Moja mama radi u gradu.

My mom works in the city.

Breakdown of Moja mama radi u gradu.

• grad: city
• u: in
• moj: my
• raditi: to work
• mama: mom

Questions & Answers about Moja mama radi u gradu.

Why is it moja mama and not moj mama?

Because Croatian possessive pronouns agree in gender with the noun they describe.

• mama is a feminine noun.
• The feminine form of my is moja.
• The masculine form moj is used with masculine nouns (e.g. moj brat – my brother).
• The neuter form is moje (e.g. moje dijete – my child).

So:

• moja mama = my mom (feminine)
• moj tata = my dad (masculine)

Is mama informal? What’s the difference between mama and majka?

Yes, mama is more informal and emotional, like mom / mum in English.

• mama – informal, what you normally call your mother in everyday speech.
  • Moja mama radi u gradu. – My mom works in the city.
• majka – more formal or neutral, closer to mother.
  • Moja majka radi u gradu. – My mother works in the city.

In everyday conversation, mama is more common when talking about your own mother. majka appears more in formal writing, legal documents, or when speaking in a more distant, neutral way.

Can you leave out moja and just say Mama radi u gradu?

Yes, very often.

• Mama radi u gradu. is completely natural and usually still means My mom works in the city when you’re talking about your own mother.
• Croatian often omits possessives with close family members when the context is clear.

You typically include moja for:

• emphasis or contrast:
  Moja mama radi u gradu, ali tvoja radi na selu.
  My mom works in the city, but yours works in the countryside.
• when it might not be clear whose mother you mean.

What exactly does radi mean, and what tense is it?

radi is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb raditi (to work).

• Infinitive: raditi – to work
• 3rd person singular, present: (on/ona/ono) radi – he/she/it works, he/she/it is working

So in this sentence:

• Moja mama radi u gradu.
  literally: My mom works / is working in the city.

It’s a simple present tense that covers both English works and is working, depending on context.

Does Croatian distinguish between works and is working, or does radi cover both?

The Croatian present tense usually covers both meanings:

• Moja mama radi u gradu.
  • can mean My mom works in the city (a general fact),
  • or My mom is working in the city (these days) (a more temporary situation).

If you need to be very explicit about duration or habit, you use additional words:

• Moja mama obično radi u gradu. – My mom usually works in the city.
• Ovoga ljeta mama radi u gradu. – This summer mom is working in the city.

But grammatically, radi itself doesn’t separate simple vs continuous like English does.

How do you conjugate raditi for other subjects?

Present tense of raditi (to work):

• ja radim – I work / I am working
• ti radiš – you (singular, informal) work
• on radi – he works
• ona radi – she works

• ono radi – it works

• mi radimo – we work
• vi radite – you (plural or formal) work
• oni rade – they work (masc. or mixed group)
• one rade – they work (all-female group)
• ona rade – they work (neuter plural, rarely used in everyday speech)

In Moja mama radi u gradu, the subject mama is third person singular feminine, so the verb is radi.

Why is it u gradu and not u grad?

Because u in the meaning in / inside takes the locative case, and grad in the locative becomes gradu.

• Nominative (dictionary form): grad – city
• Locative (after u = in, at): gradu – in the city

So:

• u gradu = in the city
• u selu = in the village
• u Zagrebu = in Zagreb

If you used u grad (accusative), it would usually mean into the city, expressing movement:

• Idem u grad. – I’m going to the city (into the city).

What case is gradu, and when do you use it?

gradu is the locative singular of grad.

You use the locative mainly after certain prepositions when you’re talking about location (where something is), for example:

• u gradu – in the city
• u selu – in the village
• na poslu – at work
• na stolu – on the table
• o gradu – about the city

So in Moja mama radi u gradu, gradu is locative because u indicates a static location: where she works.

Does u always take the locative case?

No. u can take either locative or accusative, depending on meaning:

1. Locative – when talking about position (where?):

   • Moja mama radi u gradu. – She works in the city.
   • Djeca su u školi. – The children are at school.

2. Accusative – when talking about movement into something (where to?):

   • Idem u grad. – I’m going to the city / into the city.
   • Ulazimo u kuću. – We are going into the house.

In your sentence it’s a static location (where she works), so u gradu (locative).

Why is there no word for the in Moja mama radi u gradu?

Croatian has no articles like a / an / the.

• grad can mean a city or the city, depending on context.
• u gradu can be understood as in the city or in town.

If a speaker wants to be more specific, they can add other words:

• u tom gradu – in that city
• u ovom gradu – in this city
• u našem gradu – in our city

But there is no separate word that always means the.

Can the word order change, like U gradu radi moja mama or Moja mama u gradu radi?

Yes. Croatian word order is more flexible than English, and changes are used for emphasis or style, not for basic grammar.

All of these are grammatically possible:

• Moja mama radi u gradu.
  Neutral, standard word order (Subject–Verb–Place).

• U gradu moja mama radi.
  Emphasis on in the city (maybe contrasting with somewhere else).

• U gradu radi moja mama.
  Often answers Who works in the city? – stressing moja mama.

• Moja mama u gradu radi.
  A bit marked; can stress the place where she works, in contrast to somewhere else she does something.

The most natural, default version is the original: Moja mama radi u gradu.

How would you say My dad works in the city and My parents work in the city?

Using the same structure:

• My dad works in the city.
  Moj tata radi u gradu.

• My father works in the city. (more formal)
  Moj otac radi u gradu.

• My parents work in the city.
  Moji roditelji rade u gradu.

Note how the verb changes:

• tata / otac radi – singular: works
• roditelji rade – plural: work

How do you pronounce Moja mama radi u gradu?

Approximate pronunciation (with English-like hints):

• Moja – MO-ya
  
  • mo like mo in more (shorter), ja like ya in yard.
• mama – MA-ma
  
  • both a like a in father.
• radi – RA-dee
  
  • ra like ra in radar, di like dee.
• u – like English oo in food.
• gradu – GRA-doo
  
  • gra like gra in graph (without ph), du like doo.

Rough IPA: [ˈmɔja ˈmama ˈradi u ˈɡradu]
Stress is typically on the first syllable of each word: MO-ja MA-ma RA-di GRA-du.

Could you say Moja majka radi u gradu instead, and what’s the difference?

Yes, that sentence is correct:

• Moja majka radi u gradu. – My mother works in the city.

Difference in nuance:

• mama – more informal, warm, everyday speech; typical when talking about your own mother.
• majka – more formal, neutral, or distant; common in official contexts, written documents, or when not referring to your own mother personally (e.g. majka djeteta – the child’s mother).

So:

• Talking casually to a friend: Moja mama radi u gradu.
• In a formal statement, school essay, or official context: Moja majka radi u gradu.