Learn Hardcore Croatian: U Zagrebu smo rezervirali smještaj blizu centra kako bismo mogli ići pješice, a ne taksijem. - In Zagreb we reserved accommodation near the center so that we could go on foot and not by taxi.

U Zagrebu smo rezervirali smještaj blizu centra kako bismo mogli ići pješice, a ne taksijem.

In Zagreb we reserved accommodation near the center so that we could go on foot and not by taxi.

Breakdown of U Zagrebu smo rezervirali smještaj blizu centra kako bismo mogli ići pješice, a ne taksijem.

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Questions & Answers about U Zagrebu smo rezervirali smještaj blizu centra kako bismo mogli ići pješice, a ne taksijem.

Why is it u Zagrebu and not u Zagreb or u Zagreba?

The preposition u (in) is followed by the locative case when it answers "where?" (location).

Zagreb – base form (nominative)
u Zagrebu – locative singular (in Zagreb)

So:

Gdje smo rezervirali smještaj? – U Zagrebu. (Where? → locative)

You would use Zagreba (genitive) after prepositions that require genitive, for example:

iz Zagreba – from Zagreb
oko Zagreba – around Zagreb

But with u meaning "in" (static location), the correct form is u Zagrebu.

Why is the auxiliary smo before the verb: smo rezervirali, and can I say rezervirali smo?

Yes, you can also say Rezervirali smo smještaj....

In Croatian, the auxiliary jesam (here: smo) in the past tense can go either:

before the main verb: smo rezervirali
or after it: rezervirali smo

Both are grammatically correct; word order is more flexible than in English and can change emphasis slightly, but in this sentence there is no big difference in meaning.

Examples:

U Zagrebu smo rezervirali smještaj.
U Zagrebu smo smještaj rezervirali.
U Zagrebu rezervirali smo smještaj.

All are possible, with minor changes in emphasis; the version in your sentence is the most neutral and common.

What exactly does smještaj mean here? Is it like "accommodation" or "apartment"?

Smještaj is a general noun meaning accommodation / lodging – any place where you stay temporarily:

hotel
hostel
apartment
room
Airbnb, etc.

It does not specify the type. In English you might say:

"We booked accommodation in Zagreb."

If you want to be specific, you would use words like:

hotel
apartman (apartment)
sobu (a room)

Why is it blizu centra and not blizu centar or blizu centru?

The preposition blizu (near, close to) always takes the genitive case.

centar – nominative (the center)
centra – genitive singular (of the center)

So:

blizu centra – near the center

This is the same pattern with other nouns:

blizu kuće – near the house
blizu škole – near the school
blizu rijeke – near the river

Using centar or centru here would be grammatically wrong; blizu requires genitive → centra.

What does the structure kako bismo mogli mean, and why not just da možemo?

kako bismo mogli literally means "so that we could" or "in order that we could".

It introduces a purpose clause – it explains why you booked the accommodation near the center.

...blizu centra kako bismo mogli ići pješice...
→ "...near the center so that we could go on foot..."

You can say da možemo, especially in everyday speech:

...blizu centra da možemo ići pješice...

Differences:

kako bismo mogli – a bit more formal/elegant, explicitly uses the conditional (bismo mogli)
da možemo – more colloquial, uses present tense instead of conditional

Both are correct and commonly understood; the original version just sounds a bit more "carefully written" or formal.

What is bismo and how does it work with mogli?

Bismo is the 1st person plural conditional auxiliary of the verb biti (to be).

Conditional ("would") in Croatian is usually:

bih, bi, bi, bismo, biste, bi
- past participle

Here:

bismo – we would (auxiliary)
mogli – past participle of moći (to be able to)

So:

bismo mogli = we would be able to / we could

Full breakdown:

kako – so that
bismo – (we) would
mogli – be able (literally "been able")

Together: kako bismo mogli → "so that we could".

Why is it ići pješice and not just hodati?

Both involve walking, but they are used differently:

ići pješice – to go somewhere on foot (mode of transport)
hodati – to walk (the physical action of walking)

In your sentence you're contrasting means of transport: on foot vs by taxi.

So:

ići pješice – to go by walking (instead of by taxi, bus, etc.)
hodati – could be "to walk around" without a specific destination

You might also hear the colloquial variant ići pješke, which means the same as ići pješice.

What case is taksijem in, and what does that ending mean?

Taksijem is the instrumental singular of taksi (taxi).

Instrumental is often used for means of transport:

ići autobusom – to go by bus
putovati vlakom – to travel by train
vozim se tramvajem – I’m riding the tram
ići taksijem – to go by taxi

So taksijem means "by taxi".

The phrase a ne taksijem literally: "and not by taxi".

What is the role of a in a ne taksijem?

The conjunction a here works like a contrastive "and/but".

i – and (adding, no contrast)
ali – but (strong contrast)
a – and/but (milder, contrasting two options)

In ...ići pješice, a ne taksijem, a contrasts:

going on foot
vs
going by taxi

You could also say nego taksijem in a different structure (ne pješice, nego taksijem = not on foot, but by taxi), but in this exact sentence a ne taksijem is the natural choice.

Why is mogli masculine plural? What if the speakers are all women?

The past participle mogli agrees with the grammatical gender and number of the subject mi (we):

if the group is all male or mixed → mogli (masculine plural)
if the group is all female → mogle (feminine plural)

So:

Mixed group or men only:
U Zagrebu smo rezervirali smještaj blizu centra kako bismo mogli ići pješice...
Women only:
U Zagrebu smo rezervirale smještaj blizu centra kako bismo mogle ići pješice...

In written examples, the masculine plural (mogli, rezervirali) is often used as the default/general form unless context specifies otherwise.

What tense is smo rezervirali, and could I just say rezervirali smo on its own to mean "we booked"?

Smo rezervirali (or rezervirali smo) is the perfect tense (past tense) in Croatian, formed with:

present of biti (here smo) + past participle (rezervirali)

It corresponds to English "we booked / we have booked" depending on context.

U Zagrebu smo rezervirali smještaj...
→ We booked accommodation in Zagreb...

You cannot drop smo completely in standard language; rezervirali alone does not form a correct finite verb form. You need the auxiliary jesam (here smo) to make the past tense.