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Za pauzu nosim sendvič i bocu vode u ruksaku.

Za pauzu nosim sendvič i bocu vode u ruksaku.
For the break I carry a sandwich and a bottle of water in my backpack.

Breakdown of Za pauzu nosim sendvič i bocu vode u ruksaku.

voda
water
u
in
i
and
za
for
pauza
break
ruksak
backpack
nositi
to carry
sendvič
sandwich
boca
bottle
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Questions & Answers about Za pauzu nosim sendvič i bocu vode u ruksaku.

Why is it za pauzu and not something like na pauzi? What does za express here?

Za pauzu literally means “for the break” in the sense of purpose or intended time.

  • za + accusative (pauzu) = for (the purpose of) / for (the time of)
    • Za pauzu = for the break (that’s when I’ll eat it)

If you said:

  • na pauzi (locative) = on/during the break
    • Na pauzi jedem sendvič. – I eat a sandwich during the break.

So:

  • Za pauzu nosim… – I bring it for the break (I’m preparing for it).
  • Na pauzi jedem… – I eat it during the break (when the break is happening).
What nuance does nosim have? How is it different from imam or donosim?

The verb nosim comes from nositi (imperfective) and mainly means:

  • to carry, to have on you, to wear, and by extension often to bring (with you).

In this sentence:

  • Nosim sendvič i bocu vode… = I carry / I bring a sandwich and a bottle of water…
    It suggests you physically have them with you, typically as a habit.

Compared with:

  • imam – I have (possession, not movement)
    • Imam sendvič u ruksaku. – I have a sandwich in my backpack. (It’s there, I possess it.)
  • donosim – I am bringing (bringing to someone/somewhere)
    • Emphasizes bringing to a destination right now or habitually.
  • ponesem (perfective of nositi for “take/bring with you once”)
    • Za pauzu ću ponijeti sendvič. – I will take/bring a sandwich (on that occasion).

So nosim here is a neutral, habitual “I (usually) carry/bring (with me).”

Why is sendvič not changing form? Isn’t it in the accusative?

Yes, sendvič is in the accusative singular, but for masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative = nominative:

  • Nominative: sendvič – sandwich
  • Accusative: sendvič – a/the sandwich (object of the verb)

If it were masculine animate (a person or animal), you’d normally see a change:

  • Nominative: student – student
  • Accusative: studenta – the student (as object)

Because sendvič is inanimate, it just stays sendvič in the accusative.

What is going on in bocu vode? Why vode and not voda?

Bocu vode is a noun + noun structure: a bottle of water.

  • boca = bottle (feminine noun)
    • Nominative sg.: boca
    • Accusative sg.: bocu (after nosim)
  • voda = water
    • Nominative sg.: voda
    • Genitive sg.: vode

In Croatian, when one noun contains/holds another (a bottle of something, a glass of something, a kilo of something), the second noun is usually in the genitive:

  • boca vode – a bottle of water
  • čaša vina – a glass of wine
  • kilogram kruha – a kilogram of bread

So:

  • bocu is accusative (object of nosim),
  • vode is genitive (the content of the bottle).
Why is it u ruksaku and not u ruksak?

The preposition u can take:

  • accusative = movement into something
  • locative = location in/inside something

Compare:

  • Stavljam sendvič u ruksak. – I’m putting the sandwich into the backpack. (movement → accusative)
  • Sendvič je u ruksaku. – The sandwich is in the backpack. (location → locative)

In your sentence:

  • nosim … u ruksaku – I carry … *in my backpack
    This describes *location    , so u
    • locative: ruksaku.

So u ruksaku = in the backpack (where the things are while you’re carrying them).

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Nosim u ruksaku sendvič i bocu vode za pauzu?

Yes. Croatian has fairly flexible word order, and your alternative is grammatically okay:

  • Za pauzu nosim sendvič i bocu vode u ruksaku.
  • Nosim sendvič i bocu vode u ruksaku za pauzu.
  • Nosim u ruksaku sendvič i bocu vode za pauzu.

In neutral speech, the original order sounds very natural and clear. Moving parts around tends to:

  • change emphasis (what you highlight),
  • or sometimes make a sentence sound slightly more or less natural.

Examples of nuance (very subtle):

  • Starting with Za pauzu emphasizes the time/purpose first.
  • Moving u ruksaku earlier can highlight where you’re carrying things.

But all these versions would be understood, and none is wrong grammatically.

How would I say this with plurals, like “sandwiches and two bottles of water”?

You would adjust the nouns and numbers:

  • Za pauzu nosim sendviče i dvije boce vode u ruksaku.

Breakdown:

  • sendvič → plural nominative: sendviči, plural accusative: sendviče
    • Nosim sendviče. – I carry sandwiches.
  • boca → plural nominative: boce, plural accusative: boce
    • dvije boce vode – two bottles of water (both boce and vode stay the same here)
  • The rest (prepositions, verb, case of ruksaku) stays the same.

So with quantity:

  • jedan sendvič – one sandwich
  • dva / tri / četiri sendviča – 2/3/4 sandwiches (genitive sg. form after these numbers)
  • pet sendviča – 5 sandwiches (genitive pl.)

But in your original sentence, a simple plural sendviče is fine for “sandwiches” without a number.

There are no words for “a” or “the” here. How do I know if it’s “a sandwich” or “the sandwich”?

Croatian does not have articles (a, an, the). The noun sendvič can mean:

  • a sandwich
  • the sandwich

The exact meaning comes from context, not from a separate word.

Your sentence could be translated as:

  • For the break I carry *a sandwich and a bottle of water in my backpack.*
  • For the break I carry *the sandwich and the bottle of water in my backpack.*

English has to choose; Croatian doesn’t. If you need to be more precise in Croatian, you add context:

  • Onaj sendvič nosim u ruksaku. – I’m carrying that sandwich in my backpack.
  • Svoj sendvič nosim u ruksaku. – I carry my sandwich in my backpack.
Can I say na pauzu instead of za pauzu?

You normally don’t say na pauzu with this meaning.

  • za pauzu = for the break (as preparation/purpose)
  • na pauzu would sound like “onto/for to break” and is not idiomatic here.

You do use na with pauza in other contexts:

  • Idem na pauzu. – I’m going on break.
  • Na pauzi pijem kavu. – I drink coffee during the break.

But when you mean “I bring food *for the break”, the natural preposition is *za.

Is boca the only word for “bottle”? Can I use flaša?

You can absolutely use flaša; it’s common, slightly more colloquial:

  • boca vode – bottle of water (more neutral/standard)
  • flaša vode – bottle of water (everyday, colloquial)

Your sentence could become:

  • Za pauzu nosim sendvič i flašu vode u ruksaku.

Grammatically it behaves the same:

  • Nominative: flaša
  • Accusative: flašu
  • Content: vode (genitive) stays the same.
How do I pronounce the tricky consonants, like č in sendvič and ruksaku?

Key points:

  • č – a hard “ch” sound, like in English “church”
    • sendvič → SEND-vich (but with a sharper, shorter ch at the end)
  • c – a “ts” sound, like in “cats”
    • ruksak → roughly ROOK-sak, but k + s is a clean ks sound.
  • ruksaku → ROOK-sa-koo
    • stress usually on the first syllable: RUk-saku

So:

  • Za pauzu nosim sendvič i bocu vode u ruksaku.
    → roughly: Za PAU-zoo NO-seem SEND-vich ee BO-tsu VO-deh oo RUk-sa-koo.
Could I leave out u ruksaku, or does it change the meaning a lot?

You can leave it out; the sentence is still complete:

  • Za pauzu nosim sendvič i bocu vode.

Then you’re simply saying you carry a sandwich and a bottle of water for the break, without specifying where you carry them. Adding u ruksaku:

  • Za pauzu nosim sendvič i bocu vode u ruksaku.

adds the extra detail that they’re in your backpack. It doesn’t change the basic idea, just makes it more specific.