Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom.

Parents regularly go to the park on weekends.

Breakdown of Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom.

• ići: to go
• u: to
• park: park
• vikendom: on weekends
• roditelj: parent
• redovito: regularly

Questions & Answers about Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom.

What is a literal, word‑for‑word breakdown of Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom?

Word by word:

• Roditelji – parents (nominative plural of roditelj)
• redovito – regularly
• idu – (they) go (3rd person plural, present tense of ići = to go)
• u – to / into (preposition, here meaning to)
• park – park (accusative singular)
• vikendom – on weekends (literally with/at the weekend, instrumental used adverbially)

Natural English: “The parents regularly go to the park on weekends.”

Why is it idu and not something like idaju or idju?

Because the infinitive is ići (to go), which is an irregular verb. Its present tense is:

• (ja) idem – I go
• (ti) ideš – you go
• (on/ona/ono) ide – he/she/it goes
• (mi) idemo – we go
• (vi) idete – you (pl./formal) go
• (oni/one/ona) idu – they go

So idu is the correct 3rd person plural form, not idaju or idju.

What case is park, and why is it used here?

Park is in the accusative singular.

• The preposition u (“in / into / to”) can take locative or accusative, depending on meaning:
  • u
    • locative = being inside a place (where?): u parku – in the park
  • u
    • accusative = movement into a place (where to?): u park – to (into) the park

Because the parents are going to the park (movement towards a destination), u park with accusative is required.

Why is it vikendom and not vikendima or svaki vikend?

All three are possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

• vikendom – idiomatic, means “on weekends” (in general, habitually). It’s the instrumental singular used adverbially.
• svaki vikend – every weekend. Slightly stronger sense of each and every weekend, more explicit.
• vikendima – instrumental or locative plural, can also mean on weekends, but vikendom is more common in everyday speech.

So:

• Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom. – They regularly go on weekends (habit).
• Roditelji idu u park svaki vikend. – They go every single weekend (emphasises regularity a bit more).

What exactly does vikendom mean grammatically? Is it singular or plural?

Vikendom is formally instrumental singular of vikend.

However, in usage it functions as an adverbial time expression, meaning roughly “on weekends / at weekends” (a general, repeated time frame). So grammatically it’s singular, but semantically it refers to weekends in general, like English on weekends.

Can I move vikendom to another position, like the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Croatian word order is flexible, and time expressions can move:

• Vikendom roditelji redovito idu u park.
• Roditelji vikendom redovito idu u park.
• Roditelji redovito vikendom idu u park.

All are grammatically correct. The differences are mostly in emphasis:

• Vikendom roditelji… – puts focus on when.
• Roditelji vikendom… – neutral, still somewhat early emphasis on time.
• Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom. – neutral, smooth rhythm; time at the end feels natural.

Where should redovito go? Could I say Roditelji idu redovito u park vikendom?

Yes, you can move redovito. Common options:

• Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom. – default, adverb before verb.
• Roditelji idu redovito u park vikendom.
• Roditelji idu u park redovito vikendom.

All are correct. Adverbs of frequency (redovito, često, rijetko) usually appear:

• before the verb: redovito idu
• or immediately after the verb: idu redovito

The meaning stays the same; only rhythm and slight emphasis change.

What is the difference between redovito, redovno, and obično?

All can relate to regularity, but with nuances:

• redovito – regularly, on a regular basis
  
  • Neutral, standard; fits well in this sentence.
• redovno – very similar to redovito; slightly more colloquial/regional in some areas, but widely understood.
• obično – usually, normally
  
  • Suggests what typically happens, but with more room for exceptions.

So:

• Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom.
  – The parents go to the park on a regular schedule.

• Roditelji obično idu u park vikendom.
  – The parents usually go to the park on weekends (but not always).

Why is there no word for “the” in Roditelji or park?

Croatian has no articles (no equivalent of English a/an/the).

Definiteness (parents vs. the parents) is inferred from:

• context,
• word order,
• whether something is already known in the conversation.

So:

• Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom.
  can mean “Parents regularly go to the park on weekends” or “The parents regularly go to the park on weekends”, depending on context.

What form is Roditelji and why is it used?

Roditelji is nominative plural of roditelj (parent).

• Nominative is used for the subject of the sentence.
• The subject here is “the parents”, the ones doing the action of going.

Forms of roditelj (singular/plural nominative):

• singular: roditelj – (one) parent
• plural: roditelji – parents

Here we need plural, so it’s Roditelji.

How would I say “My parents regularly go to the park on weekends”?

Add the possessive pronoun moji in front of roditelji:

• Moji roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom.

Notes:

• moj (my) agrees with roditelji in gender and number:
  • roditelji are grammatically masculine plural → moji.
• You cannot say moja roditelji; that’s ungrammatical.

Why is present tense (idu) used for a habitual action? In English we also use present, but is it the same idea?

Yes, similar idea.

In Croatian:

• Present tense of an imperfective verb (here, ići) is used for:
  • actions happening now:
    
    • Sada idu u park. – They’re going to the park now.
  • habitual / repeated actions:
    
    • Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom. – They regularly go.

The context word redovito and vikendom signal that this present tense means habit/routine, not “right now.”

What is the difference between ići and otići in a sentence like this?

• ići – imperfective, to go, focusing on the process/habit.
• otići – perfective, to go away / to leave / to go (and complete the going).

For regular, repeated actions you normally use ići:

• Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom. – They regularly go to the park.

Using otići in a habitual sense is possible in some contexts but sounds less neutral here. E.g.:

• Roditelji često odu u park vikendom. – can be understood, but suggests completed individual trips; stylistically less standard than idu for describing a general habit.

Could I say Roditelji redovito idu u park za vikend instead of vikendom?

You can, but the nuance changes slightly:

• vikendom – “on weekends” in general, habitual.
• za vikend – more like “for the weekend / over the weekend / on the weekend (this/that weekend).”

Examples:

• Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom.
  – In general, as a routine over many weekends.

• Roditelji idu u park za vikend.
  – They are going to the park this weekend / for the weekend (more like a specific or upcoming weekend, depending on context).

For a general habit, vikendom is the best choice.

How do you pronounce Roditelji redovito idu u park vikendom? Any tricky sounds for English speakers?

Approximate pronunciation (stress marked with bold):

• Ro-di-te-lji – RO-dee-te-lyi
• re-do-vi-to – re-DO-vee-to
• i-du – EE-doo
• u – oo
• park – like English park but rolled r
• vi-ken-dom – VEE-ken-dom

Tricky bits:

• lj in roditelji is a single palatal sound (like lli in million).
• r is rolled or tapped.
• All vowels are pure and short; each written vowel corresponds to one sound.