Breakdown of Vikendom sjedimo u dvorištu i mirno pijemo kavu.
Questions & Answers about Vikendom sjedimo u dvorištu i mirno pijemo kavu.
All three exist, but the nuance is different:
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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).
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.