does this).
- Often used when contrasting different times or routines.
On nakon večere briše stol.
- Focus still on on (he), but the time phrase is inserted in the middle.
- Also possible, but slightly less neutral-sounding than 1.

The most typical, neutral order is 1: On briše stol nakon večere.

How would I say He wiped the table after dinner and He will wipe the table after dinner?

Past (perfective, completed action):

On je obrisao stol nakon večere. – He wiped the table after dinner.

Here we usually switch to the perfective verb obrisati (to wipe completely), past tense with auxiliary je.

Future:

On će obrisati stol nakon večere. – He will wipe the table after dinner.

Again we use obrisati for a single, completed future action, with the future auxiliary će.

You can theoretically use brisati in the past (On je brisao stol...) but that suggests ongoing or repeated wiping, not one completed act.

What is the difference between brisati and obrisati? Which one should I use here?

Croatian has aspect:

brisati – imperfective (process, repeated/habitual action)
obrisati – perfective (one complete act, result-focused)

In your sentence:

On briše stol nakon večere.
- Sounds like a habit or repeated routine:
  - He (usually) wipes the table after dinner.

If you want to describe one complete event:

On će obrisati stol nakon večere. – He will wipe (and finish wiping) the table after dinner.
On je obrisao stol nakon večere. – He wiped (finished wiping) the table after dinner.

So:

For habit / routine in the present: brisati → briše.
For a single completed action (esp. past/future): obrisati → obrisao / obrisat će.

Croatian doesn’t have a form like “is wiping”. How do I express that progressive idea?

Croatian normally uses the same present tense for both:

On briše stol.
- He wipes the table.
- He is wiping the table.

Context tells you whether it’s a habit or something happening right now. If you really want to make “right now” explicit, add a time word:

On sada briše stol. – He is wiping the table now.
On upravo briše stol. – He is wiping the table right now.

There is no special grammatical “-ing” form like in English.

How would the sentence change for she or they?

The verb form briše stays the same for he / she / it (3rd person singular), but the pronoun changes.

Singular:

On briše stol nakon večere. – He wipes the table after dinner.
Ona briše stol nakon večere. – She wipes the table after dinner.
Ono briše stol nakon večere. – It wipes the table after dinner (rare, mostly for some neuter nouns).

Plural:

Oni brišu stol nakon večere. – They (masc. / mixed group) wipe the table after dinner.
One brišu stol nakon večere. – They (all-female group) wipe the table after dinner.
Ona brišu stol nakon večere. – They (neuter plural) wipe the table after dinner (less common, for certain neuter nouns).

Notice the plural verb: brišu (not briše).

How do I pronounce briše and večere? What does the letter š sound like?

briše: bree-she
- br as in breeze
- i like ee
- š like sh in shoe
- e like e in bet
večere: VE-che-re (approx.)
- v as in vase
- e as in bet
- č like ch in church
- e-re both e like bet, r rolled/tapped.

Special letter:

š = English sh (as in she, shop).

Stress in everyday Croatian varies by dialect, but a safe approximation:

BRI-še
VE-če-re

Could I say something like On se briše stol to mean “He wipes the table”? Why is there no se here?

No, On se briše stol is incorrect.

Se is a reflexive pronoun, used when the subject acts on themself:

On se briše. – He is wiping himself (e.g. with a towel).

In On briše stol, the action is directed at stol (the table), not back at on (him). So there is no reflexive pronoun:

On briše stol. – He wipes the table.
On se briše. – He wipes himself.

You only add se when the subject and object are the same person/thing or when the verb is inherently reflexive.