Learn Hardcore Croatian: Danas bacamo smeće u kantu u parku. - Today we are throwing trash into the bin in the park.

Context tells you it’s the trash, the bin, the park: you’re talking about some specific ones both speaker and listener know about. The sentence doesn’t change; only the English translation does.

What is the exact meaning and form of bacamo?

Bacamo is:

verb: bacati (to throw, to be throwing – imperfective aspect)
person/number: 1st person plural (“we”)
tense: present tense

So bacamo literally means “we throw” or “we are throwing”.

In Croatian, the present tense of an imperfective verb + a time word can also refer to the near future:

Danas bacamo smeće… = Today we are throwing / will throw the trash… (sounds like a plan or arrangement for today)

What’s the difference between bacamo and bacit ćemo?

Both can translate as “we will throw”, but:

bacamo – present tense of bacati (imperfective)
- With danas, it often sounds like a scheduled or routine action:
- Danas bacamo smeće = Today we’re doing the trash run (that’s the plan).
bacit ćemo – future tense of baciti (perfective)
- Focuses more on the completion of the action:
- Danas ćemo baciti smeće u kantu = At some point today, we will (and will be done with) throwing the trash into the bin.

Both are correct. Bacit ćemo is more explicitly “future”; bacamo with danas feels more like “we’re doing it today / it’s on today’s schedule.”

Why is it u kantu but u parku? Aren’t they both “in/into”?

Yes, u can mean both in/into and it can take different cases:

u + accusative = into (movement to a place)
u + locative = in (location in a place, no movement)

In the sentence:

u kantu
- case: accusative singular (feminine) – kantu
- meaning: into the bin (movement of trash into the bin)
u parku
- case: locative singular (masculine) – parku
- meaning: in the park (location where the bin is / the action happens)

So:

bacamo smeće u kantu = we throw trash into the bin
u parku = in the park

What grammatical case is kantu, and what is parku?

kantu comes from kanta (bin, bucket):
- nominative sg: kanta
- accusative sg: kantu
- role in sentence: direct object of movement with “u” → “into the bin”
parku comes from park:
- nominative sg: park
- locative sg: parku
- role in sentence: location with “u” → “in the park”

So:

kantu = feminine, accusative singular
parku = masculine, locative singular

Why is it smeće and not smeća? Is smeće singular or plural?

Smeće is a neuter singular noun that usually behaves like a mass / uncountable noun (like “trash”, “rubbish” in English).

Basic forms:

nominative sg: smeće (subject / basic form)
genitive sg: smeća

In your sentence, smeće is the direct object (what we throw), so it’s in the accusative singular, which looks the same as nominative for this type of noun:

Bacamo smeće. = We throw (the) trash.

You would use smeća (genitive) in other structures, for example:

Nema smeća. = There is no trash.
Puna kanta smeća. = A bin full of trash.

So smeće here is singular, but conceptually “mass” (like English “trash”).

Can I say Danas ćemo baciti smeće u kantu u parku instead? Is that natural?

Yes, that sentence is correct and natural:

Danas ćemo baciti smeće u kantu u parku.
- more explicit future (with ćemo baciti, perfective)
- focus on the completed action at some time today

Nuance:

Danas bacamo smeće…
- sounds like: “Today is trash day for us / that’s our plan”
Danas ćemo baciti smeće…
- sounds more like: “At some point today we will do this action (and finish it).”

In everyday speech, both forms are common; context decides which feels more natural.

Can the word order change? For example, is Smeće danas bacamo u kantu u parku okay?

Yes, Croatian has quite flexible word order. All of these are grammatical, with slightly different emphasis:

Danas bacamo smeće u kantu u parku.
- neutral; emphasis on time at the beginning.
Bacamo danas smeće u kantu u parku.
- still clear; mild emphasis that we’re doing it today.
Smeće danas bacamo u kantu u parku.
- emphasizes smeće (the trash) – e.g. in contrast to something else.

The most natural everyday version is the original one, with Danas at the start and bacamo right after it.

Does kanta always mean “trash can”? Do I need to say kanta za smeće?

Kanta by itself means pail, bucket, can in general. To be precise, people often say:

kanta za smeće = trash can / garbage bin

But in everyday conversation, if it’s obvious from context that you’re talking about trash, kanta alone is often understood as “the trash bin”.

Other words you might see:

smećnjak (regional / colloquial) – trash bin
koš za smeće – wastebasket, trash bin (especially indoors, smaller)

So:

Your sentence is fine and natural as-is.
You can make it more explicit: Danas bacamo smeće u kantu za smeće u parku.

What’s the difference between u and na (e.g. “in the park” vs “on the playground”)?

Very roughly:

u = in / into (inside a space)
na = on / onto (on a surface, or in many set expressions)

For places:

u parku = in the park (inside the park area)
na igralištu = on the playground
u školi = in school, at school (inside the building)
na poslu = at work

The preposition itself doesn’t change in your sentence, but it’s good to know that:

With movement, u/na + accusative:
- Idemo u park. = We’re going to (into) the park.
With location, u/na + locative:
- Smo u parku. = We are in the park.

How do you pronounce smeće, and what is the sound of ć?

Smeće is pronounced approximately [SMEH-cheh]:

sme – like English “sm”
- “e” in “men”
ć – a soft “ch”, a bit lighter/softer than English ch in “chocolate”
e at the end – again like “e” in “men”

Contrast:

č – harder, like ch in “church”
ć – softer, more like t
- y in “tiyune” said quickly

So:

smeće [SMEH-cheh] (with a soft ch)
smeče would be wrong spelling and not the same word.