On živi s partnerom u Zagrebu.

He lives with his partner in Zagreb.

Breakdown of On živi s partnerom u Zagrebu.

• on: he
• u: in
• s: with
• živjeti: to live
• Zagreb: Zagreb
• partner: male partner

Questions & Answers about On živi s partnerom u Zagrebu.

Why do we say On živi, and not something like On je živi for He is living?

Croatian doesn’t have a separate present continuous tense like English (is living).
The simple present živi covers both:

• On živi u Zagrebu. – He lives in Zagreb.
• (context-dependent) He is living in Zagreb (these days).

You normally do not add je here. Je is the 3rd person singular of biti (to be), used in other constructions (e.g. On je učitelj – He is a teacher), but not to form a continuous tense with živi.

Do we have to say On, or can we just say Živi s partnerom u Zagrebu?

You can absolutely drop On:

• On živi s partnerom u Zagrebu.
• Živi s partnerom u Zagrebu.

Both are correct.

In Croatian, subject pronouns (on, ona, oni, etc.) are often omitted, because the verb ending (-i in živi) already tells you it’s he/she/it.
You usually keep On only when you want to emphasize he (as opposed to someone else), or for clarity in longer contexts.

What is the infinitive of živi and what form of the verb is this?

The infinitive is živjeti – to live.

Živi is:

• 3rd person singular
• Present tense
• Indicative mood

So:

• On živi – He lives
• Ona živi – She lives
• To živi – It lives

All use the same form živi; the subject (or context) tells you who you’re talking about.

Why is it s partnerom and not s partner?

Because the preposition s (or sa) meaning with requires the instrumental case.

• Nominative (dictionary form): partner
• Instrumental singular (masculine): partnerom

Common pattern for masculine nouns:
-∅ → -om in instrumental singular
(e.g. brat → bratom, prijatelj → prijateljem, partner → partnerom)

So s partnerom literally means with (by/along) partner in the instrumental case.

Why is it s partnerom, not sa partnerom? When do we use s vs sa?

Both s partnerom and sa partnerom are grammatically correct.

Rules in practice:

• The basic form is s.
• sa is used mainly:
  • before words starting with s, z, š, ž to avoid hard-to-pronounce clusters:
    
    • sa sestrom (with (my) sister)
    • sa ženom (with (my) wife)
  • sometimes for euphony (to sound smoother or more natural in speech).

With partnerom, most speakers will say s partnerom, but sa partnerom is also heard and acceptable. It’s largely a matter of style and region.

What case is partnerom, and when do we use that case?

Partnerom is in the instrumental singular.

We use the instrumental case in several situations; one of the most common is after the preposition s/sa when it means with:

• s partnerom – with (his) partner
• s prijateljima – with (his) friends
• sa sestrom – with (his) sister

So: preposition s/sa + instrumental → with someone/something.

Why is it u Zagrebu and not u Zagreb?

Because after u meaning in (location: where?), Croatian normally uses the locative case.

• Nominative: Zagreb
• Locative: Zagrebu

Pattern for many masculine place names:
-∅ → -u in locative singular.

So:

• u Zagrebu – in Zagreb (location, where?)
  Compare:
• Idem u Zagreb. – I am going to Zagreb. (kamo? – to where?, uses accusative, not locative)
• Živi u Zagrebu. – He lives in Zagreb. (gdje? – where?, uses locative)

What case is Zagrebu, and when do we use that case?

Zagrebu is in the locative singular.

The locative case is used:

• Almost always with prepositions, especially u (in), na (on/at), o (about), when we talk about location or topic.

Examples:

• u Zagrebu – in Zagreb
• u školi – in (at) school
• na stolu – on the table
• na koncertu – at the concert
• o Zagrebu – about Zagreb

So u Zagrebu = in Zagreb (place where he lives).

Why is it u Zagrebu and not na Zagrebu?

For cities, countries, and most enclosed places, Croatian uses u = in.

• u Zagrebu – in Zagreb
• u Hrvatskoj – in Croatia
• u Parizu – in Paris

The preposition na (on, at) is used with:

• some events/activities: na koncertu (at the concert), na poslu (at work)
• some geographic types: na otoku (on the island)
• some institutions/areas by convention: na fakultetu (at university), na selu (in the countryside)

So with a city name, u Zagrebu is the normal choice.

Is partner neutral like in English, or does it imply boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife?

Partner in Croatian is also fairly neutral, but in everyday speech it often implies a romantic partner, similar to English.

• partner – male partner
• partnerica – female partner

In this sentence:

• On živi s partnerom u Zagrebu.
  you’d normally understand he lives with his (male) partner in Zagreb, unless context suggests a different kind of partnership (business partner, etc.).

If you want to be very clear it’s, say, a business partner, you’d usually add a word:

• On živi s poslovnim partnerom. – He lives with (his) business partner.

How would the sentence change if we talk about a woman living with a male partner? Or with a female partner?

Only the subject pronoun and/or the word for partner changes.

1. Woman with a male partner:

   • Ona živi s partnerom u Zagrebu.
     She lives with her (male) partner in Zagreb.

2. Woman with a female partner:

   • Ona živi s partnericom u Zagrebu.
     She lives with her (female) partner in Zagreb.
     (partnerica is feminine; instrumental: s partnericom)

3. Man with a female partner:

   • On živi s partnericom u Zagrebu. – He lives with his (female) partner in Zagreb.

Can we change the word order? For example: On živi u Zagrebu s partnerom?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and all of these are possible and natural:

• On živi s partnerom u Zagrebu.
• On živi u Zagrebu s partnerom.
• Živi s partnerom u Zagrebu.
• Živi u Zagrebu s partnerom.

The basic meaning stays the same. Different orders can slightly change emphasis or rhythm, but all are acceptable in everyday speech.

Is there a difference between živjeti and stanovati in this context?

Both verbs can mean to live (reside), but they’re used a bit differently:

• živjeti – to live (more general: to be alive, to live one’s life, or to live somewhere)

  • On živi u Zagrebu. – He lives in Zagreb.
  • Živi s partnerom. – He lives with his partner.

• stanovati – to reside, to have one’s dwelling (more about housing address)

  • On stanuje u Zagrebu. – He resides in Zagreb / His address is in Zagreb.

In your sentence, On živi s partnerom u Zagrebu. is completely natural and common. You could say On stanuje s partnerom u Zagrebu, but živjeti is broader and more usual in general conversation.