Breakdown of Moj muž radi u gradu, a ja radim kod kuće.
Questions & Answers about Moj muž radi u gradu, a ja radim kod kuće.
In Croatian, possessive adjectives like moj / moja / moje must agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe.
- muž (husband) is masculine, singular, nominative.
- The matching form of moj for a masculine singular noun in the nominative is moj.
So:
- moj muž = my husband (correct)
- moja is for feminine singular nominative (e.g. moja žena – my wife)
- moje is for neuter singular nominative (e.g. moje dijete – my child)
That’s why only moj muž is correct here.
Both come from the verb raditi (to work), but they are different persons (subjects):
Present tense of raditi (singular):
- ja radim – I work / I am working
- ti radiš – you work (singular, informal)
- on/ona/ono radi – he/she/it works
In the sentence:
- Moj muž radi – he works (3rd person singular)
- ja radim – I work (1st person singular)
So radi = “he/she works”, radim = “I work”.
Grammatically, ja is not necessary; Croatian is a pro‑drop language, so subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending (-m in radim) already shows that the subject is I.
- Neutral, normal: Radim kod kuće. – I work at home.
- With ja: Ja radim kod kuće. – I work at home (with a bit more emphasis on I).
In your sentence:
- Moj muž radi u gradu, a ja radim kod kuće.
Emphasises the contrast: my husband vs I.
So yes, you can omit ja, but keeping it adds a natural contrast and is very common in this kind of sentence.
The preposition u can take either the accusative or the locative case, depending on meaning:
- u + accusative → movement into something
- Idem u grad. – I’m going to the city.
- u + locative → location in / inside something
- Radim u gradu. – I work in the city.
In Moj muž radi u gradu, we’re talking about where he works (location), not where he is going, so we use the locative:
- grad → gradu (locative singular)
- hence: u gradu = “in the city”
Gradu is the locative singular of grad (city).
The basic declension (singular) of grad is:
- Nominative: grad (subject) – Grad je velik. (The city is big.)
- Genitive: grada – nema grada (there is no city)
- Dative: gradu – idem gradu u posjet (I go to the city in visit – somewhat formal/archaic)
- Accusative: grad – vidim grad (I see the city)
- Locative: gradu – u gradu (in the city)
- Instrumental: gradom – s gradom (with the city)
With the preposition u meaning “in”, we use the locative, so:
- u gradu = in the city.
All three exist, but they have different nuances:
kod kuće
- idiomatic “at home”
- focuses on the idea of home as a personal place
- Radim kod kuće. – I work at home.
u kući
- literally “in the house”, inside the building
- more physical location, not necessarily your own home
- U kući je hladno. – It’s cold in the house.
kući (without a preposition)
- dative/locative form of kuća, used in a few fixed patterns
- Idem kući. – I’m going home. (direction)
- Sam kući. (colloquial) – I’m at home.
In your sentence, kod kuće is the natural choice to express “at home” in the sense of “not out somewhere, but at home”.
The conjunction a can often be translated as “and”, “while”, or a mild “but”, usually with a feeling of contrast or comparison between the two parts.
In your sentence:
- Moj muž radi u gradu, a ja radim kod kuće.
→ My husband works in the city, while I work at home.
Differences:
i = simple “and”, just adding information, no contrast
- Moj muž radi u gradu i ja radim u gradu. – My husband works in the city and I work in the city.
a = “and / while / whereas”, often contrasting
- Moj muž radi u gradu, a ja radim kod kuće. – My husband works in the city, while I work at home.
ali = stronger “but” (clear opposition)
- Moj muž radi u gradu, ali ja ne radim. – My husband works in the city, but I don’t work.
Here a nicely highlights the contrast: city vs home.
Yes. Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and both are correct:
- Moj muž radi u gradu, a ja radim kod kuće.
- Ja radim kod kuće, a moj muž radi u gradu.
Both mean the same thing. The first position usually carries slightly more emphasis:
- First version highlights Moj muž (my husband) first.
- Second version highlights Ja (I) first.
You can also drop ja:
- Moj muž radi u gradu, a radim kod kuće. – still correct, slightly less emphatic on I.
Yes. Croatian has one present tense for both:
Moj muž radi u gradu.
- He works in the city. (habitually)
- He is working in the city. (currently)
Ja radim kod kuće.
- I work at home.
- I am working at home.
Context usually tells you whether it’s a general fact or something happening right now. There is no separate “-ing” form like English is working.
In the present tense, Croatian verbs do not change for gender, only for person and number:
- ja radim – I work (man or woman)
- on radi – he works
- ona radi – she works
So radim is the same whether the speaker is male or female.
Gender does show up in many past tense forms, for example:
- Moj muž je radio. – My husband worked. (masculine)
- Ja sam radila. – I worked. (if the speaker is female)
- Ja sam radio. – I worked. (if the speaker is male)
But in your sentence (present tense), there is no gender change in the verb.
Yes. Suprug is another word for husband:
- Moj suprug radi u gradu, a ja radim kod kuće.
Differences:
- muž
- very common, everyday, neutral
- suprug
- a bit more formal or polite, often used in official contexts, documents, formal speech
Both are correct, and the grammar around them (like moj muž / moj suprug) is the same.
Approximate pronunciation for English speakers:
muž
- roughly like “moozh”
- ž is like the “s” in “measure” or “vision”
- one syllable: muž
grad
- g as in “go”
- r is a tapped/rolled r (like in Spanish or Scottish English)
- a as in “father”
- d as in “dog”
- one syllable: grad
Stress is usually on the first syllable, so both are stressed at the beginning.