Learn Hardcore Croatian: Večeras mirno sjedimo uz rijeku. - Tonight we are sitting calmly by the river.

večeras – this evening, tonight (an adverb of time)
mirno – calmly, peacefully, quietly (adverb, from the adjective miran = calm)
sjedimo – we sit / we are sitting (1st person plural present tense of sjediti = to sit)
uz – by, alongside, next to (a preposition)
rijeku – river in the accusative case, singular (base form/nominative: rijeka)

Natural English: Tonight we are sitting quietly by the river.

Why is sjedimo (present tense) used if the action is happening “tonight” (i.e. in the future)?

Croatian often uses the present tense to talk about near-future plans, especially when the time is clearly indicated by a word like večeras.

So:

Večeras mirno sjedimo uz rijeku.
= Tonight we are (going to be) sitting quietly by the river.

This is very similar to English present continuous for the future:

Tonight we are sitting by the river.

The idea is: the plan is fixed or very certain, and the time word večeras makes it clear we mean the future.

Could I also say Večeras ćemo mirno sjediti uz rijeku with the future tense? Is there any difference?

Yes, that is also correct:

Večeras ćemo mirno sjediti uz rijeku.
(Future: We will sit / will be sitting quietly by the river tonight.)

Difference in feeling:

Večeras mirno sjedimo uz rijeku.
– sounds like a fixed arrangement, something already decided, a bit more immediate and conversational.
Večeras ćemo mirno sjediti uz rijeku.
– more neutral “future”, can sound a bit more formal, planned, or predictive.

Both are fine; context and style decide which feels more natural.

What exactly is večeras? Is it related to večer?

Yes, it is related:

večer – noun: evening
večeras – adverb: this evening, tonight

Večeras is:

an adverb of time (like English today, tonight, tomorrow)
it does not change its form (no case endings)
it usually comes at the start or end of the sentence:
- Večeras mirno sjedimo uz rijeku.
- Mirno sjedimo uz rijeku večeras.

You would not normally say ove večeri sjedimo… in casual speech; večeras is the natural everyday choice.

Why is it rijeku and not rijeka?

Because of case. Croatian nouns change form depending on their role in the sentence.

Base form (nominative, singular): rijeka – river
Accusative singular (used after uz): rijeku

The preposition uz always takes the accusative case. So:

uz rijeku – by/along the river
(rijeku = accusative singular of rijeka)

Rough pattern for rijeka (feminine -a noun):

Nominative: rijeka (subject) – The river is cold. → Rijeka je hladna.
Accusative: rijeku (object / after certain prepositions) – We are by the river. → Sjedimo uz rijeku.

What does the preposition uz mean here, and could I use another preposition instead?

Uz basically means by, next to, along, close to and it takes the accusative case.

In this sentence:

uz rijeku = by the river / next to the river

You can use other prepositions, with slightly different nuances:

pored rijeke – next to / beside the river
kraj rijeke – by / at the side of the river (very similar to pored)
kod rijeke – at the river (area), more general location
na rijeci – on the river (e.g. in a boat), not just on the bank

Uz rijeku often suggests being right alongside it, maybe even following its course.

Can I move mirno to another place in the sentence, like Večeras sjedimo mirno uz rijeku?

Yes. Adverbs like mirno are fairly flexible. These are all grammatical:

Večeras mirno sjedimo uz rijeku.
Večeras sjedimo mirno uz rijeku.
Mirno večeras sjedimo uz rijeku. (less common, but possible)
Sjedimo mirno večeras uz rijeku. (sounds a bit heavy; not typical)

The most natural ones are the first two, with mirno just before or just after sjedimo. The meaning stays the same; you only slightly change the rhythm/emphasis of the sentence.

What is the difference between mirno and tiho? Could I say Večeras tiho sjedimo uz rijeku?

You can say:

Večeras tiho sjedimo uz rijeku.

But mirno and tiho are not identical:

mirno – calmly, peacefully, without disturbance
Focus on calm, lack of movement or agitation.
tiho – quietly, silently, in a low voice
Focus on low volume / not making noise.

So:

Večeras mirno sjedimo uz rijeku.
– We are calm and relaxed, not restless.
Večeras tiho sjedimo uz rijeku.
– We are not speaking loudly; we’re sitting in silence or speaking quietly.

You can also combine them:
Večeras mirno i tiho sjedimo uz rijeku. – Tonight we are sitting calmly and quietly by the river.

Where is the word for “we” in Croatian? Why is mi not used?

Croatian usually omits subject pronouns (like I, you, we) because the verb ending already shows the subject.

sjedimo – 1st person plural (we) present of sjediti

So:

Sjedimo. = We sit / We are sitting
Mi sjedimo. = also correct, but mi adds emphasis on we (as opposed to someone else).

In your sentence, we is included inside sjedimo, so mi is not necessary:

Večeras mirno sjedimo uz rijeku.
– Normal, neutral.
Mi večeras mirno sjedimo uz rijeku.
– We, specifically us, are sitting there (contrast, emphasis).

Is sjedimo from sjediti or sjesti? What’s the difference, and could I use sjesti here?

Sjedimo is from the verb sjediti:

sjediti – to sit, to be sitting (imperfective, ongoing state)
sjesti – to sit down (perfective, moment of starting to sit)

So:

sjedimo (from sjediti) – we are sitting / we sit
sjednemo (from sjesti) – we sit down (we take a seat)

In your sentence we describe the state of sitting, not the moment of sitting down, so sjediti is correct:

Večeras mirno sjedimo uz rijeku. – We (will) be sitting there calmly.

A sentence with sjesti would focus on the action of sitting down, for example:

Večeras ćemo mirno sjesti uz rijeku.
– Tonight we will calmly sit down by the river (emphasis on the act of taking a seat, not on the whole time we are sitting).