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Boca je na stolu.

Boca je na stolu.
The bottle is on the table.

Breakdown of Boca je na stolu.

biti
to be
na
on
stol
table
boca
bottle
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Questions & Answers about Boca je na stolu.

Why is it boca and not another form like boce?

Boca here is in the nominative singular case, because it is the subject of the sentence (the thing we’re talking about).

  • boca = bottle (subject form, “a/the bottle”)
  • boce could be genitive singular (“of the bottle”) or nominative plural (“bottles”), which wouldn’t fit here.

So we use boca because we are saying what the bottle is / where it is, not “of the bottle” or “bottles”.

Why is there no word for “the” in Boca je na stolu?

Croatian has no articles (no “a/an” or “the”). Nouns like boca can mean “a bottle” or “the bottle”, depending on context.

  • Boca je na stolu.
    • could be “A bottle is on the table.”
    • or “The bottle is on the table.”

Which one is meant is understood from the situation, not from a specific word like “the”.

What does je mean, and why is it needed?

Je is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb biti = “to be”. It means “is”.

  • biti (to be)
    • ja sam – I am
    • ti si – you are
    • on/ona/ono je – he/she/it is

In sentences like this, you must use je. You cannot drop it in standard Croatian. So you cannot say “Boca na stolu” as a complete standard sentence; that sounds like a fragment.

Why is it na stolu and not na stol if it means “on the table”?

This is about case and whether you are talking about location or movement.

  • For location (where something is), na usually takes the locative case.
    • na stolu = on the table (and staying there)
  • For movement onto something (where something is going to), na usually takes the accusative case.
    • na stol = onto the table (motion from somewhere else to the table)

So:

  • Boca je na stolu. = The bottle is (already) on the table.
  • Stavi bocu na stol. = Put the bottle onto the table.
Why does stol change to stolu?

Stol is a masculine noun. Croatian nouns change their endings depending on case. Here, after na in a “location” meaning, we use locative case:

  • Nominative (basic form): stol – table
  • Locative singular: stolu – (on/at/in) the table

So na + stol (location) → na stolu.

(In full: stol, stola, stolu, stol, stolu, stolom – but you don’t need to memorize all at once.)

Can I also say Na stolu je boca? Does it mean something different?

Yes, you can say:

  • Na stolu je boca.

The basic meaning is the same: “The bottle is on the table.”
The difference is mostly emphasis and focus:

  • Boca je na stolu. – neutral; focuses on the bottle (Where is the bottle? → It’s on the table.)
  • Na stolu je boca. – puts a bit more focus on the table area (What is on the table? → There’s a bottle there.)

Both are correct, natural Croatian.

How would this sentence look in the plural?

For plural, both the subject and the verb change:

  • Boce su na stolu. – “The bottles are on the table.”

Changes:

  • boca → boce (nominative plural of “bottle”)
  • je → su (3rd person plural of “to be”)

Stolu stays the same because it’s still locative singular (“on the table”).

Is boca feminine, and does that affect the verb je?

Yes, boca is a feminine noun (most nouns ending in -a are).

However, in the present tense, the verb biti (“to be”) does not change form according to gender, only person and number:

  • On je – he is
  • Ona je – she is
  • Ono je – it is

So je is used for masculine, feminine, and neuter singular subjects. Gender doesn’t change the form je.

How would I turn Boca je na stolu. into a yes/no question?

Spoken Croatian often uses intonation only:

  • Boca je na stolu? – “Is the bottle on the table?” (rising intonation)

More explicit and standard is to add “li” after the verb:

  • Je li boca na stolu? – “Is the bottle on the table?”

You generally don’t change the word order dramatically; adding li to the verb is enough.

What is the difference between na and u in sentences like this?

Both are common prepositions:

  • na = on, onto, at (a surface or an open area: table, floor, wall, square…)
    • Boca je na stolu. – The bottle is on the table.
  • u = in, into (inside something: room, box, bottle, city…)
    • Boca je u kutiji. – The bottle is in the box.

So you use na stolu (on the table’s surface), not u stolu.

How do you pronounce boca je na stolu?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English terms):

  • boca → BO-tsa
    • c is like ts in “cats”
  • je → ye (like “yeah” without the final h sound)
  • na → nah (short a)
  • stolu → STOH-loo

Stress is usually on the first syllable of each word: BOca je NA STOlu.

Could I add an adjective, like “The glass bottle is on the table”? How would that work?

Yes. Adjectives in Croatian agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.
For “glass bottle” (staklena boca):

  • Staklena boca je na stolu. – “The glass bottle is on the table.”

Here:

  • staklena – feminine, singular, nominative (matches boca)
  • boca – feminine, singular, nominative (subject)
  • na stolu – preposition + locative of stol (unchanged)

The structure of the sentence stays the same; you just insert the adjective before the noun.