Questions & Answers about Oni komentiraju film na mreži.
Croatian does not use an extra verb like to be to form the present continuous (progressive) the way English does.
- oni komentiraju can mean both:
- they comment (in general)
- they are commenting (right now)
So:
- English they comment on the film → Croatian oni komentiraju film
- English they are commenting on the film → still oni komentiraju film
You only add su (a form of biti = to be) when you form past tenses, not the present.
Yes. Croatian is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.
- Oni komentiraju film na mreži. – They are commenting on the film online.
- Komentiraju film na mreži. – Same meaning; oni is understood from ‑ju (3rd person plural).
You usually keep oni if:
- You want to emphasize they (as opposed to someone else), or
- The subject might otherwise be ambiguous from context.
Komentirati is a regular ‑irati verb. Present tense:
- ja komentiram – I comment / I am commenting
- ti komentiraš – you comment (sg., informal)
- on / ona / ono komentira – he / she / it comments
- mi komentiramo – we comment
- vi komentirate – you comment (pl. or polite)
- oni / one / ona komentiraju – they comment
In the sentence Oni komentiraju film na mreži, komentiraju is 3rd person plural to match oni.
Film here is a direct object of the verb komentirati, so it goes into the accusative case without a preposition.
- Nominative (dictionary form): film
- Accusative (masculine inanimate): also film
Many masculine inanimate nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative singular. So:
- Vidim film. – I see the film.
- Komentiraju film. – They are commenting on the film.
Filma is the genitive form and is used in other contexts, e.g.:
- Nema filma. – There is no film.
- Početak filma. – The beginning of the film.
In Croatian, the verb komentirati normally takes a direct object, without a preposition:
- komentirati nešto – to comment on something
So:
- komentiraju film = they comment on the film
Using o is wrong here:
✗ komentiraju o filmu (not standard Croatian)
If you use a verb like raspravljati (to discuss), then you do need o + locative:
- raspravljaju o filmu – they are discussing the film.
Literally, na mreži means on the net (on the network).
In practice:
- na mreži ≈ online, on the internet
- na internetu – explicitly on the internet
- You may also see online used directly, especially in informal language.
All of these can often be used in similar contexts:
- Oni komentiraju film na mreži.
- Oni komentiraju film na internetu.
- Oni komentiraju film online.
Na mreži sounds slightly more neutral/formal and is close to standard, media, or technical usage.
Mreži is the locative singular of mreža (net, network).
The preposition na can be followed by:
- Accusative – often meaning motion onto/into something
- Locative – often meaning location on/in something
Here, na mreži describes a location/state (where something is happening), so na + locative:
- Nominative: mreža (net, network)
- Locative: (na) mreži – on the net, on the network
Compare:
- na televiziji – on TV
- na poslu – at work
- na mreži – online / on the net
Croatian word order is relatively flexible; changes usually affect emphasis, not basic meaning.
All of these are grammatical:
Oni komentiraju film na mreži.
– Neutral: They are commenting on the film online.Oni na mreži komentiraju film.
– Slight emphasis on online (as opposed to somewhere else).Film komentiraju na mreži.
– Emphasis on film (that film in contrast to something else).Na mreži komentiraju film.
– Emphasis on the online setting; sounds like Online, they are commenting on the film.
The version you were given (Oni komentiraju film na mreži) is a good, neutral default.
Croatian has three forms of they, depending on gender:
oni – masculine plural, used for:
- groups of all males, or
- mixed groups (male + female), or
- when gender is unspecified/generic
one – feminine plural, used for:
- groups of all females (e.g. a group of women)
ona – neuter plural, mostly for:
- neuter nouns in the plural (usually things, not people)
So:
- Oni komentiraju film na mreži. – they (men / mixed / generic)
- One komentiraju film na mreži. – they (all women)
- Ona komentiraju film na mreži. – they (neuter plural things; rare in this exact sentence)
In everyday speech, oni is the most common generic they for people.
Approximate pronunciation (in simple English terms):
komentiraju ≈ ko-men-TEE-rah-yoo
- ko as in co in copy
- men as in English men
- ti like tee
- ra like rah
- ju like you
mreži ≈ MREH-zhee
- mr is a tight cluster, like starting m and r together
- e like e in met
- ž like the s in English measure
- i like ee in see
Stress patterns vary slightly by dialect, but a safe approximation:
- ko-men-TI-ra-ju (stress toward TI)
- MRE-ži (stress on the first syllable)
Croatian does not have definite or indefinite articles like a or the. The noun film can mean:
- a film
- the film
The exact meaning comes from context:
If you have already mentioned the film or both speakers know which film:
- Oni komentiraju film na mreži. → They are commenting on the film online.
If it’s new information, it can be understood as a film:
- Oni komentiraju film na mreži. → They are commenting on a film online.
When translating into English, you choose a or the based on what fits the situation.
Starting from Oni komentiraju film na mreži (present):
Past (perfect tense):
- Oni su komentirali film na mreži.
– They commented / were commenting on the film online.
Here:
- su – auxiliary (3rd person plural of biti)
- komentirali – past participle (masculine plural; matches oni)
If the group was all female (using one):
- One su komentirale film na mreži.
Future (future I):
- Oni će komentirati film na mreži.
– They will comment on the film online.
Here:
- će – future auxiliary (3rd person plural)
- komentirati – infinitive
Komentirati is the standard, neutral verb for to comment (on).
There are related prefixed verbs with aspectual nuances:
prokomentirati (nešto) – to comment on something once / briefly
- Oni su prokomentirali film na mreži. – They made a comment on the film online (once / briefly).
iskomentirati (nešto) – to finish commenting on something (to comment it through, completely)
- Oni su iskomentirali cijeli film na mreži. – They have commented on the whole film online (done, completed).
Basic komentirati is imperfective, good for ongoing or repeated action.
Prokomentirati / iskomentirati are perfective, used when you focus on a single, complete act or finishing the job.