Learn Hardcore Croatian: Na kraju sastanka napravili smo kratak zaključak, tako da svi znaju što treba raditi. - At the end of the meeting we made a short conclusion, so that everyone knows what needs to be done.

In this fixed phrase, na + locative (kraju) is used for location in time or space. So na kraju is a standard expression for “at the end (of something)”.

Why is it sastanka and not sastanak?

sastanak is the basic (nominative) form meaning meeting.

After na kraju, when you want to say “at the end of X”, Croatian uses the genitive for X:

na kraju sastanka = at the end of the meeting

So sastanak → sastanka (genitive singular).
Pattern: na kraju + genitive = at the end of …

What case is kraju in, and what’s the structure of na kraju sastanka?

kraju is in the locative singular (of kraj).
sastanka is in the genitive singular (of sastanak).

The structure is:

na
- kraju (locative) = at the end
sastanka (genitive) = of the meeting

Altogether: na kraju sastanka = at the end of the meeting.

Why is the verb order napravili smo and not smo napravili?

In Croatian, the auxiliary smo (from biti, “to be”) is a clitic and usually goes in “second position” in the clause, after the first stressed word or phrase.

Here:

napravili (past participle) is the first stressed element.
smo comes immediately after it: napravili smo.

Placing smo first (smo napravili) is ungrammatical in standard Croatian. You could say Mi smo napravili, where Mi is the first word and smo is second.

Is there any difference between napravili smo kratak zaključak and mi smo napravili kratak zaključak?

Both are correct.

Napravili smo kratak zaključak. – neutral, typical sentence.
Mi smo napravili kratak zaključak. – adds emphasis on mi (we), for contrast, like “We were the ones who made a short conclusion.”

Grammar and meaning are basically the same; the second version is just more emphatic.

What exactly does napravili smo kratak zaključak mean? Is napraviti zaključak normal?

Literally: we made a short conclusion.

In Croatian, napraviti zaključak or donijeti zaključak are both used and understood. You also often see:

napraviti / donijeti sažetak – make a summary
donijeti odluku – make a decision

In context, kratak zaključak can feel like “a brief summary / wrap‑up / conclusion of the meeting”.

Why is it kratak zaključak and not kratki zaključak? Are both possible?

Both kratak zaključak and kratki zaključak are used in practice.

The basic nominative masculine singular form of the adjective is kratak.
kratki is an alternative form that often appears in speech and in some styles of writing.

In this sentence, kratak zaključak is fully standard and maybe a bit more neutral/formal. Kratki zaključak would also be understood and heard quite often.

Why is the adjective kratak placed before zaključak and not after it?

In Croatian, adjectives almost always come before the noun:

kratak zaključak – a short conclusion
dobra ideja – a good idea
novo računalo – a new computer

Putting the adjective after the noun is rare and usually stylistic or poetic, not normal everyday word order.

What does tako da mean here? Is it “so that” or “in such a way that”?

In this sentence, tako da expresses a result or purpose, and can be translated as:

so that everyone knows what to do,
or in such a way that everyone knows what to do.

Here it’s closer to: We made a short conclusion so that everyone knows what needs to be done.
In everyday speech, tako da is very common to introduce the consequence or goal of an action.

Can you use da alone instead of tako da in this sentence?

If you say:

Napravili smo kratak zaključak, da svi znaju što treba raditi.

it sounds awkward or old‑fashioned in modern standard Croatian.

tako da is the natural connector here for result/purpose.
Plain da usually introduces a content or object clause (“that …”) rather than a result clause, e.g.:

Želim da svi znaju što treba raditi. – I want everyone to know what needs to be done.

Why is znaju (present tense) used, not a future form like će znati?

Croatian often uses the present tense to talk about a general or intended state that follows from an action.

…napravili smo kratak zaključak, tako da svi znaju…
= we made a short conclusion so that everyone knows (from now on / in general) what to do.

Using the future (će znati) would sound more like predicting a specific future moment. The present here expresses a stable, resulting situation.

What is the subject of znaju in tako da svi znaju?

The subject is svi = everyone / all (of them).

svi (subject)
znaju (3rd person plural of znati, to know)

So: svi znaju = everyone knows.

What does što treba raditi literally mean?

Literally:

što – what
treba – needs (3rd person singular of trebati, used impersonally)
raditi – to work / to do (imperfective)

So što treba raditi = what needs to be done / what one should be doing.
It’s an impersonal way of talking about the tasks that must be carried out, without focusing on who exactly does them.

Why is it što treba raditi and not što trebaju raditi?

Both are grammatically possible, but the focus is slightly different:

što treba raditi – impersonal: what needs to be done (emphasis on the tasks)
što trebaju raditi – personal plural: what they need to do (emphasis on the people)

In this sentence, the impersonal treba raditi makes it sound more like general instructions or tasks, which fits the context of a meeting conclusion.

Is što here a question word or a relative word? How does it function?

Here što is functioning as a relative/interrogative pronoun introducing a content clause: “what needs to be done.”

The whole phrase što treba raditi is the object of the verb znaju:

svi znaju [što treba raditi]
= everyone knows what needs to be done.

Structurally, it is similar to English: They know what to do.

Could you say što da rade instead of što treba raditi? What’s the difference?

Yes, you could say:

…tako da svi znaju što da rade.

This is more colloquial and a bit more direct:

što treba raditi – more neutral/formal: what needs to be done.
što da rade – more conversational: what they should do / what to do.

Both are understandable, but što treba raditi fits better in a neutral or slightly formal context like a meeting summary.

Why raditi and not učiniti or napraviti at the end?

raditi is an imperfective verb meaning to work, to do (ongoing/regularly).
Using raditi here suggests ongoing or repeated tasks:

što treba raditi – what (one) needs to be doing / what needs to be done (as work/tasks).

učiniti or napraviti are perfective (“to do/perform/complete” once). They would sound more like a single action to be carried out, which is less natural in this context of general responsibilities after a meeting.