Learn Hardcore Croatian: U kutu sobe stoji velika zelena biljka koja voli svjetlo. - In the corner of the room there is a big green plant that likes light.

u + locative = location (where something is): u kutu = in the corner
u + accusative = direction/motion (where something is going): u kut = into the corner

Because the sentence describes where the plant is standing (a static location), Croatian uses locative: u kutu sobe = in the corner of the room.

Why is it sobe and not soba in u kutu sobe?

Sobe is the genitive singular of soba (room).

In Croatian, when you express a relationship like the corner of the room, the second noun (the owner/whole) is usually in the genitive:

kut sobe = the corner of the room

So the structure is:

u (prep.) + kutu (locative: where?)
sobe (genitive: corner of the room)

Literally: In the corner *of-the room stands a big green plant…*

Why is it stoji instead of just je for “there is / there is standing”?

Stoji is the 3rd person singular of stajati = to stand.

Croatian likes to specify position more than English does:

stojati = to stand (upright)
ležati = to lie (horizontal)
sjediti = to sit

In English you often say:

There is a big green plant in the corner of the room.

In Croatian it’s more natural to say:

U kutu sobe stoji velika zelena biljka.
(In the corner of the room stands a big green plant.)

You could say U kutu sobe je velika zelena biljka, but stoji sounds more vivid and idiomatic here.

Can I change the word order and say Velika zelena biljka stoji u kutu sobe? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can. Both are correct:

U kutu sobe stoji velika zelena biljka.
Velika zelena biljka stoji u kutu sobe.

The basic meaning is the same. The difference is in focus and what you present first:

Starting with U kutu sobe sets the scene: In the corner of the room, there is… (emphasis on location).
Starting with Velika zelena biljka puts the focus on the plant itself: A big green plant is standing in the corner of the room.

Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and stress/intonation plus context carry a lot of the nuance.

Why are the adjectives velika and zelena both in that form, and why do they come before biljka?

Biljka (plant) is feminine singular nominative. Adjectives in Croatian must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe, so:

velika (big) – fem. sing. nom.
zelena (green) – fem. sing. nom.
biljka – fem. sing. nom.

Adjectives almost always go before the noun:

velika zelena biljka = a big green plant

Multiple adjectives are usually ordered in a fairly natural way: size/shape before color is common:

velika zelena biljka sounds normal
zelena velika biljka is grammatically fine but sounds a bit odd or marked.

What does koja refer to, and how does it work grammatically?

Koja is a relative pronoun, similar to English which/that. It refers back to biljka.

biljka – feminine singular nominative
koja – feminine singular nominative (agreeing with biljka)

The relative clause is:

koja voli svjetlo = which/that likes light

So the full structure is:

velika zelena biljka koja voli svjetlo
= the big green plant that likes light

In standard Croatian you can’t drop this “that/which” the way you often do in English. You must say koja (or its appropriate form).

Could I use što instead of koja here: biljka što voli svjetlo?

You might hear što used as a relative pronoun in some dialects and informal speech, but in neutral standard Croatian, for things you normally use koji/koja/koje.

So:

Most natural/standard: biljka koja voli svjetlo
biljka što voli svjetlo can sound dialectal/informal or regional.

For learning standard Croatian, stick with koja in this sentence.

Why is it svjetlo and not svjetlost? What’s the difference?

Both exist and both relate to light, but there is a nuance:

svjetlo (neuter noun)
- common, everyday word: light as illumination or even a light source
- e.g. upaliti svjetlo = to turn on the light
svjetlost (feminine noun)
- more abstract or literary: lightness, brightness, radiance
- used in scientific, poetic or more formal contexts

In this sentence, voli svjetlo sounds very natural:

biljka koja voli svjetlo = a plant that likes (a lot of) light

Voli svjetlost is not wrong, but it feels a bit more formal or bookish.

Does voli mean “loves” or “likes” here?

Voli is the 3rd person singular of voljeti. It’s an imperfective verb and in practice it can mean both loves and likes, depending on context.

On voli svoj posao. = He likes/loves his job.
Ona voli čokoladu. = She likes chocolate.

Here, with a plant and light, the natural English translation is “likes light” or “likes a lot of light”, not “loves light”, even though the Croatian verb is the same. Croatian doesn’t have a separate everyday verb that strictly means to like vs to love in this sense.

Why is there no word for “the” in velika zelena biljka? How do I know it’s “the” plant, not “a” plant?

Croatian has no articles (no a/an or the). Whether you translate as a or the in English depends on context, word order, and what is already known in the conversation.

In this sentence:

U kutu sobe stoji velika zelena biljka koja voli svjetlo.

In a neutral description of a room, you’d usually translate this as:

There is *a big green plant that likes light standing in the corner of the room.*

If the context made that plant already known (you’ve been talking about it), English might prefer the, but Croatian sentence itself doesn’t change. The language leaves definiteness/indefiniteness to context, not to separate words.

Could I drop the relative clause and just say U kutu sobe stoji velika zelena biljka. Biljka voli svjetlo.?

Yes, grammatically that’s fine. You’d have two separate sentences:

U kutu sobe stoji velika zelena biljka.
Biljka voli svjetlo.

Meaning:

In the corner of the room there is a big green plant. The plant likes light.

But combining them with koja voli svjetlo is more natural and compact, just like using that/which in English:

…a big green plant *that likes light.*