Idem prema školi.

I am going toward the school.

Breakdown of Idem prema školi.

• ići: to go
• škola: school
• prema: according to

Questions & Answers about Idem prema školi.

Why is there no separate word for “I” in “Idem prema školi”?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Idem is the 1st person singular form, so it already means “I go / I am going”.
• Adding ja (Ja idem prema školi) is grammatically correct, but usually only used for emphasis (e.g. “I’m the one who is going towards the school.”).

So the basic, neutral sentence is simply Idem prema školi without ja.

Does “idem” mean “I go” or “I am going”?

It can mean both, depending on context.

Croatian does not have a separate present continuous form like English. The present tense of ići (“to go”) can cover:

• Habitual action:
  Svaki dan idem prema školi u osam.
  “Every day I go towards the school at eight.”

• Action happening now:
  Sad idem prema školi.
  “I am going towards the school now.”

So Idem prema školi is usually understood as “I am going towards the school (right now)”, unless context clearly makes it habitual.

What is the infinitive of “idem”, and how is this verb conjugated?

The infinitive is ići = “to go”. It’s irregular.

Present tense of ići:

• ja idem – I go / I am going
• ti ideš – you go / you are going (singular, informal)
• on / ona / ono ide – he / she / it goes
• mi idemo – we go / we are going
• vi idete – you go / you are going (plural or polite)
• oni / one / ona idu – they go

So Idem prema školi = “I am going towards the school.”
For example: Idemo prema školi = “We are going towards the school.”

Why is it “školi” and not “škola”? What case is this?

Školi is the dative singular form of škola (“school”).

The preposition prema (“towards”) always takes the dative case. That’s why:

• nominative (dictionary form): škola – “school”
• dative: školi – “to the school / towards the school”

So:

• Idem prema školi. – “I’m going towards the school.” (dative)
  Not: Idem prema škola. (incorrect)

Note: for this noun, dative and locative forms are the same (školi), but here it’s functioning as dative because of prema.

What exactly does “prema” mean here? Is it just “to”?

In this sentence prema means “towards” rather than a simple “to”.

• prema
  • dative = towards some direction or place, without necessarily implying you will reach or enter it.

So:

• Idem prema školi. – “I’m going towards the school.” (you’re heading in that direction)
• It does not automatically mean “I am going to the school as a destination and will go in.”

Other examples:

• Gledam prema moru. – “I’m looking towards the sea.”
• Trčimo prema kući. – “We’re running towards the house.”

What’s the difference between “Idem prema školi” and “Idem u školu”?

Both can be translated with “I’m going to (the) school,” but there is a nuance:

• Idem prema školi.
  Focus: direction.
  → You’re headed towards the school. You may or may not actually reach or enter it. It describes movement in that general direction.

• Idem u školu.
  Focus: destination / goal.
  → You are going to the school as a place, with the implication that you’re going there (inside / to attend).

So:

• If you’re describing the path or orientation: Idem prema školi.
• If you mean you’re going to school (to have class, work, etc.): Idem u školu.

Could I say “Idem školi” without “prema”?

No, that would be incorrect.

In Croatian, you normally need a preposition with a dative noun to express “to / towards” in this sense. The preposition tells you the relationship:

• Idem prema školi. – correct
• Idem u školu. – correct
• Idem školi. – wrong in this context

There are some verbs that can take a “bare” dative (without a preposition), but ići (“to go”) is not used that way for physical direction. You must use prema, u, do, etc., depending on the meaning.

Are there other prepositions I could use instead of “prema” for direction?

Yes, but they have slightly different meanings or usage:

1. u

   • accusative
   • Indicates going into or to a place as a destination:
     
     • Idem u školu. – “I’m going to (into) the school / to school.”

2. do

   • genitive
   • Means “up to” / “as far as” a place (reaching it, but not necessarily entering):
     
     • Idem do škole. – “I’m going as far as the school / up to the school.”

3. k / ka

   • dative
   • Also “towards”, but more literary, regional, or old‑fashioned:
     
     • Idem k školi / ka školi. – “I’m going towards the school.” (less common than prema in modern standard speech)

So:

• prema školi – towards the school (most neutral for “towards”)
• u školu – to/into the school (destination)
• do škole – as far as the school (end point of the path)

Can I add “ja” and say “Ja idem prema školi”? Does it change the meaning?

You can, and it’s grammatically correct:

• Ja idem prema školi.

The basic meaning is the same (“I’m going towards the school”), but:

• Without ja: neutral, most common.

• With ja: adds emphasis on “I”:

  • Answering a “who” question:
    Tko ide prema školi? – Ja idem prema školi.
    “Who is going towards the school? – I am going towards the school.”
  • Or contrasting with others:
    Oni ostaju, a ja idem prema školi.
    “They are staying, but I am going towards the school.”

Is the word order fixed, or can I say “Prema školi idem”?

Word order in Croatian is more flexible than in English. You can say:

• Prema školi idem.

This is grammatically correct, but the nuance changes slightly:

• Idem prema školi. – neutral; focuses on the action “I’m going” and then adds the direction.
• Prema školi idem. – puts emphasis on the direction (“towards the school it is that I’m going”), for example when contrasting with some other direction.

In everyday speech, Idem prema školi is more common, but the other order is possible and natural in the right context.

How would I say “We are going towards the school” or “They are going towards the school”?

Just change the subject by conjugating ići accordingly and keep prema školi:

• Mi idemo prema školi. – “We are going towards the school.”
• Vi idete prema školi. – “You (plural / polite) are going towards the school.”
• Oni idu prema školi. – “They (masculine or mixed group) are going towards the school.”
• One idu prema školi. – “They (all-female group) are going towards the school.”
• Ona idu prema školi. – “They (neuter, e.g. groups of children/things) are going towards the school.”

Why isn’t there a word like “the” before “školi”?

Croatian has no articles like “a / an / the” at all.

• školi can mean “to school”, “to the school”, or even sometimes “to a school”, depending on context.
• The definiteness or specificity (a vs. the) is understood from the broader context, word order, or additional information, not from an article.

So Idem prema školi can be translated as:

• “I’m going towards the school.” (most natural)
  or sometimes:
• “I’m going towards a school.” (if no specific school has been mentioned yet)