U subotu idemo na stadion gledati nogomet sa studentima iz našeg grada.

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Breakdown of U subotu idemo na stadion gledati nogomet sa studentima iz našeg grada.

• grad: city
• gledati: to watch
• sa: with
• nogomet: football
• u: on
• iz: from
• na: to
• naš: our
• subota: Saturday
• stadion: stadium
• student: student

Questions & Answers about U subotu idemo na stadion gledati nogomet sa studentima iz našeg grada.

Why is it U subotu and not something like Na subotu or just Subotu?

For days of the week and specific dates, Croatian normally uses u + accusative to mean on (that day).

• Nominative: subota (Saturday)
• Accusative: subotu

So:

• U subotu idemo… = On Saturday we are going…

You can’t just say Subotu idemo… in standard Croatian; you need u (or you change the form of the noun):

• U subotu idemo na stadion. – On Saturday we’re going to the stadium. (one specific Saturday)
• Subotom idemo na stadion. – On Saturdays we go to the stadium. (habitual action; subotom = instrumental)

Na subotu isn’t used for time in this sense; na + accusative is used with some holidays/events (e.g. na Božić, at Christmas), but not with ordinary days of the week.

Why is it na stadion and not u stadion?

Both u and na can translate as to / in / at, but they’re used differently:

• u = literally in, into (inside an enclosed space)
• na = on, onto, at (surface, open area, or attending an event/function)

With some places, Croatian idiomatically prefers na, especially when the idea is “going there for an event or activity”:

• na stadion – to the stadium (as a venue/event place)
• na posao – to work
• na koncert – to a concert
• na fakultet – to (the) university

u stadion would sound like you’re going inside the physical structure of the stadium as an object (almost like “into the stadium building”), which is not how people normally say it. For “going to watch a match there,” it’s na stadion.

Why do we use the infinitive gledati here, and not something like da gledamo nogomet?

After verbs of motion, Croatian very often uses a bare infinitive to express purpose:

• ići gledati – to go (in order) to watch
• doći pomoći – to come (in order) to help
• otići kupiti kruh – to go (in order) to buy bread

So:

• idemo gledati nogomet = we are going to watch football / we’re going in order to watch football.

You can say:

• idemo da gledamo nogomet

but that sounds heavier, more like “we are going so that we watch football,” and is much less natural in everyday speech. For simple “go to do X”, the infinitive is the normal, idiomatic choice.

Why is nogomet here without any article or extra word for “match”? Is that normal?

Croatian has no articles (no “a/the”), so nogomet by itself can mean:

• football (in general)
• some particular football (game/match) that is clear from context

In English we say:

• “go to watch football” (British English)
• “go to watch a football match / the football game”

Croatian can also be more specific:

• gledati nogometnu utakmicu – to watch a football match

But gledati nogomet is completely normal and idiomatic, especially when you know you’re going to the stadium; the idea of “a match” is understood from context.

What case is nogomet in, and why doesn’t it change form?

Nogomet is in the accusative singular, functioning as the direct object of gledati.

For masculine inanimate nouns like nogomet, the nominative and accusative have the same form:

• Nominative: nogomet – (what? football)
• Accusative: nogomet – (what are we watching? football)

So it is grammatically marked as accusative, it just looks the same as nominative because of the noun type.

What case is studentima in, and why does it end in -ima?

Studentima is instrumental plural of student:

• Nsg: student
• Isg: studentom – (with) a student
• Npl: studenti
• Ipl: studentima – (with) (the) students

The preposition sa/s (“with”) requires the instrumental case:

• sa studentima – with (the) students
• s prijateljima – with (my) friends
• s roditeljima – with (my) parents

The ending -ima is the regular instrumental (also dative/locative) plural ending for many masculine and neuter nouns.

Why is it sa studentima and not just s studentima?

The basic form of the preposition is s = with.
However, Croatian often uses the longer form sa for phonetic reasons:

1. To avoid a difficult cluster of consonants:

   • sa psom (not s psom)
   • sa školom (not s školom)
   • sa studentima (not s studentima)

2. Before words starting with s, z, š, ž or some tricky clusters, sa is usually preferred or required to make pronunciation smoother.

So:

• sa studentima sounds clear and natural.
• s studentima is hard to pronounce and is avoided.

Why do we say iz našeg grada and not od našeg grada for “from our city”?

Both iz and od can translate as from, but they’re used differently:

• iz + genitive = from the inside of a place / from within a city, country, building, etc.

  • iz grada – from (the) town/city
  • iz Zagreba – from Zagreb
  • iz škole – from (the) school (physically coming out)

• od + genitive = from a person, from a source, from a point (distance), or “by” in a passive sense:

  • dobiti pismo od prijatelja – get a letter from a friend
  • 5 km od grada – 5 km from the city
  • poklon od grada – a present from the (city) authorities

Students from our city = studenti iz našeg grada, because their origin is “out of / from within” that city.
Od našeg grada would suggest something more like “from the (authorities of) our city” or “at a distance from our city.”

What form is našeg grada, and why does it look like that?

Našeg grada is genitive singular masculine:

• Base forms:
  • naš – our (masc.)
  • grad – city, town

Genitive singular masculine endings:

• naš → našeg
• grad → grada

The preposition iz requires the genitive case, so both the noun and the adjective have to be in genitive and agree:

• iz našeg grada
  • iz – from
  • našeg – our (gen. masc. sg., agreeing with grad)
  • grada – of the city (gen. masc. sg.)

Together: from our city.

Could I say the sentence with a different word order, like U subotu sa studentima iz našeg grada idemo na stadion gledati nogomet?

Yes. Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and your version is grammatically correct:

• U subotu sa studentima iz našeg grada idemo na stadion gledati nogomet.

Differences:

• Original: U subotu idemo na stadion gledati nogomet sa studentima iz našeg grada.

  • Neutral focus on: On Saturday we’re going to the stadium to watch football, adding “with the students from our city” at the end.

• Your version moves sa studentima iz našeg grada earlier, so it slightly foregrounds who you’re going with.

So:

• Word order is flexible, but it can change emphasis or what feels like “new” vs “given” information.
• All of the following are possible, with slightly different focus:
  • U subotu idemo na stadion sa studentima iz našeg grada gledati nogomet.
  • U subotu sa studentima iz našeg grada idemo na stadion gledati nogomet.
  • Sa studentima iz našeg grada u subotu idemo na stadion gledati nogomet.

Why is the present tense idemo used, if we’re talking about the future?

Croatian often uses the present tense to talk about planned or scheduled future actions, especially with a clear time expression like u subotu:

• U subotu idemo na stadion. – On Saturday we’re going to the stadium.
• Sutra idem u Zagreb. – I’m going to Zagreb tomorrow.

This is similar to English present continuous for the future (“We’re going on Saturday”).

You could also use the future tense:

• U subotu ćemo ići na stadion.

This is correct but may sound a bit more formal or less colloquial in a simple sentence like this. Everyday speech prefers present + time word.

Could I say idemo gledat nogomet instead of idemo gledati nogomet?

Yes. In speech, many speakers shorten -ti on infinitives:

• gledati → gledat
• raditi → radit
• pisati → pisat

So in casual conversation you’ll often hear:

• U subotu idemo na stadion gledat nogomet.

In standard written Croatian, you usually keep the full infinitive gledati. The short form is colloquial and typical of spoken language or informal writing (messages, chats).

Is there any comma needed before gledati nogomet?

In this sentence, no comma is needed:

• U subotu idemo na stadion gledati nogomet sa studentima iz našeg grada.

The structure idemo gledati nogomet (verb of motion + infinitive of purpose) is treated as one verbal idea. Croatian generally does not put a comma before such an infinitive of purpose when it’s short and tightly connected to the main verb.

You would use commas if the structure became longer or more detached, or if you had a full clause with da instead of an infinitive:

• U subotu idemo na stadion, da gledamo nogomet i navijamo za naš klub. (two full actions, separated)