Learn Hardcore Croatian: Na videopozivu svi moraju isključiti mikrofon kad ne govore. - On the video call everyone has to turn off the microphone when they are not speaking.

Na videopozivu svi moraju isključiti mikrofon kad ne govore.

On the video call everyone has to turn off the microphone when they are not speaking.

Breakdown of Na videopozivu svi moraju isključiti mikrofon kad ne govore.

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Questions & Answers about Na videopozivu svi moraju isključiti mikrofon kad ne govore.

Why is it na videopozivu and not u videopozivu?

Both na and u can mean on / in depending on context, but Croatian tends to use na with certain types of events and communication channels.

You typically say:

na videopozivu – on a video call
na sastanku – at a meeting
na koncertu – at a concert
na telefonu – on the phone

So na videopozivu is the idiomatic choice, meaning “on a video call”.
u videopozivu would sound odd to native speakers here.

What case is videopozivu, and how is it formed?

Videopozivu is in the locative singular case.

Nominative (dictionary form): videopoziv – a video call
Locative singular (after na, in the sense “on, at”): na videopozivu

For a regular masculine noun ending in -v like poziv / videopoziv, the pattern is:

N: (taj) videopoziv
G: (bez) videopoziva
D: (prema) videopozivu
A: (vidim) videopoziv
L: (na / o) videopozivu
I: (s) videopozivom

The locative and dative singular have the same form (videopozivu), but here the preposition na tells you it’s locative.

Why is it svi moraju and not svatko mora?

Both are possible, but they sound slightly different:

svi moraju isključiti mikrofon – everyone must mute the microphone
- Focus on the group as a whole (all people on the call).
svatko mora isključiti mikrofon – each person must mute their microphone
- Focus on each individual.

In everyday speech, svi moraju is very common when giving general rules to a group.
Grammatically:

svi is plural → verb must be plural: moraju
svatko is grammatically singular → verb must be singular: mora

Why is moraju used here instead of trebaju?

Both morati and trebati can be translated as must / have to / should, but there is a nuance:

moraju (from morati) → obligation, a stronger must / have to
- Svi moraju isključiti mikrofon. – It’s a rule; they are required to do it.
trebaju (from trebati) can be:
- soft obligation: They should…, or
- more neutral “it is needed/necessary”.

You could say:

Svi trebaju isključiti mikrofon.

This would sound a bit softer, more like a recommendation. The original sentence sounds like a clear rule, so moraju is the natural choice.

Why is mikrofon singular when svi is plural? Shouldn’t it be mikrofone?

Croatian often uses the singular to talk about something that each person has individually, especially in instructions or rules:

Svi moraju isključiti mikrofon.
Literally: Everyone must turn off microphone.
Meaning: each person must turn off their own microphone.

You’ll see similar patterns:

Svi moraju pokazati osobnu iskaznicu. – Everyone must show (their) ID card.
Svi neka otvore prozor. – Everyone (each) should open (their) window.

Saying mikrofone (plural) is possible but feels more like you’re talking about all microphones together as a group, and it’s less natural in this kind of rule.

What exactly does isključiti mean here? Could I use ugasiti or utišati instead?

Isključiti literally means to switch off / to turn off / to disconnect.
With mikrofon, it corresponds to to mute the microphone.

Alternatives:

ugasiti mikrofon – literally to extinguish / turn off the microphone
- Grammatically OK, but people more often use isključiti or utišati with microphones.
utišati mikrofon – to make the microphone quieter, to mute
- Very natural too; practically the same as isključiti in this context.

In everyday “video call” language, isključiti mikrofon and utišati mikrofon are the most idiomatic ways to say mute the mic.
Isključiti here also matches the general tech use: isključiti kompjutor, isključiti zvuk.

Why is isključiti (perfective) used, not isključivati (imperfective)?

Croatian uses perfective verbs for:

single, completed actions
instructions that refer to doing something once and getting it done.

Here, isključiti is perfective: to switch off (once, completely).
You’re telling each person to perform the action of muting.

The imperfective isključivati is used for:

repeated actions
ongoing processes

For example:

Na sastancima uvijek isključuju mikrofon. – They always mute the microphone (habit).
Dok govori, on stalno isključuje i uključuje mikrofon. – He keeps turning the mic off and on.

In a rule like this, the perfective isključiti is standard.

Why is there no subject pronoun in kad ne govore? Why not kad oni ne govore?

In Croatian, subject pronouns (ja, ti, on, ona, oni, etc.) are usually omitted when the subject is clear from context or verb ending.

govore → 3rd person plural (they).
The subject oni (“they”) is understood from the verb form and from the previous svi.

You could say:

kad oni ne govore

but it’s not necessary and would only be used if you wanted special emphasis on oni.
In neutral style, kad ne govore is more natural and less wordy.

Why is the present tense ne govore used for a general rule?

Croatian uses the present tense to state:

general truths
habits
rules and instructions.

So:

kad ne govore – when they are not speaking / when they don’t speak

This is the normal way to express a timeless rule.
If you tried to use future tense (kad neće govoriti), it would sound strange here, as if you were talking about a specific future situation, not a general rule.

What is the difference between kad and kada?

Kad and kada mean the same: when.

kada is the full, slightly more formal form.
kad is the shortened, very common spoken and written form.

You can use either here:

…kad ne govore.
…kada ne govore.

In everyday speech and informal writing, kad is more frequent. In more formal or careful writing, you’ll see kada more often, but both are correct.

Why is it kad ne govore and not something like dok ne govore?

Both kad and dok can relate actions in time, but they’re not interchangeable here.

kad = when (a point or condition in time)
- kad ne govore – when they’re not speaking / whenever they aren’t speaking → a condition for the rule.
dok = while (during the time that…)
- dok govore – while they are speaking
- dok ne govore would sound odd and confusing, like “while they are not speaking”.

For rules like this (“when X is the case, you must do Y”), kad (or kada) is the standard choice.

Could I say pričaju instead of govore? Is there a difference?

Yes, you could say kad ne pričaju, but there is a nuance:

govoriti – to speak (neutral, also used for more formal speaking, giving a talk, etc.)
pričati – to talk, to chat, to tell stories (a bit more informal / conversational)

In the context of video calls and rules, govoriti feels slightly more neutral and “official”:

Svi moraju isključiti mikrofon kad ne govore. – fits a general rule or instruction.

Using pričati wouldn’t be wrong, just a bit more casual:

Svi moraju isključiti mikrofon kad ne pričaju. – when they’re not talking (chatting).

Can I change the word order, for example: Svi na videopozivu moraju isključiti mikrofon kad ne govore?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and your example is grammatical.

Some possible orders (all correct, but with slightly different emphasis):

Na videopozivu svi moraju isključiti mikrofon kad ne govore.
– Neutral; sets the scene first: On a video call…
Svi na videopozivu moraju isključiti mikrofon kad ne govore.
– Slightly more emphasis on svi (everyone on the call).
Svi moraju na videopozivu isključiti mikrofon kad ne govore.
– Focus more on the obligation svi moraju.

All sound natural. The original version is a very typical way of phrasing such a rule.