Danas idem u park sa sestrom.

Today I am going to the park with my sister.

Breakdown of Danas idem u park sa sestrom.

• ići: to go
• u: to
• danas: today
• sestra: sister
• park: park
• sa: from

Questions & Answers about Danas idem u park sa sestrom.

Why is there no word for I in the sentence? Why isn’t it Ja danas idem u park sa sestrom?

In Croatian, subject pronouns (like ja = I) are usually left out because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• idem means I go / I am going
• Other forms: ideš (you go), ide (he/she/it goes), idemo (we go), etc.

So danas idem already clearly means today I’m going.
You only add ja for extra emphasis or contrast, for example:

• Ja danas idem u park, a ti ostaješ doma.
  (I am going to the park today, and you are staying at home.)

Why is it idem and not something like ću ići if it means I am going (later today)?

Croatian often uses the present tense to talk about near-future, planned actions, especially with a time word like danas (today), sutra (tomorrow), večeras (tonight), etc.

• Danas idem u park. = I’m going to the park today.
• Sutra idem u Zagreb. = I’m going to Zagreb tomorrow.

The future tense ću ići is also possible, but it often sounds more neutral, distant, or less like a fixed plan in this kind of simple sentence:

• Danas ću ići u park. – I will go to the park today.
  (grammatically fine, but in everyday speech you’d more often hear danas idem u park)

So idem here is a very natural way to say I’m going (today).

Why is it u park and not na park?

Both u and na can translate as in / to / at, but they’re used with different types of places and often are just idiomatic:

• u is more like in / into:
  • u park, u školu, u kuću, u grad
• na is more like on / onto / at:
  • na stol, na posao, na koncert, na plažu

For park, the standard and natural preposition is u:

• Idem u park. – I’m going to the park.
• Sam u parku. – I am in the park.

Na park would be wrong in this context.

Why is it u park and not u parku?

This is about case and movement vs. location.

With u, Croatian makes a distinction:

• u
  • accusative (movement, to somewhere):
    • Idem u park. – I’m going to the park.
      (park is accusative: same form as the base word park.)
• u
  • locative (location, in/at somewhere):
    • Jesam u parku. – I am in the park.
      (parku is locative: park → parku.)

So:

• u park = into / to the park (direction)
• u parku = in the park (location)

In Danas idem u park, there is movement to the park, so u park (accusative) is correct.

Why is the preposition sa used before sestrom, and not just s?

The basic preposition is s (meaning with), but:

• Before s-, z-, š-, ž- sounds, Croatian usually uses sa to make pronunciation easier.

Because sestrom starts with s, we say:

• sa sestrom (not s sestrom)

Other examples:

• sa sestrom (with [my] sister)
• sa psom (with a dog)
• sa Zoranom (with Zoran)

Before many other consonants, s on its own is fine:

• s bratom (with [my] brother)
• s prijateljem (with a friend)

Why is it sestrom and not sestra in sa sestrom?

The noun sestra (sister) is in the instrumental case after s / sa when it means with someone.

• Nominative (dictionary form): sestra – (a) sister
• Instrumental (with): sestrom – with (a/the/my) sister

So:

• Sestra ide u park. – The sister is going to the park. (subject, nominative)
• Idem u park sa sestrom. – I’m going to the park with (my) sister. (instrumental after sa)

The -om ending is a common instrumental singular ending for feminine nouns like sestra → sestrom, kolegica → kolegicom, etc.

Does sa sestrom necessarily mean with my sister, or could it be someone else’s sister?

By default, sa sestrom is ambiguous: it just means with a/the sister.
In everyday conversation, people usually understand it as with my sister from context, especially if you’re talking about your own plans.

If you want to be explicit, you add a possessive:

• sa svojom sestrom – with my (own) sister
• sa tvojom sestrom – with your sister
• sa njegovom sestrom – with his sister

So:

• Danas idem u park sa svojom sestrom. – Today I’m going to the park with my sister.

Can the word order change? For example, is Idem danas u park sa sestrom also correct?

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English. All of these are grammatically correct, but differ slightly in emphasis:

• Danas idem u park sa sestrom.
  Neutral: today is set up as the main time frame.

• Idem danas u park sa sestrom.
  Slight extra focus on idem (the action: I’m going today to the park with my sister).

• Danas sa sestrom idem u park.
  Subtle focus on going with my sister today.

In everyday speech, Danas idem u park sa sestrom is the most typical and neutral-sounding version. But the others are acceptable and natural in the right context.

Can danas go at the end, like Idem u park sa sestrom danas?

It can, and it’s grammatically correct, but the neutral position for danas is usually near the start of the sentence.

• Idem u park sa sestrom danas.
  This can sound like you’re adding today as an afterthought, or emphasizing that today (and not some other day) is when you’re doing this.

In normal conversation, you would most often hear:

• Danas idem u park sa sestrom.
  or
• Idem danas u park sa sestrom.

Is there any difference between a park and the park in Croatian? How do I know which one u park means?

Croatian does not have articles (no a / an / the). The noun park without an article can correspond to a park or the park in English, depending on context.

• Idem u park.
  Could be:
  • I’m going to a park.
  • I’m going to the park.

Listeners figure out whether it’s a or the from the situation:

• If there is a known, specific park you both often talk about, they’ll understand the park.
• If you’re just mentioning it in general, they might hear it as a park.

Croatian doesn’t mark this difference grammatically in this sentence.