Learn Hardcore Croatian: Dok trčimo oko igrališta, trener gleda našu formu, a u dvorani vježbamo snagu. - While we run around the field, the coach watches our fitness, and in the hall we train strength.

Dok trčimo oko igrališta, trener gleda našu formu, a u dvorani vježbamo snagu.

While we run around the field, the coach watches our fitness, and in the hall we train strength.

Breakdown of Dok trčimo oko igrališta, trener gleda našu formu, a u dvorani vježbamo snagu.

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Questions & Answers about Dok trčimo oko igrališta, trener gleda našu formu, a u dvorani vježbamo snagu.

Why is there no subject pronoun mi in dok trčimo? In English I have to say while *we are running*.

In Croatian, the personal pronoun is usually dropped because the verb ending already shows the subject.

trčimo = we run / we are running
- -mo ending → 1st person plural (we)

So dok trčimo literally means while (we) run, and adding mi is usually unnecessary:

Dok trčimo oko igrališta… = While we run around the pitch…

You can say mi trčimo, but it usually adds emphasis (we in particular are running, not someone else). In neutral sentences, Croatians normally omit mi.

What is the difference between dok and kad/kada? Could I say Kad trčimo oko igrališta… instead of Dok trčimo oko igrališta…?

Both dok and kad/kada are time conjunctions, but they’re not identical:

dok = while, as
- Emphasises two actions happening at the same time.
- Very natural here: Dok trčimo…, trener gleda… → both actions are simultaneous.
kad / kada = when
- More neutral; can mean whenever, when (in general), or a single time in the past/future depending on context and tense.
- Kad trčimo oko igrališta, trener gleda našu formu is also correct and would often be understood as whenever we run around the pitch, the coach watches our form.

So:

dok → focuses on simultaneity (while we are running).
kad/kada → when / whenever; slightly less focused on the overlap and more on the condition/occasion.

Why is it oko igrališta and not oko igralište? Which case is igrališta?

The preposition oko (around) takes the genitive case.

Nominative (dictionary form): igralište (the pitch / playground)
Genitive singular (neuter noun ending in -e): igrališta

Pattern:

igralište → igrališta (genitive singular)

So:

oko + genitive → oko igrališta = around the pitch

You cannot say oko igralište, because after oko the noun must be in genitive, not nominative.

What case are našu formu and snagu, and why do they change from naš / forma / snaga?

Both našu formu and snagu are in the accusative singular, because they are direct objects of the verbs gleda and vježbamo.

našu formu
- Base forms:
  - Adjective/pronoun: naš (our)
  - Noun: forma (form, condition)
- forma is feminine. Feminine singular accusative normally ends in -u:
  - forma → formu
- naš must agree with forma in gender, number, and case:
  - feminine, singular, accusative → našu
So trener gleda našu formu = the coach watches our form/condition.
snagu
- Base form: snaga (strength, power) – also feminine
- Accusative singular: snagu (again, -a → -u change)
- vježbamo snagu = we train strength / we work on our strength.

In short:

Feminine noun in accusative singular → -a becomes -u (forma → formu, snaga → snagu).
Possessive naš adapts to našu to match formu.

In English, form often means the shape of something. What does forma mean here in našu formu?

In sports contexts, forma in Croatian means physical condition, fitness level, performance form, not shape.

So:

naša forma = our (sports) form → how fit, fast, and technically good you are.

Some typical uses:

biti u dobroj formi = to be in good shape / good form
ispasti iz forme = to lose form / get out of shape

So trener gleda našu formu means the coach is observing how well you run, your technique, stamina, etc., not the geometric “shape” of your body.

Why is it u dvorani vježbamo snagu, not u dvoranu vježbamo snagu? What’s the difference between u dvorani and u dvoranu?

The preposition u can take either locative or accusative, with a change of meaning:

u + locative → location: in, inside (somewhere)
- u dvorani = in the hall / in the gym
u + accusative → direction/movement: into (somewhere)
- u dvoranu = into the hall (motion towards)

In the sentence, we are talking about where we train strength, not where we are going:

u dvorani vježbamo snagu = we train strength in the hall/gym → static location → locative (dvorani)

Form:

Nominative: dvorana (hall, gym, sports hall)
Locative singular (feminine): u dvorani

What exactly does the conjunction a mean here in …, a u dvorani vježbamo snagu? Is it just “and”?

A is a coordinating conjunction that often translates as “and”, but it usually carries a slight contrast or shift in focus, similar to while / whereas / but in English.

In this sentence:

Dok trčimo oko igrališta, trener gleda našu formu, a u dvorani vježbamo snagu.

The nuance is:

While we run around the pitch, the coach watches our form, and meanwhile / but in the hall we train strength.

It contrasts two different locations/activities:

Outside: running, coach watching form
Inside: strength training

You could translate a here as:

and (neutral)
and then / whereas / while (to show contrast in activities/places)

Why are there commas in this sentence, especially before a?

Croatian comma rules are a bit stricter than English ones. In this sentence:

Dok trčimo oko igrališta, trener gleda našu formu, a u dvorani vježbamo snagu.

After the clause with dok
- Dok trčimo oko igrališta, → The comma separates the dependent time clause from the main clause.
Before a
- …, trener gleda našu formu, a u dvorani…
- In Croatian, you normally put a comma before coordinating conjunctions like a, ali, nego, no when they connect clauses.

So the commas mark:

The end of the “while…” clause.
The connection between two main clauses with a.

Could I change the word order, for example Trener našu formu gleda or Našu formu gleda trener? How flexible is Croatian word order here?

Croatian word order is much more flexible than English, because meaning is mostly carried by endings, not position.

Your options (all grammatically correct, but with different emphasis):

Trener gleda našu formu. – neutral, default order.
Trener našu formu gleda. – still fine; slight emphasis on what he is doing with our form (he watches it).
Našu formu trener gleda. – emphasises našu formu: our form is what the coach is watching.
Našu formu gleda trener. – emphasises trener: it’s the coach (not someone else) who’s watching our form.

In everyday speech, the original Trener gleda našu formu is the most common, neutral-sounding version.

Are trčimo and vježbamo present continuous like English we are running / we are training, or simple present like we run / we train?

Croatian doesn’t have a separate “continuous” form like English. The present tense can cover both:

trčimo:
- we are running (right now)
- or we run (regularly, habitually)
vježbamo:
- we are training / are working out
- or we train / we work out (regularly)

The exact meaning comes from context:

In your sentence, it can be understood as a typical training routine:
- While we (usually) run around the pitch, the coach watches our form, and in the hall we (usually) train strength. or as a description of what is happening right now in one specific training session.

English has to choose between we run and we are running; Croatian just uses the present and lets context decide.

Does oko here have anything to do with oko meaning “eye”?

They are homonyms: same form, different meanings.

oko (preposition) = around
- Always followed by genitive:
  - oko igrališta = around the pitch
  - oko kuće = around the house
oko (noun) = eye
- Nominative singular: oko
- Genitive singular: oka (of the eye), etc.

In your sentence, oko is clearly the preposition (around), not the noun eye, because it is followed by another word (igrališta) in genitive.

What exactly does dvorana mean? Is u dvorani more like “in the gym” or “in the hall”?

Dvorana is a general word meaning hall, often a sports hall / gym hall in this kind of context.

sportska dvorana = sports hall
In everyday sports talk, dvorana often just means the gym (as in indoor sports facility), especially when it’s clear from context that you’re talking about training.

So u dvorani vježbamo snagu can be understood as:

we train strength in the hall
or more naturally in context:
we do strength training in the gym (indoors).