Learn Hardcore Croatian: Na kraju knjige pišem kratak sažetak priče. - At the end of the book I write a short summary of the story.

kraju is locative singular of kraj (end).
- The preposition na
  - locative is used for “at/on (a location)” → na kraju = “at the end”.
knjige is genitive singular of knjiga (book).
- The noun kraj often takes a genitive to say “the end of something”:
  - kraj knjige = “the end of the book”.
priče is genitive singular of priča (story).
- The noun sažetak (summary) also takes a genitive to say “summary of something”:
  - sažetak priče = “summary of the story”.

So:

na kraju (locative) = at the end
kraju knjige (genitive) = end of the book
sažetak priče (genitive) = summary of the story

Why is it na kraju knjige and not something like u kraju knjige or na kraj knjige?

na kraju knjige = “at the end of the book”
- na
  - locative (kraju) is used for a static location in space or time: at/on the end.
u kraju knjige is not idiomatic for this meaning. u is “in/inside”, and kraj here is an abstract “end”, not a physical interior.
na kraj knjige would require accusative (kraj) and is used for movement toward:
- e.g. Stavi potpis na kraj knjige. = “Put the signature at the (very) end of the book.” (focus on direction/target)

In your sentence we’re describing where/when the action takes place (static position in time), so na kraju knjige (locative) is correct.

Why is the verb pišem used here, and what aspect is it?

Pišem is:

1st person singular, present tense of pisati = “to write”.
pisati is imperfective aspect.

Imperfective aspect in the present can mean:

Right now / currently:
- Na kraju knjige pišem kratak sažetak priče.
  → “(Right now) at the end of the book, I am writing a short summary of the story.”
Habitually / regularly:
- “At the end of a book, I (always) write a short summary of the story.”

To emphasize a completed single action, you’d normally use the perfective napisati:

Na kraju knjige *napišem kratak sažetak priče.*
→ “At the end of the book I (will) write / (manage to) write a short summary of the story.” (focused on the completion)

Could I say “Ja pišem kratak sažetak priče” instead? Why is ja (I) left out?

Yes, you can say:

Na kraju knjige *ja pišem kratak sažetak priče.*

But in normal Croatian:

The subject pronoun (ja, ti, on, ona, etc.) is usually omitted because the verb ending shows the person:
- pišem clearly indicates 1st person singular (“I write”).

You only add ja when you want to:

Emphasize contrast:
- Na kraju knjige ja pišem sažetak, a on piše pogovor.
  → “At the end of the book I write the summary, and he writes the afterword.”
Or when you really want to stress “I (myself)”.

Why is kratak placed before sažetak? Could it come after like in some other languages?

In Croatian (like in most Slavic languages):

Adjectives almost always come before nouns.

So:

kratak sažetak = short summary
and not:
✗ sažetak kratak (this sounds poetic or marked, not neutral prose).

You might see post‑posed adjectives in:

Poetry, song lyrics, or very stylized language, where word order is changed for rhythm or emphasis:
- Sažetak kratak i jasan. – “A short and clear summary.” (here it’s part of a longer, more flexible structure)

For standard everyday speech and writing, keep adjective + noun:

kratak sažetak priče.

How do kratak and sažetak agree grammatically?

Agreement rules:

sažetak = masculine, singular, accusative (direct object of pišem).
The adjective kratak must match the noun in gender, number, and case.

So we get:

nominative: kratak sažetak (a short summary – subject)
accusative (inanimate): kratak sažetak (I write a short summary)

In your sentence:

pišem kratak sažetak
- pišem takes a direct object in accusative
- sažetak is masculine inanimate, so accusative form = same as nominative
- kratak adjusts to that same form

Could I say kratki sažetak priče instead of kratak sažetak priče?

Both kratak sažetak and kratki sažetak are used, but there’s a nuance:

kratak sažetak
- “short summary” – neutral, basic descriptive form.
kratki sažetak
- formally the so‑called “definite” (long) form of the adjective.
- In modern use, it’s very common in set phrases and can sound a bit more “fixed” or “specific”.

In everyday language:

You will often see kratki sažetak in titles/headings, e.g.:
- Kratki sažetak radnje – “Brief summary of the plot”.
Your original kratak sažetak priče is also correct and natural.

So:

Both are grammatically okay; choice is mostly stylistic and regional.

Why is it sažetak priče and not sažetak priču?

Because the noun sažetak (summary) governs the genitive for its complement:

sažetak (čega?) priče = summary of the story.

So:

priče is genitive singular of priča.

Using priču would be accusative, which would suggest something like “a summary (summarizing) the story” as a direct object, but:

In Croatian, the natural and idiomatic pattern is noun + genitive:
- sažetak filma – summary of the film
- opis grada – description of the city
- kraj knjige – the end of the book

Therefore sažetak priče is the correct construction.

What exactly does na kraju knjige express here – time or place?

Na kraju knjige can be understood in both a temporal and a spatial sense, and they overlap here:

Temporal: “at the end of the book” = at the final part of the text, in time/sequence:
- When you reach the end of the book, that’s when you write the summary.
Spatial / structural: the summary is placed in the part of the book that is its end (physically the last pages).

In context, speakers will normally interpret it as:

“In the last part of the book / when we get to the end of the book” – i.e. where/when in the book the summary appears.

Can I change the word order and say Pišem kratak sažetak priče na kraju knjige? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Pišem kratak sažetak priče na kraju knjige.

The meaning is essentially the same:

“I write a short summary of the story at the end of the book.”

Word‑order effects:

Starting with Na kraju knjige puts more emphasis on where/when:
- Na kraju knjige pišem kratak sažetak priče.
  → “At the end of the book, I write a short summary of the story.”
Starting with Pišem puts emphasis first on the action itself:
- Pišem kratak sažetak priče na kraju knjige.
  → “I write a short summary of the story at the end of the book.”

Both are natural; Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and changes mostly affect focus/emphasis, not core meaning.

Could I use napisati instead of pisati to say that I finish the summary?

Yes, with a shift in meaning:

pisati (imperfective) – focuses on the process or habit:
- Na kraju knjige *pišem kratak sažetak priče.*
  → “At the end of the book I (usually) write / am writing a short summary of the story.”
napisati (perfective) – focuses on the completion/result:
- Na kraju knjige *napišem kratak sažetak priče.*
  → “At the end of the book I (manage to) write / finish writing a short summary of the story.”
- In many contexts this will be understood as something you do each time you write a book, or as a single completed action (depending on context).

So:

Use pisati/pišem when you mean the ongoing action or habit.
Use napisati/napišem when you want to stress that the summary gets completed.

Is kratak sažetak priče definite or indefinite? There’s no word for “a” or “the” – how do I know?

Croatian has no articles (a, an, the), so definiteness is:

Understood from context, word order, or sometimes the “definite” form of the adjective (like kratki vs kratak).

In your sentence:

Na kraju knjige pišem kratak sažetak priče.
can be translated as either:
- “I write a short summary of the story.” (indefinite)
- “I write the short summary of the story.” (definite) depending on what’s already known in the context.

If earlier in the text it is clear that there is one specific summary at the end, English will naturally use the, but Croatian doesn’t need to mark that explicitly.