Stadion je blizu parka, ali autobus do stadiona često kasni.

The stadium is near the park, but the bus to the stadium is often late.

Breakdown of Stadion je blizu parka, ali autobus do stadiona često kasni.

• biti: to be
• ali: but
• autobus: bus
• često: often
• park: park
• do: to
• blizu: near
• kasniti: to be late
• stadion: stadium

Questions & Answers about Stadion je blizu parka, ali autobus do stadiona često kasni.

Why is it blizu parka and not blizu park?

Because blizu (near) always takes the genitive case in Croatian.

• park = nominative (dictionary form)
• parka = genitive singular

So after blizu you must use parka:

• Stadion je blizu parka.
  The stadium is near the park.

Other examples with blizu:

• blizu kuće (near the house)
• blizu škole (near the school)

Saying blizu park is grammatically wrong; the preposition requires the genitive form.

Can I say Stadion je blizu parku? What’s the difference between parka and parku?

No, Stadion je blizu parku is wrong with blizu.

parka = genitive singular
parku = dative/locative singular

You use parku mainly with prepositions like:

• u parku – in the park
• o parku – about the park
• kod parka – by/at the park (here parka is genitive again)

But blizu specifically requires genitive, so you must say:

• blizu parka, not blizu parku.

What does autobus do stadiona literally mean, and why is it do stadiona and not do stadion?

autobus do stadiona literally means bus (that goes) to the stadium / as far as the stadium.

The preposition do (to, up to, as far as) also takes the genitive case, so:

• stadion (nominative) → stadiona (genitive)

That’s why you say:

• do stadiona – to the stadium
• do kuće – to the house
• do škole – to the school

do stadion is wrong, because after do you must use the genitive form stadiona.

Is stadiona also genitive? How do you decline stadion?

Yes, stadiona is the genitive singular of stadion.

Singular of stadion (masculine, inanimate):

• Nominative: stadion (subject)
• Genitive: stadiona (after do, blizu, etc.)
• Dative: stadionu
• Accusative: stadion
• Locative: stadionu (after u, na when meaning location)
• Instrumental: stadionom

In the sentence:

• blizu parka → parka = genitive
• do stadiona → stadiona = genitive

Could I say autobus za stadion instead of autobus do stadiona? Is there a difference?

You can say autobus za stadion, and it is also natural. The difference is subtle:

• autobus za stadion – a bus (whose destination is) for the stadium, like what you might see written on the bus sign or in a timetable.
• autobus do stadiona – a bus that goes up to the stadium / as far as the stadium (emphasises the endpoint of the route).

Both can often be translated as bus to the stadium, and in many contexts they are interchangeable. In this sentence, either is fine:

• … ali autobus do stadiona često kasni.
• … ali autobus za stadion često kasni.

Where can I put često in the second clause? Is Često autobus do stadiona kasni also correct?

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible, and all of the following are grammatically correct:

• Autobus do stadiona često kasni. – neutral word order.
• Često autobus do stadiona kasni. – stronger emphasis on često (often).
• Autobus do stadiona kasni često. – slightly marked; puts često in a more emphatic final position.

The most neutral and common version is the original:

• Autobus do stadiona često kasni.

Why is there je in Stadion je blizu parka, but no je in autobus do stadiona često kasni?

In the first clause, je is the present tense of biti (to be), used as a copula:

• Stadion je blizu parka.
  Subject (stadion) + verb je
  • predicate (blizu parka).

In the second clause, the main verb is kasni (he/she/it is late):

• autobus … kasni – the bus is late.

Because kasniti already carries the meaning to be late, you don’t add je in the present tense. You only need je as an auxiliary with past tense forms (e.g. je kasnio).

Why is it ali and not nego? Both are sometimes translated as “but”.

Both ali and nego can be translated as but, but they are used differently:

• ali = but, however – a general contrast:

  • Stadion je blizu parka, ali autobus često kasni.
    The stadium is near the park, but the bus is often late.

• nego = but rather / than – usually after a negation:

  • Ne autobus, nego tramvaj ide do stadiona.
    Not the bus, but rather the tram goes to the stadium.
  • Nije blizu škole, nego blizu parka.
    It’s not near the school, but near the park.

In this sentence there is no negation that we are correcting, so ali is the correct choice.

Is Autobus do stadiona često kasni talking about one specific event, or about something that happens regularly?

With the present tense kasni (from kasniti, imperfective), it usually describes a regular, repeated or typical situation:

• Autobus do stadiona često kasni.
  The bus to the stadium is often late (in general / habitually).

For one specific past event you would normally use past tense, often with a perfective form:

• Autobus do stadiona je jutros zakasnio.
  The bus to the stadium was late this morning / arrived late.

You can also say:

• Autobus do stadiona često zakasni.

which focuses more on the individual late arrivals as separate events. Kasni is a bit more neutral and describes the state/situation of being late.

Why are there no words for the or a in Stadion je blizu parka?

Croatian does not have articles like English the or a/an. Nouns appear without them:

• stadion can mean a stadium or the stadium
• park can mean a park or the park

The exact meaning (definite vs. indefinite) is understood from context, word order, and previous mention, not from a separate word.

So:

• Stadion je blizu parka.
  Depending on context, this could be:
  • The stadium is near the park.
  • A stadium is near a/the park.

Can I change the word order, for example: Blizu parka je stadion, ali često kasni autobus do stadiona?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct. Croatian allows relatively free word order, and changes in order usually change emphasis, not correctness.

Some possible variants:

• Stadion je blizu parka, ali autobus do stadiona često kasni. – neutral.
• Blizu parka je stadion, ali autobus do stadiona često kasni. – emphasises blizu parka.
• Stadion je blizu parka, ali često kasni autobus do stadiona. – emphasises često kasni.
• Stadion je blizu parka, ali autobus često kasni do stadiona. – puts slight focus on kasni do stadiona.

All are understandable and correct; the original is the most neutral in tone.

How would I say this sentence in the past tense:
The stadium was near the park, but the bus to the stadium was often late.

One natural past-tense version is:

• Stadion je bio blizu parka, ali je autobus do stadiona često kasnio.

Breakdown:

• je bio – was (3rd person singular of biti in past tense)
• kasnio – was late (past participle of kasniti)

You can move je for emphasis, especially in speech:

• Stadion je bio blizu parka, ali autobus do stadiona je često kasnio.
• Stadion je bio blizu parka, ali autobus do stadiona često je kasnio.

All are grammatical; the first version is the most straightforward.