Learn Hardcore Croatian: U restoranu kod jezera čitamo meni s tradicionalnim jelima i tražimo recept za juhu. - In the restaurant by the lake we read the menu with traditional dishes and look for the recipe for the soup.

Location (where something is) → u
- locative
  - u restoranu = in the restaurant (we are already there)
Direction (movement into something) → u
- accusative
  - u restoran = into the restaurant (we are going there)

In the sentence, the meaning is “in the restaurant by the lake”, so we need the locative:
restoran → (locative) restoranu after u.

What does kod jezera literally mean, and why is it jezera and not jezero?

kod is a preposition that usually means “at / by / near (a place or person)”.
It always takes the genitive case.

The noun:

jezero (lake) – nominative (dictionary form)
jezera – genitive singular

So:

kod jezera literally = “at/by/near the lake”.

You can think of kod X as “at the place of X”:

kod kuće – at home
kod prijatelja – at a friend’s (place)
kod jezera – by/at the lake

Why is it čitamo meni and not something like čitamo meniju or čitamo meni-ja?

Here meni is a noun meaning “menu” (a restaurant menu), not the pronoun “to me”.

For this noun:

Nominative: meni
Accusative (direct object): meni (same form as nominative)

In čitamo meni:

čitamo = we read / we are reading
meni is the direct object, so it must be in the accusative.

Accusative of this noun is also meni, so:

čitamo meni = we are reading the menu.

Meniju is the dative/locative form (to the menu / on the menu), which is not needed here.

Isn’t meni also “to me” in Croatian? How do I tell the difference?

Yes, meni can be:

A pronoun (dative of ja = I):
- meni = to me
- Example: Daj meni. = Give it to me.
A noun meaning “menu”:
- meni = menu (nominative or accusative)
- Example: čitamo meni = we read the menu

You tell the difference from:

Context (restaurant vs talking about people)
Role in the sentence:
- After verbs like give, tell, send it’s usually a pronoun: daj meni.
- As a direct object in a restaurant context, it’s the noun: čitamo meni.

In your sentence, the restaurant context makes it clearly the noun “menu”.

Could we say jelovnik instead of meni? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

čitamo jelovnik – we are reading the menu
čitamo meni – we are reading the menu

Both are correct.

Differences in usage:

jelovnik – more native Slavic, a bit more formal or standard.
meni – a loanword (from French menu), very common in everyday speech and in restaurants.

In practice, you’ll see both on signs and in speech.

Why is it s tradicionalnim jelima and not s tradicionalna jela?

Two things are happening:

Preposition + case
- s (with) in the sense “together with / accompanied by” takes the instrumental case.
- So the noun “dishes” must be in instrumental plural:
  - jelo (dish) → jelima (instrumental plural)
Adjective–noun agreement
- Adjective tradicionalan (traditional) must agree with jelima:
- Instrumental plural (neuter) → tradicionalnim jelima

So:

✗ s tradicionalna jela – wrong case (that’s nominative/accusative)
✓ s tradicionalnim jelima – correct: “with traditional dishes”

When do I use s and when sa? Could you also say sa tradicionalnim jelima?

Both s and sa mean “with” and take the instrumental case.
The difference is mostly phonetic (for easier pronunciation):

Use sa:
- Before words starting with s, š, z, ž, or some consonant clusters:
  - sa sestrom (with my sister)
  - sa školom (with the school)
Use s in most other cases:
- s prijateljem (with a friend)
- s tradicijom

In your sentence, both are possible:

s tradicionalnim jelima – very natural
sa tradicionalnim jelima – also acceptable (some speakers prefer it here)

It doesn’t change the meaning.

Why does tradicionalnim jelima have both -nim and -ima endings?

That’s just normal adjective–noun agreement for the instrumental plural:

Noun: jelo (dish), neuter
- Instrumental plural: jelima
Adjective: tradicionalan (traditional)
- Instrumental plural (for neuter plural noun): tradicionalnim

They must match in:

Number: plural
Case: instrumental
Gender type: the adjective takes the pattern that fits a neuter plural noun

So:

s tradicionalnim jelima = with traditional dishes
(literally: with traditional dishes-INSTR.PL)

Why is it recept za juhu and not something like recept juhe?

Both structures exist, but the meanings feel slightly different:

recept za juhu
- za
  - accusative (juhu) often means “for” (purpose/intended for).
- Very natural way to say “a recipe for soup”.
- Focus on purpose: “a recipe in order to make soup”.
recept juhe
- juhe is genitive.
- Literally “the recipe of (the) soup”.
- More likely used when a specific soup is clearly known from context; less common in everyday speech than recept za juhu.

In most learner contexts, recept za juhu is the safest and most idiomatic for “recipe for soup”.

Why is it juhu and not juha or juhe?

The noun juha (soup) is feminine:

Nominative: juha – soup (dictionary form)
Genitive: juhe – of soup
Accusative: juhu – soup as a direct object

The preposition za (“for” when it means purpose) takes the accusative:

za juhu = for soup

So:

juha – subject: Juha je vruća. (The soup is hot.)
juhu – after za, or as a direct object: Kuham juhu. (I’m cooking soup.)
juhe – after some other prepositions or to show possession: bez juhe (without soup).

What is the difference between tražimo recept and pitamo za recept?

Both can appear in a restaurant context, but they emphasize different actions:

tražiti = to look for / to search for / to demand
- tražimo recept za juhu:
  - We are looking for a soup recipe (maybe in the menu, online, etc.)
  - Could also mean we are asking for it, depending on context.
pitati = to ask (someone a question)
- pitamo za recept za juhu:
  - We ask (someone) for the soup recipe.
  - There is clearly a person being asked, even if not named.

So:

If the focus is on searching (in a book, on a page), use tražiti.
If the focus is on asking someone, use pitati.

Why don’t we say Mi čitamo and mi tražimo? Where is the subject “we”?

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb endings already show the person and number.

Verb forms:

čitamo – 1st person plural → we read / we are reading
tražimo – 1st person plural → we look for / we are looking for

So:

U restoranu kod jezera čitamo meni… already means “In the restaurant by the lake, we are reading the menu…”.

You only add mi (“we”) for emphasis or contrast:

Mi čitamo meni, a oni piju vino.
We are reading the menu, but they are drinking wine.

Are čitamo and tražimo present simple or present continuous? How would I say “we read” vs “we are reading”?

Croatian present tense covers both English present simple and present continuous:

čitamo can mean:
- we read (regularly)
- we are reading (right now)
tražimo can mean:
- we look for / we search for (generally)
- we are looking for (right now)

The exact meaning is taken from context.

To emphasize a finished action, you usually switch to a perfective verb in the past:

Pročitali smo meni. – We (have) read the menu (finished).
Pronašli smo recept za juhu. – We (have) found the recipe for soup.

Can the word order at the beginning be different, like Kod jezera u restoranu čitamo meni? Does the meaning change?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbial phrases (time/place).

All of these are grammatically correct and mean essentially the same:

U restoranu kod jezera čitamo meni…
Kod jezera u restoranu čitamo meni…
Čitamo meni u restoranu kod jezera…

Differences are mostly in emphasis and rhythm:

Starting with U restoranu… slightly emphasizes the restaurant.
Starting with Kod jezera… slightly emphasizes the location by the lake.

The basic meaning “In the restaurant by the lake, we are reading the menu…” stays the same.

How can Croatian say “a restaurant” vs “the restaurant” when there are no articles?

Croatian has no articles (a, an, the). The sentence u restoranu can correspond to either:

in a restaurant, or
in the restaurant,

depending on context:

If it’s the first time mentioning it, English might translate it with “a restaurant”.
If the speakers already know which restaurant is meant, English might use “the restaurant”.

Croatian relies on:

Context
Word order
Sometimes additional phrases (onaj restoran, that restaurant)
to clarify if something is specific or not, instead of articles.