Ta priča govori o dalekoj zemlji.

That story is about a distant land.

Breakdown of Ta priča govori o dalekoj zemlji.

• govoriti: to speak
• o: about
• taj: that
• priča: story
• dalek: far
• zemlja: land

Questions & Answers about Ta priča govori o dalekoj zemlji.

Why is it ta priča and not ova priča?

Croatian has three basic demonstratives:

• ova – this (near the speaker)
• ta – that (near the listener, or already known from context)
• ona – that (far from both, or very distant / previously mentioned)

Ta priča is typically:

• “that story” in the sense of “that story we’ve been talking about / you know which one I mean”
• It can also feel a bit more neutral than ova priča, which strongly suggests physical or contextual closeness: this story here.

So ta priča = that story (we both know which one), while ova priča would sound more like this story (right here / I’m holding it / we’re reading it).

Why is there no word for is in the Croatian sentence?

English says: That story is about a distant land.

In Croatian: Ta priča govori o dalekoj zemlji.

The verb govori already carries the meaning “speaks / tells / is about”, so there is no need for je (the verb to be).

• govoriti o nečemu = to talk/speak about something
• In many contexts, it’s also used where English would say “be about”.

Literal-ish idea: “That story speaks about a distant land.”

So Croatian doesn’t need an extra is; the main verb govori does the job.

What tense and person is the verb govori?

Govori is:

• Present tense
• 3rd person singular
• Of the verb govoriti (to speak, to talk)

So:

• Ja govorim – I speak
• Ti govoriš – You speak (singular)
• On/Ona/Ono govori – He/She/It speaks
• Mi govorimo – We speak
• Vi govorite – You speak (plural/formal)
• Oni/One/Ona govore – They speak

In the sentence Ta priča govori…, the subject is priča (third person singular), so the verb is govori.

What does govori o literally mean, and is it always used for “is about”?

Literally, govori o means “speaks about / talks about”.

Usage:

• In many cases where English says “is about”, Croatian can and often does use govoriti o:
  • Film govori o ljubavi. – The film is about love.
  • Knjiga govori o ratu. – The book is about war.

However:

• It implies that the story/book/film deals with / talks about that topic, not just that it belongs to it.
• Another way to say “is about” is using biti o:
  • Priča je o dalekoj zemlji. – The story is about a distant land.

Both Ta priča govori o dalekoj zemlji and Ta priča je o dalekoj zemlji are possible, but govori o sounds a bit more “content-focused,” like “it tells about / discusses a distant land.”

Why is it o dalekoj zemlji and not o daleka zemlja?

Because the preposition o (about) in Croatian requires the locative case.

• Base form (nominative): daleka zemlja – a distant land
• After o, both the adjective and noun change to locative singular:
  • daleka → dalekoj
  • zemlja → zemlji

So:

• Nominative: daleka zemlja – a distant land (subject)
• Locative: o dalekoj zemlji – about a distant land

The structure o + [noun/adjective in locative] is standard:

• o meni – about me
• o gradu – about the city
• o starom prijatelju – about an old friend
• o dalekoj zemlji – about a distant land

What case is dalekoj zemlji and how can I recognize it?

Dalekoj zemlji is in the locative singular, feminine.

Clues:

1. The preposition o often takes locative (when it means about).
2. The endings:
   • Feminine adjectives in locative singular usually end in -oj:
     
     • dalekoj, novoj, staroj
   • Many feminine nouns in -a switch to -i in locative singular:
     
     • zemlja → zemlji, škola → školi, knjiga → knjizi

So when you see o + [adjective in -oj] + [feminine noun in -i], that’s a strong sign you’re dealing with locative singular.

Why does dalekoj end in -oj?

Because dalekoj is the feminine singular adjective in the locative case, agreeing with zemlji (feminine, singular, locative).

Adjective dalek (far, distant) in feminine:

• Nominative: daleka zemlja – a distant land
• Genitive: daleke zemlje
• Dative: dalekoj zemlji
• Accusative: daleku zemlju
• Locative: dalekoj zemlji
• Instrumental: dalekom zemljom

Here, o dalekoj zemlji uses the locative, so the adjective must also take the locative ending -oj.

Is there any difference between zemlja as “land” and “Earth” in Croatian?

Yes, zemlja can mean both, depending on context:

1. land / country / soil:

   • daleka zemlja – a distant land
   • strana zemlja – a foreign country
   • raditi na zemlji – to work the land / soil

2. Earth / the planet:

   • Zemlja (capitalized) – Earth, the planet
   • Živimo na Zemlji. – We live on Earth.

In o dalekoj zemlji, it clearly means a distant land / country, not the planet Earth (which would normally be capitalized and used differently in context).

Could I change the word order, for example say Priča ta govori o dalekoj zemlji?

In theory, Croatian word order is flexible, but not every possible order sounds natural.

Natural options:

• Ta priča govori o dalekoj zemlji. (most natural)
• Priča ta govori o dalekoj zemlji. – sounds unnatural or poetic/archaic
• O dalekoj zemlji ta priča govori. – possible, but sounds marked/emphatic, like “About a distant land that story speaks.”

General rule:

• In neutral, everyday speech, you’d usually keep Ta priča (subject with its demonstrative) together at the beginning:
  • Ta priča govori o dalekoj zemlji. – standard, neutral sentence.

Is priča feminine? How do I know?

Yes, priča is a feminine noun.

Clues:

1. The ending -a in the nominative singular is often feminine:
   • žena (woman), kuća (house), škola (school), priča (story)
2. The demonstrative ta is used in feminine singular nominative:
   • ta priča, ta žena, ta knjiga

If it were masculine, you’d expect taj:

• taj čovjek – that man
• taj grad – that city

So ta + priča shows that priča is treated as feminine.