Djeca puno trče u parku.

in

Breakdown of Djeca puno trče u parku.

• park: park
• dijete: child
• trčati: to run

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.