Learn Hardcore Croatian: Umjesto da cijelu večer gledamo seriju na ekranu, bolje je da malo šetamo po šetalištu. - Instead of watching a series on the screen the whole evening, it is better that we walk a bit along the promenade.

Umjesto da cijelu večer gledamo seriju na ekranu, bolje je da malo šetamo po šetalištu.

Instead of watching a series on the screen the whole evening, it is better that we walk a bit along the promenade.

Breakdown of Umjesto da cijelu večer gledamo seriju na ekranu, bolje je da malo šetamo po šetalištu.

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Questions & Answers about Umjesto da cijelu večer gledamo seriju na ekranu, bolje je da malo šetamo po šetalištu.

What exactly does “Umjesto da” mean, and how is it different from just “umjesto”?

Umjesto da means “instead of (doing) …” and it must be followed by a clause with a conjugated verb:

Umjesto da cijelu večer gledamo seriju…
= Instead of watching a series all evening… (literally: instead that we watch…)

By contrast, umjesto on its own is followed by a noun (in the genitive) or a nominal phrase:

Umjesto serije gledamo film. – Instead of a series, we’re watching a film.
Umjesto gledanja serije… – Instead of (the) watching of the series… (more formal/rare)

So:

Umjesto da + present tense → “instead of doing X”
Umjesto + genitive noun → “instead of X (thing)”

Why is it “gledamo” (we watch) after “Umjesto da” and not the infinitive “gledati”?

Croatian usually uses “da” + present tense to express what English often expresses with an infinitive (“to watch”) or “-ing” form:

Umjesto da gledamo seriju…
literally: instead that we watch the series…

This “da + present” construction works a bit like a subjunctive / “that we…” in English. It’s used for:

wishes, suggestions, and non-real (hypothetical) actions:
- Bolje je da idemo. – It’s better that we go.
- Želim da dođeš. – I want you to come. (literally: “I want that you come.”)

Using the infinitive gledati here (Umjesto gledati…) is not standard in this structure and sounds unnatural. Native speakers strongly prefer “umjesto da + present tense”.

Could I say “Umjesto gledati seriju cijelu večer…” instead of “Umjesto da cijelu večer gledamo seriju…”?

Not really, at least not in standard, natural Croatian.

More natural options are:

Umjesto da cijelu večer gledamo seriju… ✅
Umjesto gledanja serije cijelu večer… (formal/bookish) ✅

But:

Umjesto gledati seriju… ❌ (sounds wrong/foreign)

So when you want “instead of doing X” with a full clause, use:

umjesto da + conjugated verb
→ Umjesto da gledamo seriju…

Why is it “cijelu večer” and not “cijela večer”?

Because “cijelu večer” is in the accusative case as a time expression: “for the whole evening / all evening”.

večer is feminine
the adjective cijeli (whole) must agree with it
feminine accusative singular: cijelu večer

Compare:

Nominative:
Cijela večer je bila dosadna. – The whole evening was boring.
Accusative (time):
Gledamo seriju cijelu večer. – We watch a series (for) the whole evening.

In your sentence it’s functioning as a time adverbial: cijelu večer = all evening.

What’s the difference between “večer” and “noć”?

Both relate to the later part of the day, but:

večer = evening
roughly after late afternoon until late evening
noć = night
when it’s really night / you normally sleep

So:

cijelu večer gledamo seriju – we’re watching a series all evening
cijelu noć gledamo seriju – we’re watching a series all night (much later, maybe until morning)

Why is it “seriju” and not “serija”?

Because seriju is in the accusative case, used for a direct object:

gledamo (što?) seriju – we watch (what?) a series

Serija is feminine:

nominative singular: serija
accusative singular: seriju

Compare:

Serija je dobra. (nominative) – The series is good.
Gledamo seriju. (accusative) – We’re watching a series.

Why is it “na ekranu” and not “na ekran”?

Croatian uses different cases with “na” depending on meaning:

na + locative → location (where?)
na ekranu – on the screen (position)
na + accusative → direction (onto where?)
na ekran – onto the screen (movement to)

In your sentence:

gledamo seriju na ekranu
= we watch a series *on the screen* (the series is already on the screen, no movement)

So ekran is masculine:

locative singular: na ekranu (= on the screen)
accusative singular: na ekran (= onto the screen)

What does “Bolje je da…” literally mean, and could I say this in a different way?

Bolje je da… literally means “it is better that…” and is very common for suggestions or recommendations:

Bolje je da malo šetamo.
= It’s better that we walk a bit. / We’d better walk a bit.

Other natural variants with a similar meaning:

Bolje je malo šetati. – It’s better to walk a bit. (infinitive, more general)
Bolje da malo šetamo. – you can drop je in speech: still “better that we walk a bit”.

So the pattern is:

Bolje je da + present tense → It’s better that we… (very common in speech)
Bolje je + infinitive → It’s better to… (more general/impersonal)

What is the nuance of “malo šetamo”? Could I say “šetamo malo” or “malo prošetamo”?

All are possible, but with slightly different nuances:

malo šetamo – adverb malo (a little) before the verb; neutral: let’s walk a bit / a little.
šetamo malo – also we walk a little, but malo at the end can sound a bit more like an afterthought or emphasis on “only a little”.
malo prošetamo – uses prošetati (perfective), meaning walk for a while / go for a (short) walk. This suggests a complete, bounded action (go for one walk), rather than just the activity of walking.

In your sentence:

bolje je da malo šetamo = it’s better that we walk a bit (focus on the activity, not on one specific “walk” event).

What is “šetalište”, and why do we use “po šetalištu”?

šetati = to walk, to stroll (usually leisurely)
šetalište = a promenade / walkway / pedestrian area where people usually walk for pleasure

The preposition po + locative often means “around / along / about in” some area:

šetati po šetalištu – to walk along / around the promenade

So:

po šetalištu (locative) = along the promenade, without a specific straight path or endpoint; just walking around that area.

You might also hear:

šetati šetalištem (instrumental) – to walk through the promenade (more like “moving through it” as a space), but šetati po šetalištu is more typical for casual strolling.

Is the word order “cijelu večer gledamo seriju na ekranu” fixed, or can I move things around?

Croatian word order is relatively flexible, especially with adverbials (time, place, manner). All of these are possible:

Umjesto da cijelu večer gledamo seriju na ekranu…
Umjesto da gledamo seriju na ekranu cijelu večer…
Umjesto da seriju na ekranu gledamo cijelu večer… (more marked/emphatic)

They all mean essentially the same: instead of watching a series on the screen all evening…

The most neutral, natural version is close to what you have, with time early in the clause:

[cijelu večer] [gledamo seriju] [na ekranu]

Are these actions happening now, or is this a general suggestion?

The present tense in this structure can have two readings, depending on context:

Specific suggestion for this evening:
- Instead of (spending) the whole evening watching a series on the screen, it’s better that we walk a bit along the promenade (tonight).
General advice / rule:
- Instead of spending every evening watching a series on the screen, it’s better in general to walk a bit on the promenade.

Croatian present can express both “now / today” and habitual / generally true actions. The sentence itself doesn’t fix which one it is; the context normally makes that clear.