Learn Hardcore Croatian: U kalendaru na mobitelu stavljam podsjetnik za svaki sastanak. - In the calendar on my phone I put a reminder for every meeting.

u + accusative = into, to (movement)
- Stavljam podsjetnik u kalendar. = I’m putting a reminder into the calendar.
u + locative = in, inside (location / where)
- U kalendaru imam sve sastanke. = I have all the meetings in the calendar.

In the sentence U kalendaru na mobitelu stavljam podsjetnik…, the speaker is focusing on where they do this (in the calendar on the phone), not on the movement of the reminder into it. So u kalendaru (locative) is fine and sounds natural, similar to:

U Wordu pišem tekst. = I write text in Word.
U kalendaru bilježim sastanke. = I write down meetings in the calendar.

You could also hear u kalendar with this verb, but u kalendaru is very common when talking about working within an app or tool.

Why is it na mobitelu and not na mobitel?

The preposition na works similarly to u:

na + accusative = onto, to (movement)
- Stavljam masku na mobitel. = I’m putting a case onto the phone.
na + locative = on, on top of, on (where)
- Na mobitelu imam internet. = I have internet on my phone.

In na mobitelu we use the locative because we are talking about where the calendar is (on the phone as a device), not about moving something onto the phone.

Base form: mobitel (phone)
Locative singular: mobitelu → with na: na mobitelu = on (the) phone.

Why do we have both u kalendaru and na mobitelu? Isn’t that redundant?

They express two different, nested locations:

u kalendaru = in the calendar (in the calendar app, or in the calendar feature)
na mobitelu = on the phone

Put together:

U kalendaru na mobitelu…
= In the calendar on my phone…

So it’s not redundant: it specifies which calendar (the one on your phone, not on your computer, wall, etc.).

Can I change the word order? For example: Stavljam podsjetnik u kalendar na mobitelu. Is that correct?

Yes, it’s grammatically correct, and Croatian allows flexible word order. Some natural variants:

U kalendaru na mobitelu stavljam podsjetnik za svaki sastanak.
(Given sentence; emphasizes the place/situation first.)
Stavljam podsjetnik u kalendar na mobitelu za svaki sastanak.
(More neutral; verb + object earlier.)
Za svaki sastanak stavljam podsjetnik u kalendar na mobitelu.
(Emphasizes for every meeting.)

The main constraints:

The preposition must stay with its noun: u kalendaru, na mobitelu, za svaki sastanak must stay together.
The meaning doesn’t really change; only the focus/emphasis does.

What exactly does stavljam mean here, and what is the infinitive?

Stavljam is:

verb: stavljati (imperfective)
1st person singular, present tense: (ja) stavljam = I put / I place / I set (repeatedly, habitually, or right now).

Aspect pair:

staviti – perfective (to put once, as a single completed action)
stavljati – imperfective (to be putting, to put regularly)

In this sentence, stavljam suggests a habit:

U kalendaru na mobitelu stavljam podsjetnik za svaki sastanak.
= I (usually / always) set a reminder in the calendar on my phone for every meeting.

If you use stavim (perfective):

U kalendar na mobitelu stavim podsjetnik za svaki sastanak.
could sound like describing a fixed procedure or what you will do once in a specific plan: then I (will) put a reminder…

Could I use another verb instead of stavljam, like bilježim or upisujem?

Yes, but there are nuances:

stavljam podsjetnik – very natural for “setting a reminder” (like in apps).
bilježim sastanak / bilježim podsjetnik – to note down, jot down, record.
upisujem sastanak – to enter, type in (data-like feel).

Some natural alternatives:

U kalendar na mobitelu bilježim svaki sastanak.
= I note down every meeting in the calendar on my phone.
U kalendar na mobitelu upisujem sastanke.
= I enter meetings into the calendar on my phone.

For a reminder in an app, stavljam podsjetnik or postavljam podsjetnik is closest to “set a reminder.”

What does podsjetnik literally mean, and what is its gender?

Podsjetnik is:

a noun meaning reminder.
related to the verb podsjetiti = to remind.
grammatical gender: masculine.

Basic forms:

nominative singular: podsjetnik
accusative singular (same form for inanimate masculine): podsjetnik

So in the sentence, stavljam podsjetnik uses podsjetnik as a direct object in the accusative.

Why is there no “I” in the sentence? Where is the subject?

Croatian usually drops the personal pronoun when the verb ending already shows the subject. This is called a pro-drop language.

Verb form stavljam clearly shows 1st person singular (I).
So ja (I) is not needed: it would be understood from the verb.

You could say:

Ja u kalendaru na mobitelu stavljam podsjetnik…

but ja is only used:

for emphasis (e.g. contrast: I do it, others don’t), or
in special contexts.

In neutral speech, stavljam alone already means I put / I set.

Why do we use za in za svaki sastanak? What does that construction mean?

Za + accusative often expresses purpose or intended target:

lijek za glavobolju = medicine for a headache
poklon za mamu = a present for mom
podsjetnik za sastanak = a reminder for a meeting

So:

za svaki sastanak = for every meeting

Grammar:

za requires accusative.
svaki is masculine singular accusative (same form as nominative).
sastanak (meeting) is masculine; accusative singular is also sastanak (inanimate).

Hence: za svaki sastanak = for each meeting.

Why is it svaki sastanak and not something like svak sastanak or svakog sastanka?

The adjective svaki (every) must agree with sastanak in:

gender: masculine
number: singular
case: accusative (because of za)

Masculine singular forms of svaki:

nominative: svaki
accusative (inanimate): svaki
genitive: svakog

So with za (which takes accusative), we need:

za svaki sastanak (masc. acc.) – correct

Forms like:

svak sastanak – ungrammatical in standard Croatian.
svakog sastanka – genitive; would not go with za.

Why do we say u kalendaru na mobitelu, not u kalendaru mobitela?

Both are technically possible, but they sound different:

u kalendaru na mobitelu
= in the calendar on the phone (standard way to refer to apps/features on a device).
u kalendaru mobitela (genitive)
would sound more like in the phone’s calendar and is less idiomatic; people usually talk about apps and features na mobitelu (on the phone), na računalu (on the computer), etc.

In everyday speech, na mobitelu is the usual way to express “on my phone” in the sense of on this device / in its apps.

Why is it u kalendaru but na mobitelu? Why not na kalendaru or u mobitelu?

Prepositions u and na don’t always translate 1:1 to in and on:

u is used with things seen as interior spaces or containers (physical or abstract):
- u kalendaru – in the calendar
- u knjizi – in the book
- u aplikaciji – in the app
na is used with surfaces and also with devices and media:
- na stolu – on the table
- na televiziji – on TV
- na internetu – on the internet
- na mobitelu – on the phone
- na računalu – on the computer

So:

u kalendaru is natural: the calendar is a kind of “space” where entries live.
na mobitelu is natural: your calendar is on the device.

Na kalendaru would suggest something is on the physical surface of a calendar (e.g., stuck on a wall calendar).
U mobitelu would sound like something is literally inside the phone’s interior, which is not how Croatians describe apps or data there.