Breakdown of U dvorištu visi uže za rublje.
Questions & Answers about U dvorištu visi uže za rublje.
- u is a preposition meaning in or inside.
- After u (when it means location, “in/inside”), Croatian uses the locative case.
The base form (nominative) is dvorište (yard).
In the locative singular, it becomes dvorištu:
- Nominative: dvorište – a yard
- Locative: (u) dvorištu – in the yard
So u dvorištu literally means in the yard, and the change -šte → -štu is a case ending required by the preposition u.
These combinations express different ideas:
u dvorištu (locative)
- Means in the yard, inside the yard (static location).
- Used when something is already there:
- U dvorištu visi uže za rublje. – A clothesline is hanging in the yard.
u dvorište (accusative)
- Means into the yard (movement towards the inside).
- Used with verbs of motion:
- Idem u dvorište. – I’m going into the yard.
na dvorištu (locative)
- Literally on the yard, often felt more like “out in the yard,” i.e. on the open yard area, not so much “inside an enclosed space.”
- You might say:
- Djeca se igraju na dvorištu. – The children are playing in the yard.
In your sentence the focus is on the location of the rope, so u dvorištu (in the yard) is natural.
The grammatical subject is uže za rublje (the clothesline / rope for laundry).
Croatian word order is flexible. Although the basic order is often Subject–Verb–Object, it frequently changes for emphasis or flow. Here:
- U dvorištu – sets the place first (“In the yard”).
- visi – verb (“is hanging”).
- uže za rublje – subject (“a clothesline / rope for laundry”).
So the order is Place – Verb – Subject. This is very normal in Croatian, especially in “there is/are” type sentences describing existence or location.
If you put the subject first, you can say:
- Uže za rublje visi u dvorištu. – The clothesline is hanging in the yard.
Both versions are correct; the original focuses more strongly on the yard as the scene.
Visi is the 3rd person singular present of visjeti – to hang.
- In English you distinguish “hangs” (simple present) vs “is hanging” (present continuous).
- In Croatian, one present tense usually covers both meanings.
So visi can translate as:
- it hangs
- it is hanging
Context decides how you phrase it in English. Here, “There is a clothesline hanging in the yard” or “A clothesline hangs in the yard” are both valid translations.
Yes, but the nuance changes:
visi – focuses on the state: it is currently hanging, suspended.
- U dvorištu visi uže za rublje. – describes the situation.
objesiti – means to hang something up (action, perfective).
- Objesio sam rublje na uže. – I hung the laundry on the rope.
je obješeno – passive, is hung / has been hung (result of an action).
- Uže je obješeno u dvorištu. – The rope is hung in the yard.
For a neutral description of something that is there, visi is the most natural choice.
Uže is grammatically neuter, but it’s an irregular noun.
Singular (most common forms):
- Nominative: uže – rope
- Genitive: užeta – of the rope
- Dative/Locative: užetu – to/at the rope
- Accusative: uže – rope
Plural is irregular: užad
- Nominative plural: užad – ropes
- Genitive plural: užadi
Example:
- U dvorištu vise užad za rublje. – Ropes for laundry are hanging in the yard.
Learners often avoid the plural at first and later memorize uže – užad as a special pattern.
Rublje is a neuter singular collective noun. It means:
- laundry, washing
- often specifically underwear or small personal clothes, depending on context.
It behaves grammatically like a singular:
- Rublje je prljavo. – The laundry is dirty. (verb in singular)
It does not normally have a plural form (rublja is not used in standard language).
Related words/alternatives:
- odjeća – clothing (general term, also a singular collective).
- veš – colloquial, especially in some regions: laundry / underwear.
In uže za rublje, it simply means laundry in a general sense.
Za is a preposition that often means for, indicating purpose or intended use.
In this meaning (for some purpose), za normally takes the accusative case.
Here:
- Base form: rublje (nominative neuter singular)
- Accusative: rublje (same form as nominative for neuter nouns)
So za rublje literally means for laundry, i.e. intended for hanging laundry.
Structure:
- uže – rope
- za rublje – for laundry
→ uže za rublje – a rope meant for laundry → a clothesline.
You can, but the feel is slightly different:
- uže za rublje – the standard expression for clothesline. Very common and idiomatic.
- uže za odjeću – literally rope for clothing; understandable, but less idiomatic as a fixed phrase.
Use uže za rublje if you want to sound natural. Use za odjeću when you are literally talking about clothing, not laundry in general:
- Konop za sušenje odjeće. – A rope for drying clothes. (technical/neutral description)
Croatian has no articles like English a/an or the.
Whether you translate it as a or the depends on context:
- If you’re mentioning it for the first time, you’ll usually say a clothesline.
- If it’s already known or specific, you’ll say the clothesline.
Croatian uses other means to be specific:
- ono uže za rublje – that clothesline
- jedno uže za rublje – one clothesline / a single clothesline
- neko uže za rublje – some clothesline
But in the neutral sentence U dvorištu visi uže za rublje, it’s just “a clothesline” in most contexts.
All three sentences are grammatically correct, but the emphasis shifts:
U dvorištu visi uže za rublje.
- Focuses on the location first: In the yard, there’s a clothesline hanging.
- Neutral, descriptive.
Uže za rublje visi u dvorištu.
- Starts with the clothesline: The clothesline is hanging in the yard.
- You’re talking about the rope and saying where it is.
U dvorištu uže za rublje visi.
- Putting the verb last sounds a bit more marked or poetic in modern speech.
- Still correct, but less typical in everyday neutral conversation.
The original is very natural when setting a scene: you start with “In the yard …” and then describe what’s there.
You can say:
- U dvorištu vise dva užeta za rublje. – Two clotheslines are hanging in the yard.
Notes:
- dva → requires genitive singular for neuter nouns, but here the common spoken form is dva užeta (you may also see dvije užadi, but that’s rarer and stylistically marked).
- Verb is plural: vise (3rd person plural of visjeti).
- uže → užeta with the number dva in this pattern.
So the whole structure changes:
- Singular: U dvorištu visi uže za rublje. – A clothesline is hanging…
- Plural (with a number): U dvorištu vise dva užeta za rublje. – Two clotheslines are hanging…
Uže za rublje is the standard and neutral way to say clothesline (rope for hanging laundry).
Other possibilities:
- konop za rublje – rope for laundry (using konop/konopac instead of uže)
- štrik za veš – colloquial/regional (especially in some dialects; štrik from German Strick, veš from German Wäsche).
But if you want one safe, widely understood expression in standard Croatian, uže za rublje is exactly that.