Learn Hardcore Croatian: Vikendom sjedimo u dvorištu i mirno pijemo kavu. - On weekends we sit in the yard and calmly drink coffee.

vikendom = on weekends (habitually, as a routine)
- Used for something that usually happens every weekend.
- Example: Vikendom sjedimo u dvorištu. = We (tend to) sit in the yard on weekends.
za vikend = at/over the weekend (this/that weekend, or in general)
- Often refers to one specific weekend (this coming weekend, last weekend), or a looser “over the weekend” idea.
preko vikenda = over the weekend / during the weekend
- Focuses more on the time span, similar to “during the weekend”.

In this sentence, vikendom is best because the action is clearly a habit.

What case is vikendom, and why is that case used to mean “on weekends”?

Vikendom is the instrumental singular of vikend.

In Croatian, the instrumental case is often used adverbially to express:

time when something regularly happens, e.g.
- vikendom – on weekends
- noću – at night
- danju – by day

So although it is grammatically instrumental, in practice vikendom functions like a time adverb: “on weekends / at weekends.”

Why is it sjedimo and not something like sjednemo?

Croatian distinguishes imperfective and perfective verbs:

sjediti (sjedim, sjedimo) – to sit (imperfective, ongoing state)
sjednuti or sjesti (sjednemo, sjednemo) – to sit down (perfective, the action of taking a seat)

In the sentence you have:

sjedimo = we sit / we are sitting (describes the state, or a habitual activity)

If you said:

Vikendom sjednemo u dvorištu…
that would sound like “On weekends we sit down in the yard…”, focusing on the moment of sitting down, which is not what’s meant here. The sentence describes a typical state/activity, so sjedimo is correct.

In English we say “we are sitting” and “we are drinking”. Why does Croatian just use sjedimo and pijemo without a special continuous form?

Croatian does not have a separate “-ing” (continuous/progressive) tense like English.

sjedimo can mean:
- we sit (habitually), or
- we are sitting (right now), depending on context.
pijemo can mean:
- we drink (habitually), or
- we are drinking (right now).

Aspect (imperfective vs perfective) and time expressions (like vikendom, sada, svaki dan) help clarify whether it is habitual or right now.
Here, vikendom clearly tells us it’s a habit, so sjedimo and pijemo are understood as “we (usually) sit and drink.”

Why is it u dvorištu and not na dvorištu?

Both u and na can translate as in/on/at, but they are used differently:

u = in, inside (enclosed or delimited space)
- u kući – in the house
- u dvorištu – in the yard
na = on, on top of, at (surface, open area, event)
- na stolu – on the table
- na plaži – at/on the beach
- na koncertu – at a concert

A dvorište (yard) is thought of as an enclosed or clearly bounded area, so the standard expression is u dvorištu.
You may hear na dvorištu in some dialects, but u dvorištu is the normal, neutral choice.

What case is dvorištu and how is it formed?

Dvorištu is locative singular of dvorište (neuter noun).

For neuter nouns ending in -e like dvorište, the usual locative singular ending is -u:

dvorište → u dvorištu – in the yard
more → u moru – in the sea

With location prepositions like u (in) and na (on/at), Croatian normally uses the locative to show a static location:

sjedimo u dvorištu – we are sitting in the yard (locative)
but: idemo u dvorište – we are going into the yard (accusative; motion toward).

What exactly does mirno mean here, and what form of the word is it?

Mirno is an adverb meaning roughly calmly, peacefully, quietly.

It comes from the adjective miran (calm, peaceful):

miran (adj.) – a calm person, a peaceful place
mirno (adv.) – in a calm / peaceful / quiet way

In the sentence, mirno modifies the verb pijemo:

mirno pijemo kavu = we drink coffee calmly/peacefully/quietly.

Depending on context, it can suggest:

they are relaxed and at peace (not stressed), or
they are being quiet (not making noise).

Does mirno describe only pijemo, or does it also apply to sjedimo?

Grammatically, in the order:

sjedimo u dvorištu i mirno pijemo kavu

mirno is directly attached to pijemo, so it most naturally modifies pijemo (we drink calmly).

However, in real usage, listeners often understand it as describing the whole situation: they are sitting and drinking in a calm, peaceful way.

If you wanted mirno to clearly apply to both verbs, you could move it earlier:

Vikendom mirno sjedimo u dvorištu i pijemo kavu.

Now it more obviously colors the whole activity: Calmly, we sit in the yard and drink coffee.

Can mirno be moved to a different place in the sentence? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, word order is fairly flexible, and moving mirno mainly changes emphasis, not basic meaning. For example:

Vikendom mirno sjedimo u dvorištu i pijemo kavu.
Emphasis on how they sit (calmly).
Vikendom sjedimo mirno u dvorištu i pijemo kavu.
Emphasis on them sitting calmly (quietly, not fidgeting).
Vikendom sjedimo u dvorištu i pijemo mirno kavu.
Slightly unusual; still understandable, but mirno pijemo kavu is more natural.

The most neutral version for “we quietly/peacefully drink coffee” is the original:
…i mirno pijemo kavu.

Why is it kavu and not kava?

Kava is a feminine noun:

Nominative singular (dictionary form): kava
Accusative singular (direct object): kavu

In Croatian, the direct object of most verbs is in the accusative case:

piti kavu – to drink coffee
jesti juhu – to eat soup
čitam knjigu – I read a book

So in pijemo kavu, kavu is accusative singular feminine, correctly showing that coffee is the thing being drunk.

In English I must choose between “coffee”, “a coffee”, “the coffee”, “some coffee”. What does kavu correspond to? Are there articles in Croatian?

Croatian has no articles like a/an or the.

The phrase pijemo kavu can mean, depending on context:

we drink coffee
we are drinking coffee
we are drinking the coffee / our coffee
we are having some coffee

Definiteness and quantity are understood from context, or added with other words:

pijemo jednu kavu – we drink one coffee (e.g. one cup each)
pijemo ovu kavu – we drink this coffee
pijemo svoju kavu – we drink our (own) coffee

But the basic pijemo kavu is neutral: just “we drink coffee / we’re having coffee.”

Why is there no subject pronoun mi (we) in the sentence?

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

sjedimo and pijemo both have the -mo ending, which marks 1st person plural = we.

So:

Mi vikendom sjedimo u dvorištu i mirno pijemo kavu.
Vikendom sjedimo u dvorištu i mirno pijemo kavu.

Both mean the same. Adding mi usually adds emphasis or contrast:

Mi vikendom sjedimo u dvorištu, a oni rade.
We (on the other hand) sit in the yard on weekends, and they work.

Why is there no comma before i (“and”) in …u dvorištu i mirno pijemo kavu?

In Croatian, you normally do not put a comma before i when it simply joins:

two words or phrases:
- kruh i voda – bread and water
- sjedimo u dvorištu i mirno pijemo kavu
or two clauses of equal weight.

A comma before i appears only in special cases (e.g. for emphasis, or when the structure is more complex). In this simple sentence, no comma before i is the standard correct spelling.