Learn Hardcore Croatian: Naša kapetanica drži kratak govor u svlačionici za vrijeme poluvremena. - Our captain female gives a short speech in the locker room during half-time.

Kapetanica is the feminine form of kapetan (captain). Croatian often makes a feminine version of professions/roles with -ica (e.g. učitelj – učiteljica, glumac – glumica).

Because the person is female, the noun is kapetanica (feminine), so the possessive pronoun must also be feminine:

naš kapetan = our (male) captain
naša kapetanica = our (female) captain

What exactly does drži kratak govor mean? Why use držati for “give a speech”?

Literally, držati means “to hold”. But in Croatian it’s a standard collocation for giving formal talks:

držati govor – to give/hold a speech
držati predavanje – to give a lecture
držati sastanak – to hold a meeting

So drži kratak govor is best translated as “(she) is giving a short speech”, not “holding a short speech” in natural English.

Why is it kratak govor and not kratki govor or kratku govor?

Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number and case.

govor is masculine, singular, accusative (as a direct object)
For a masculine inanimate noun in accusative singular, the adjective form is kratak (same form as nominative).

So:

kratak govor = a short speech (masc. sg. acc.)
kratki govori = short speeches (masc. pl. nom.)
kratku would be feminine (e.g. kratku pjesmu = a short song).

Here kratak govor is correct because govor is masculine.

What case is govor in here, and how can I tell if it’s nominative or accusative?

Govor is the direct object of the verb drži, so it’s in the accusative singular.

For masculine inanimate nouns, the nominative and accusative forms are often identical:

Nominative sg.: govor – Govor je dobar. (The speech is good.)
Accusative sg.: govor – Drži govor. (She is giving a speech.)

You know it’s accusative here from the role in the sentence (object of drži), not from the form itself.

Why is it u svlačionici and not u svlačionicu?

The preposition u can take either locative (location) or accusative (movement into):

u svlačionici (locative) = in the locker room (static location)
u svlačionicu (accusative) = into the locker room (movement to that place)

In the sentence, the captain is already in the locker room, so Croatian uses locative:
u svlačionici = in the locker room.

What case is svlačionici and how is it formed?

Svlačionici is locative singular of svlačionica (feminine noun).

Declension (sg.):

Nominative: svlačionica
Genitive: svlačionice
Dative: svlačionici
Accusative: svlačionicu
Locative: svlačionici (same form as dative)
Instrumental: svlačionicom

After u with a static location sense (“in”), Croatian uses locative: u svlačionici.

How does the phrase za vrijeme poluvremena work grammatically?

It’s built from:

za (preposition “for” / “during”)
vrijeme (noun “time”, here in accusative: za vrijeme = “for the time / during the time”)
poluvremena (genitive singular of poluvrijeme, “half-time”)

So literally: “for the time of halftime”, i.e. “during halftime”.

Pattern: za vrijeme + GENITIVE

za vrijeme utakmice – during the match
za vrijeme rata – during the war
za vrijeme poluvremena – during halftime

Why is it poluvremena and not poluvrijeme?

The basic form is poluvrijeme (nominative singular, “halftime”).

After za vrijeme, the next noun goes into the genitive:

Nominative: poluvrijeme
Genitive: poluvremena

So:

za vrijeme poluvremena = during (the time of) halftime

The change from -vrijeme → -vremena is a regular pattern for this word in the genitive.

Could I say u poluvremenu instead of za vrijeme poluvremena?

Yes, u poluvremenu is also possible and idiomatic, and it means “at/during halftime”.

Nuance:

za vrijeme poluvremena – explicitly “during the time of halftime”, feels a bit more formal/explicit.
u poluvremenu – “in halftime / during halftime”, a bit shorter and more colloquial.

Both are correct in this context.

Can the word order change, for example: Za vrijeme poluvremena naša kapetanica drži kratak govor u svlačionici?

Yes. Croatian word order is flexible. Your version is correct and natural.

Basic meaning does not change; word order mainly affects:

emphasis (what you highlight)
flow / style

Some acceptable variants:

Naša kapetanica u svlačionici drži kratak govor za vrijeme poluvremena.
U svlačionici naša kapetanica drži kratak govor za vrijeme poluvremena.
Za vrijeme poluvremena naša kapetanica drži kratak govor u svlačionici.

All still mean the same thing.

How would I say “Our captain will give a short speech in the locker room at halftime”? Is the future tense needed?

You can use either present or future in Croatian, depending on context and style.

Future tense (explicit future):
- Naša kapetanica će držati kratak govor u svlačionici za vrijeme poluvremena.
Present for a scheduled future event (also common):
- Naša kapetanica drži kratak govor u svlačionici za vrijeme poluvremena.

Just like English sometimes uses present for timetabled events (“Tomorrow we play at 7”), Croatian present can refer to planned future actions in the right context.

Is there another common way to say za vrijeme poluvremena, like using tijekom or dok?

Yes, there are several natural alternatives:

tijekom poluvremena – during halftime
- Naša kapetanica drži kratak govor u svlačionici tijekom poluvremena.
dok je poluvrijeme – while it is halftime
- Naša kapetanica drži kratak govor u svlačionici dok je poluvrijeme.
u poluvremenu – in/during halftime
- Naša kapetanica drži kratak govor u svlačionici u poluvremenu.

All of these can work; za vrijeme poluvremena and tijekom poluvremena are especially common and quite neutral.