Mi treniramo u dvorani, a ostali treniraju u parku.

we

Breakdown of Mi treniramo u dvorani, a ostali treniraju u parku.

• u: in
• a: and
• park: park
• trenirati: to train
• dvorana: hall
• ostali: others

Questions & Answers about Mi treniramo u dvorani, a ostali treniraju u parku.

Can the mi be left out? In English we have to say we train, but I’ve seen Croatian sentences without subject pronouns.

Yes, mi can be left out here.

• Mi treniramo u dvorani = Treniramo u dvorani
  Both mean We train in the hall / gym.

Croatian verb endings already show the person:

• treniramo clearly shows 1st person plural (we)

So the full sentence without mi would be:

• Treniramo u dvorani, a ostali treniraju u parku.

Using mi just emphasizes we a bit more (e.g. in contrast to others).

What is the difference between treniramo and treniraju?

They are different present tense forms of the verb trenirati (to train):

• treniramo = we train (1st person plural)
• treniraju = they train (3rd person plural)

Present tense of trenirati:

• ja treniram – I train
• ti treniraš – you (sg) train
• on/ona/ono trenira – he/she/it trains
• mi treniramo – we train
• vi trenirate – you (pl/formal) train
• oni/one/ona treniraju – they train

So the verb changes instead of adding a subject pronoun like in English.

Why is it u dvorani and not u dvorana? What is this -i ending?

Dvorana is a feminine noun:

• base form (nominative singular): dvorana – hall / sports hall

After the preposition u meaning in (location, static place), Croatian uses the locative case.
For feminine nouns like dvorana, the locative singular ending is usually -i:

• u dvorani = in the hall / in the gym

So:

• dvorana (dictionary form, subject)
• u dvorani (in the hall – locative, after u for location)

Why is it u parku and not u park? What does the -u ending mean?

Park is a masculine noun:

• base form (nominative singular): park

Again, u with a static location uses the locative case.
For many masculine nouns ending in a consonant, the locative singular ending is -u:

• u parku = in the park

So:

• park (dictionary form)
• u parku (in the park – locative singular)

So both u dvorani and u parku are locative? How do I know when to use locative after u?

Yes, both are locative.

The preposition u can take different cases, but a simple rule:

• u
  • locative = in (location, being inside somewhere)
    
    • u dvorani – in the hall
    • u parku – in the park
• u
  • accusative = into (movement into somewhere)
    
    • Idemo u dvoranu. – We’re going into the hall.
    • Idem u park. – I’m going to the park.

In your sentence, the meaning is where the training happens (location), so locative is used.

Why is there no word for the in u dvorani and u parku? How do I know if it’s “in a hall” or “in the hall”?

Croatian has no articles (no words like a / an / the).

• u dvorani can be translated as in a hall, in the hall, or in the gym, depending on context.
• u parku can be in a park or in the park.

Context and previous mention usually tell the listener whether you mean a or the. The Croatian form itself does not change.

What does ostali mean exactly? Is it the same as drugi?

Ostali means the others / the rest.

• Mi treniramo u dvorani, a ostali treniraju u parku.
  = We train in the hall, and the others train in the park.

Details:

• ostali is the masculine plural form (it agrees with an implied masculine or mixed group plural noun, like ljudi – people).
• It has a nuance of the remaining ones / everyone else.

Drugi can also mean other, but:

• ostali = the rest of the group you’re talking about
• drugi = other / another, more general, can also mean second in some contexts

Here ostali is more natural because it contrasts “we” with “everyone else” in that group.

Could the sentence say Mi treniramo u dvorani, a oni treniraju u parku instead of ostali?

Yes, that’s also correct, but the meaning is slightly different:

• Mi treniramo u dvorani, a oni treniraju u parku.
  = We train in the hall, and they train in the park.
  (just we vs they, two groups)

• Mi treniramo u dvorani, a ostali treniraju u parku.
  = We train in the hall, and the others train in the park.
  (we are part of a larger group, and the rest train somewhere else)

Oni just refers to another group; ostali implies “all the remaining members of the same broader group.”

What is the role of a here? Why isn’t it i?

Both a and i can be translated as and, but they’re used differently:

• i = simple addition, like and

  • Mi treniramo u dvorani i treniramo u parku.
    (We train in the hall and train in the park – just adding information.)

• a = and / while / whereas / but in a contrasting sense
  It often contrasts two subjects or situations.

In your sentence:

• Mi treniramo u dvorani, a ostali treniraju u parku.
  = We train in the hall, while / whereas the others train in the park.

So a emphasizes the contrast between mi and ostali, and between u dvorani and u parku.

Could the word order be changed, like U dvorani mi treniramo, a u parku treniraju ostali? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible, and that version is grammatically correct:

• U dvorani mi treniramo, a u parku treniraju ostali.

The basic meaning is the same, but emphasis shifts:

• Mi treniramo u dvorani, a ostali treniraju u parku.
  → more neutral; slight focus on who does what.

• U dvorani mi treniramo…
  → emphasizes the place first: In the hall, we train…

• …a u parku treniraju ostali.
  → again focuses on the place first: and in the park, the others train.

Croatian uses word order partly for emphasis rather than strict grammar.

Does treniramo need a reflexive pronoun, like se treniramo?

In this sentence, no: Mi treniramo u dvorani is correct and natural.

• trenirati can be:
  • intransitive: Mi treniramo. – We train / practice.
  • transitive: Mi treniramo nogomet. – We train football.

Se treniramo would sound wrong or at least very unusual here.
You might see forms like trenirati se in certain expressions, but for we train (work out / practice), just treniramo is used.

Is there any aspect difference in treniramo? Is it imperfective or perfective?

Trenirati is usually used as an imperfective verb in modern Croatian.

• Mi treniramo u dvorani describes an ongoing, habitual, or repeated action:
  We train / we are training in the hall.

There is a perfective partner istrenirati (to train up, to train fully), but:

• You would not use istreniramo in this sentence, because you’re not describing a completed one-time result, but a regular or ongoing activity.

So treniramo here is imperfective present.