Djeca idu do škole pješice.

The children go to school on foot.

Breakdown of Djeca idu do škole pješice.

• ići: to go
• škola: school
• dijete: child
• pješice: on foot
• do: by

Questions & Answers about Djeca idu do škole pješice.

What does each word in Djeca idu do škole pješice literally mean?

Word by word:

• Djeca – children
• idu – go / are going (3rd person plural present of ići – to go)
• do – to / up to / as far as (a preposition that usually takes the genitive case)
• škole – of (the) school (genitive singular of škola – school)
• pješice – on foot / by walking (an adverb)

Natural English translation: “The children go to school on foot.”

Why is it Djeca idu and not something like Djeca ide?

Because of subject–verb agreement.

• Djeca (children) is grammatically plural.
• The verb ići (to go) in the 3rd person:
  • singular: on/ona/ono ide – he/she/it goes
  • plural: oni/one/ona idu – they go

Since djeca means children / they, we must use the plural verb form idu, not ide.

What verb is idu, and how is it conjugated?

Idu is the 3rd person plural present tense of the verb ići (to go). Ići is irregular. Present tense:

• ja idem – I go
• ti ideš – you go (singular, informal)
• on / ona / ono ide – he / she / it goes
• mi idemo – we go
• vi idete – you go (plural or formal)
• oni / one / ona idu – they go

So with Djeca (children / they), you use idu.

Why is škole used here instead of škola or školu?

Because of the preposition do.

• do always requires the genitive case.
• The noun škola (school) in genitive singular is škole.

Some relevant forms of škola (singular):

• Nominative: škola – school (subject)
• Accusative: školu – to school (with some prepositions like u)
• Genitive: škole – of the school / to the school (with do)

So:

• do škole – to (the) school / up to the school (genitive after do)
• u školu – into the school (accusative after u)

In this sentence, do is chosen, so škole must be genitive.

What is the difference between do škole and u školu?

Both can translate as to school, but they have different nuances:

• do škole

  • literally: up to the school / as far as school
  • focuses on reaching the destination
  • uses do
    • genitive (škole)

• u školu

  • literally: into the school
  • focuses on entering the building / going inside
  • uses u
    • accusative (školu)

In everyday speech:

• idemo do škole – we’re going (as far as) school (destination is school)
• idemo u školu – we’re going into school (emphasis on going inside)

Both are often understood simply as go to school, but do škole fits well with a route/distance idea (they walk as far as school).

Which case is škole, and how is it formed from škola?

Škole is genitive singular of škola (school).

Declension (singular only, for reference):

• Nominative: škola – school (subject)
• Genitive: škole – of the school / (to) the school (with do, etc.)
• Dative: školi
• Accusative: školu
• Vocative: školo
• Locative: školi
• Instrumental: školom

In our sentence, do requires genitive, so we use škole.

What kind of word is pješice, and what does it literally mean?

Pješice is an adverb; it describes how the children go.

Meaning:

• pješice – on foot, by walking

It comes historically from the word for foot / pedestrian (compare pješak – pedestrian), but for you it’s easiest just to remember pješice = on foot.

Functionally, it’s like English adverbs by car / by bike / on foot; here it says by what means they go.

Where can pješice go in the sentence? Is the word order fixed?

The word order is relatively flexible; pješice can move without changing the basic meaning:

• Djeca idu do škole pješice.
• Djeca idu pješice do škole.
• Pješice djeca idu do škole.

All mean roughly The children go to school on foot.
The neutral, most common order would be the original one or Djeca idu pješice do škole. Word order changes can slightly emphasize different parts, but the sentence stays understandable.

Can I say the same thing without pješice?

Yes:

• Djeca idu do škole. – The children go to school.

This simply states that they go; it doesn’t say how.
Adding pješice adds the information on foot / by walking.

So:

• With pješice – specifies the means (on foot).
• Without pješice – neutral, could be walking, by bus, by car, etc.

Why are there no words for the or a in this sentence?

Croatian has no articles like English the or a/an.
The noun škola (or škole here) can mean:

• school
• a school
• the school

Context usually tells you whether it’s more like a or the.
In this sentence, do škole is normally understood as to (the) school (probably the usual school the children attend).

What is djeca grammatically? Is it singular or plural, and what is the singular form?

Djeca means children and is grammatically plural, but it’s a bit special:

• Singular: dijete – child
• Plural: djeca – children

So:

• Djeca idu… – The children go… (verb in plural: idu)
• Dijete ide… – The child goes… (verb in singular: ide)

You should treat djeca like they in English for verb agreement.

Could I say Djeca hodaju do škole pješice instead of Djeca idu do škole pješice?

You can, but the nuance is slightly different.

• ići – to go (to a place) – focuses on going / heading somewhere (destination)
• hodati – to walk – focuses on the manner of movement (walking itself)

So:

• Djeca idu do škole pješice.
  – The children go to school on foot. (destination + means)

• Djeca hodaju do škole.
  – The children walk to school. (movement is walking; destination implied)

If you already use pješice (on foot), idu is more natural than hodaju, because pješice already tells you they are walking.

How do I pronounce Djeca and pješice?

Approximate English-based guidance:

• Djeca

  • dj is like dy in ad‑yesa
  • roughly: DYE-tsa (two syllables: dje‑ca)

• pješice

  • pje like pye in pyet‑si‑tseh
  • š = sh in shoe
  • c = ts in cats
  • roughly: PYEH-shee-tse (three syllables: pje‑ši‑ce)

Stress is usually on the first syllable in both words: DJЕ‑ca, PJЕ‑ši‑ce.