Learn Hardcore Croatian: Na turniru svaka ekipa dobiva bod za pobjedu i pola boda za neriješen rezultat. - At the tournament each team gets a point for a win and half a point for a draw.

na turniru is idiomatic because na is typically used for:
- events and activities: na koncertu, na sastanku, na poslu, na turniru
- surfaces: na stolu (on the table)
u is more for enclosed physical spaces: u sobi (in the room), u kutiji (in the box), u školi (in the school building).

A tournament is treated as an event you’re “at”, not something you’re physically “inside”, so na turniru is the normal choice.
u turniru would sound wrong or at least very odd in standard Croatian in this context.

What case is turniru in, and how do we know?

turniru is in the locative singular.

How to see that:

The preposition na with a static location (where something happens) takes the locative case:
- na stolu (on the table)
- na fakultetu (at the faculty)
- na turniru (at the tournament)
The noun turnir (masculine) has the locative singular form turniru.

So na + turniru = na + locative singular.

Why is it svaka ekipa and not something like svaki ekipa?

svaka is the form of svaki (each, every) that agrees with a feminine singular noun.

ekipa is feminine singular (you can tell from the -a ending in nominative).
The adjective/pronoun must agree in gender, number, and case:
- masculine: svaki (e.g. svaki tim – every team)
- feminine: svaka (e.g. svaka ekipa – every team)
- neuter: svako (e.g. svako dijete – every child)

Here we need feminine singular nominative, so svaka ekipa is correct.

Why is the verb dobiva used, and not dobije?

Croatian distinguishes aspect: imperfective vs. perfective verbs.

dobivati → dobiva (imperfective)
- focuses on a process or repeated / habitual action.
dobiti → dobije (perfective)
- focuses on a single, completed action.

In the sentence, we are describing a general rule of the tournament scoring system (something that happens habitually whenever a match is played). For general rules and repeated actions, Croatian uses the imperfective present:

svaka ekipa dobiva bod = each team gets a point (whenever this situation occurs).

If you used dobije, it would sound more like one specific, completed event, or a future outcome in a specific situation.

What case is bod in, and why is it bod in one place but boda after pola?

There are two forms here:

bod (after dobiva):
- This is accusative singular (direct object of the verb).
- For masculine inanimate nouns like bod, nominative and accusative singular look the same.
- So dobiva bod = gets a point.
boda (after pola):
- This is genitive singular.
- Certain quantity words (including pola) require the genitive:
  - pola kruha – half a loaf (of bread)
  - pola sata – half an hour
  - pola boda – half a point

So the change bod → boda is because pola forces the genitive.

How does pola work grammatically in pola boda?

pola means half and usually behaves like a quantity word that governs the genitive singular of the noun that follows:

pola grada – half of the city
pola knjige – half of the book
pola boda – half a point

So the structure is:

pola
- genitive singular of the counted noun.

Unlike full numbers, pola doesn’t change form with gender or number; the noun carries the case marking (genitive singular).

Why is it za pobjedu and not, for example, za pobjedom?

In this sentence, za means for (as a reward / in exchange for), and in that meaning za takes the accusative:

dobiti nagradu za pobjedu – to get a prize for a victory
kazna za prekršaj – a punishment for an offence
bod za pobjedu – a point for a win

So pobjeda (victory, win) is in the accusative singular: za pobjedu.

za can also take other cases in different meanings (e.g. motion towards something with accusative, or rarely with instrumental in older/literary uses), but in “for something” = za + accusative is the pattern you need here.

Can the word order change, for example to Svaka ekipa na turniru dobiva bod…?

Yes. Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and both are correct:

Na turniru svaka ekipa dobiva bod…
Svaka ekipa na turniru dobiva bod…

The difference is mostly one of emphasis and information flow:

Starting with Na turniru sets the context first (we’re talking specifically about the tournament).
Starting with Svaka ekipa emphasizes the teams.

In neutral speech, both orders would sound natural. The original just foregrounds the setting (the tournament).

What exactly does neriješen rezultat mean, and how else can you say “a draw” in Croatian?

Literally, neriješen rezultat is “an unresolved result” – the match ended without a winner.

In sports language, it simply means a draw.

Common ways to talk about a draw:

neriješen rezultat – a draw (as a noun phrase)
utakmica je završila neriješeno – the match ended in a draw
rezultat je bio neriješen – the result was a draw
remi – also used, especially in football and chess, from French

In your sentence, pola boda za neriješen rezultat is exactly half a point for a draw.

Why is neriješen spelled with ije, and how is it related to riješiti?

The adjective neriješen comes from the verb riješiti (to solve, to resolve, to decide).

perfect passive participle of riješiti is riješen (solved, decided).
Adding ne- makes it negative: neriješen = not solved, undecided.

Standard Croatian uses the ije spelling (Ijekavian reflex):

riješiti → riješen → neriješen

Other variants like rešiti / nerešen belong to Serbian or to non‑standard dialects, not to standard Croatian.

Is the present tense dobiva here talking about the present moment or about a general rule?

Here dobiva expresses a general rule / habitual action, not a one-time present event.

This is parallel to English:

English: Each team gets a point for a win.
Croatian: Svaka ekipa dobiva bod za pobjedu.

Both use the present tense to describe how the system works whenever the situation occurs. It’s not about right now, but about what always happens under those conditions.

Are there common synonyms for ekipa, bod, and turnir in this context?

Yes, there are a few:

ekipa (team)
- common synonyms: tim, momčad (esp. in sports)
- In this sentence, you could say svaki tim or svaka momčad instead of svaka ekipa.
bod (point)
- synonym: poen (often used in some sports and games)
- In scoring rules, both bod and poen appear, but bod is very standard for league tables, standings, etc.
turnir (tournament)
- near-synonyms depending on context: natjecanje (competition), prvenstvo (championship), kup (cup)
- They’re not perfect synonyms, but in some contexts you might say na natjecanju instead of na turniru if it’s more of a general competition.