Djeca puno trče u parku.

The children run a lot in the park.

Breakdown of Djeca puno trče u parku.

• u: in
• park: park
• dijete: child
• trčati: to run
• puno: a lot of

Questions & Answers about Djeca puno trče u parku.

Does Djeca mean the children or just children? Why is there no article?

Croatian has no articles (the, a, an), so djeca can mean:

• children (in general):
  Djeca puno trče u parku. = Children run a lot in the park.
• the children (specific children, understood from context):
  (Naša) djeca puno trče u parku. = (Our) children run a lot in the park.

Context tells you whether it’s general or specific. The word djeca itself doesn’t change.

Why does Djeca use the plural verb trče even though it ends in -a?

In Croatian, djeca is grammatically plural, even though it ends in -a, which often marks singular feminine nouns.

• djete (older/rare nominative; standard is dijete) = a child (singular, neuter)
• djeca = children (plural, neuter plural, “plural-only” noun)

Because djeca is plural, it takes a 3rd person plural verb:

• Djeca trče. = The children run.
• Djeca su umorna. = The children are tired.

So: ending -a here does not mean singular; it’s just a special irregular plural form.

What is the verb’s base form, and how do you conjugate trče?

The infinitive (dictionary form) is trčati = to run (imperfective).

Present tense (imperfective):

• ja trčim – I run / I am running
• ti trčiš – you run / you are running
• on/ona/ono trči – he/she/it runs / is running
• mi trčimo – we run / we are running
• vi trčite – you (pl/formal) run / are running
• oni/one/ona trče – they run / are running

In the sentence:

• Djeca → 3rd person plural (they)
• trče → 3rd person plural present

Why is it trče and not something like trčaju?

Verbs ending in -ati don’t all form the present the same way. Trčati belongs to a pattern where the stem changes slightly and you get -či- in the present:

• infinitive: trčati
• present stem: trč-
• 3rd person plural ending: -e → trč + e = trče

There is no standard form trčaju. That kind of -aju ending appears with other verbs, e.g.:

• raditi → oni rade
• gledati → oni gledaju

But trčati follows the trčim, trčiš, trči … trče pattern, not gledam, gledaš, gledaju.

Does trče mean run (habitually) or are running (right now)?

Croatian present tense with an imperfective verb like trčati can mean:

1. Habitual/general action
   Djeca puno trče u parku.
   = Children (regularly / often) run a lot in the park.

2. Action happening now (if context makes it clear):
   Pointing at the park:
   Djeca (sada) trče u parku.
   = The children are running in the park (right now).

English distinguishes run vs are running; Croatian uses the same form and context decides.

What does puno mean here, and is it the same as mnogo?

In this sentence puno is an adverb meaning a lot / much / a great deal.

Djeca puno trče u parku.
= Children run a lot in the park.

You can usually replace puno with mnogo:

• Djeca mnogo trče u parku.

Differences:

• puno – very common, colloquial, neutral in most everyday speech.
• mnogo – somewhat more formal or “bookish,” but still common and correct.

Both are fine here. In spoken Croatian, puno is more frequent.

Where can puno go in the sentence? Can I say Djeca trče puno u parku?

The most natural position is before the verb it modifies:

• Djeca puno trče u parku. ✅ (very natural)

Other possibilities:

• Djeca u parku puno trče. ✅ (OK; slight emphasis on in the park)
• U parku djeca puno trče. ✅ (emphasizes in the park first)

This version is grammatically possible but sounds less natural or can slightly change the focus:

• Djeca trče puno u parku. ⚠️
  It can sound like you might contrast u parku with somewhere else (they run a lot in the park, not elsewhere). It’s not wrong, but it’s not the neutral default.

So for a neutral, standard sentence, keep puno before trče.

Why is it u parku and not just u park?

Because of case. Park is a masculine noun:

• nominative (dictionary form): park
• locative singular: parku

The preposition u can take:

• accusative: movement into something
  
  • Idem u park. = I’m going to the park.
• locative: location in/inside something
  
  • Trče u parku. = They run in the park (location).

In Djeca puno trče u parku, the action happens in the park (location), so u + locative → u parku.

What case is Djeca in, and how would an adjective agree with it?

Djeca is in the nominative plural, because it’s the subject of the sentence.

Djeca is grammatically neuter plural, so adjectives and pronouns must match:

• dobra djeca – good children (neuter plural)
• mala djeca – small children
• ova djeca – these children

Example in a sentence:

• Dobra djeca puno trče u parku.
  = Good children run a lot in the park.

Can you say Djeca puno trči u parku with a singular verb, like in some other languages?

In standard Croatian, that is incorrect.
You must use 3rd person plural with djeca:

• ✅ Djeca puno trče u parku.
• ❌ Djeca puno trči u parku.

Even though djeca is a group, grammatically it is plural, so the verb must be plural too.

What is the singular of djeca, and is the plural regular?

Singular:

• dijete = a child (neuter; highly irregular noun)

Plural:

• djeca = children

This pair (dijete → djeca) is irregular and suppletive: the plural form is not formed by a simple ending change but uses a different root. You just have to memorize it, like child → children in English.

You cannot say dijeta or dijeti as a plural – only djeca.

How do you pronounce dj in djeca and č in trče?

Pronunciation tips:

• dj in djeca:

  • It’s pronounced like a soft dy sound, similar to d
    • y in “adieu” (in French) or “during” when said quickly.
  • Rough approximation: DYE-tsa.

• č in trče:

  • It’s a ch sound as in “church”, but a bit sharper.
  • trč- sounds like trch (with that “church” sound), then -e like eh.
  • Roughly: TRCH-eh.

So the whole sentence sounds approximately:
DYE-tsa POO-no TRCH-eh u PAR-koo.