Prošli tjedan imali smo ispit iz hrvatskog.

Last week we had an exam in Croatian.

Breakdown of Prošli tjedan imali smo ispit iz hrvatskog.

• biti: to be
• imati: to have
• hrvatski: Croatian
• iz: from
• tjedan: week
• ispit: exam
• prošli: previous

Questions & Answers about Prošli tjedan imali smo ispit iz hrvatskog.

Why is there no word for “we” in the sentence? Shouldn’t it be “mi smo imali”?

Croatian usually omits subject pronouns (like ja, ti, mi) because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• imali smo = we had
  • -li: past participle, plural
  • smo: 1st person plural (we)

So imali smo ispit already means we had an exam.
You can say Mi smo imali ispit iz hrvatskog if you want to emphasize we (as opposed to someone else), but in neutral speech you typically drop mi.

What does “imali smo” literally mean, and how is the past tense formed in Croatian?

Imali smo literally is “we have-had”:

• Infinitive: imati = to have
• Past participle (L‑participle):
  
  • imao (m.sg), imala (f.sg), imalo (n.sg)
  • imali (m/mixed pl), imale (f.pl)
• Auxiliary biti (to be) in the present:
  • sam, si, je, smo, ste, su

The past tense = auxiliary biti (present) + past participle:

• Imali smo ispit. – We had an exam.
• Imala sam ispit. – I (female) had an exam.
• Imao je ispit. – He had an exam.

In your sentence, imali agrees with we (plural), and smo tells you it’s 1st person plural.

Can I also say “Prošli tjedan smo imali ispit iz hrvatskog”? Is there any difference from “Prošli tjedan imali smo ispit iz hrvatskog”?

Yes, you can say both:

• Prošli tjedan imali smo ispit iz hrvatskog.
• Prošli tjedan smo imali ispit iz hrvatskog.

Both are grammatical and mean the same. The small difference is in rhythm and emphasis, not in meaning.

Note on word order:

• smo is a clitic (short unstressed word) and tends to appear in the second position in the clause.
• After Prošli tjedan (which functions as one unit), it’s natural to place smo there:
  Prošli tjedan smo imali ispit…

Imali smo ispit… (without prošli tjedan at the start) is the most basic neutral order for “we had an exam”.

Why is it “prošli tjedan” and not “prošlog tjedna”?

Both exist, but they’re used a bit differently.

• Prošli tjedan – accusative, used as an adverbial of time (“last week” as a time point):

  • Prošli tjedan imali smo ispit.
    = Last week we had an exam.

• Prošlog tjedna – genitive, often means “during last week” or “of last week”:

  • Prošlog tjedna imali smo ispit.
    = Also Last week we had an exam, but it slightly highlights the time period.
  • Ispit prošlog tjedna je bio težak.
    = Last week’s exam was hard.

In everyday speech, Prošli tjedan and Prošlog tjedna are both very common as “last week”, with only a subtle nuance.

Why is it “iz hrvatskog”? What case is “hrvatskog”?

Hrvatskog is the genitive singular masculine form of the adjective hrvatski (“Croatian”).

The preposition iz (“from, out of, of”) always takes the genitive case, and with school subjects it means “in (a school subject)”:

• ispit iz hrvatskog (jezika) – exam in Croatian (language)
• ispit iz matematike – exam in math
• ispit iz povijesti – exam in history

So it must be iz + genitive → iz hrvatskog, not iz hrvatski.

What is the difference between “hrvatski”, “hrvatskog”, and “hrvatskom”?

They are different case forms of the same adjective hrvatski (“Croatian”, masculine).

Basic masculine forms (singular):

• hrvatski – nominative:
  • Hrvatski je težak. – Croatian is difficult.
• hrvatskog – genitive:
  • ispit iz hrvatskog – an exam in Croatian
• hrvatskom – dative/locative:
  • učim u hrvatskom razredu – I study in a Croatian class
  • na hrvatskom – in Croatian (language, as a medium)

So:

• hrvatski – used for subjects (Croatian is…; a Croatian student).
• hrvatskog – after iz and similar prepositions, or for “of Croatian”.
• hrvatskom – often with na (na hrvatskom = “in Croatian [language]”).

Could I say “ispit iz hrvatskog jezika” instead of “ispit iz hrvatskog”? Is there any difference?

Yes, both are correct:

• ispit iz hrvatskog jezika
• ispit iz hrvatskog

Jezika = “of (the) language” (genitive of jezik).

• ispit iz hrvatskog jezika is a bit more explicit/formal.
• ispit iz hrvatskog is shorter and very common in speech, because “language” is obvious from context.

Meaning-wise, they’re effectively the same here: an exam in the Croatian language.

Can I say “imali smo test iz hrvatskog” instead of “ispit”? Do ispit and test mean the same thing?

You can say it, but there is a nuance:

• ispit – usually a bigger, more formal exam (e.g. semester exam, university exam).
• test – more like a smaller test/quiz, often written, less formal.
• School slang also uses kontrolni (ispit) – “test” (often a classroom test).

So:

• Prošli tjedan imali smo ispit iz hrvatskog.
  → suggests a more serious exam.
• Prošli tjedan imali smo test iz hrvatskog.
  → sounds more like a smaller test/quiz.

But in casual speech, people often mix them, and context clarifies which one.

How would I say “Last year we had a Croatian exam” and “Tomorrow we have a Croatian exam”?

Using the same structure:

• Last year we had a Croatian exam.
  Prošle godine imali smo ispit iz hrvatskog.

• Tomorrow we have a Croatian exam.
  Sutra imamo ispit iz hrvatskog.

Notes:

• Prošle godine – “last year” (genitive, time expression).
• Present tense: imamo = we have.
• The rest of the phrase stays the same: ispit iz hrvatskog.

Is there anything tricky about the pronunciation of “Prošli tjedan imali smo ispit iz hrvatskog”?

Main points:

1. Stress is usually on the first syllable of content words:

   • PROšli TJEdan Imali smo Ispit iz HRVAtskog
     (in careful, learner-friendly approximation)

2. Watch these:

   • tjedan – tje is like “tye” in “tye-dan”, not “tee”.
   • hrvatskog – the r is rolled; ts is like “ts” in “cats”.

3. Unstressed words:

   • smo and iz are short and unstressed, flowing into neighbors:
     imali smo ispit iz hrvatskog (almost like one rhythmical group).

Listening to native audio for tjedan, ispit, hrvatski/hrvatskog will help you nail the rhythm.