Learn Hardcore Croatian: Večeras razgovaramo o pobjedi u kafiću. - Tonight we are talking about the victory in the cafe.

In Croatian, the present tense is very often used for near future plans, especially when there is a clear time word like večeras (tonight), sutra (tomorrow), sad (now, in a minute), etc.

So:

Večeras razgovaramo o pobjedi u kafiću.
= Tonight we’re talking / we’ll be talking about the victory in the café.

If you want to make the future more explicit, you can also say:

Večeras ćemo razgovarati o pobjedi u kafiću.
(Future tense: Tonight we will talk about the victory in the café.)

Both are correct. The original sentence just sounds more natural and conversational, like English “We’re talking tonight” rather than “We will talk tonight.”

Why is there no word for “we”? Why isn’t it Mi večeras razgovaramo…?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns (like ja, ti, mi) because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

razgovaramo = we talk / we are talking (1st person plural)
razgovaram = I talk (1st person singular)
razgovaraš = you talk (singular, informal)

So Večeras razgovaramo… is enough to mean “Tonight we’re talking…”.

You can say Mi večeras razgovaramo o pobjedi u kafiću., but mi is usually added only for emphasis, for example:

Ne oni, nego mi večeras razgovaramo o pobjedi.
Not them, but we are the ones talking about the victory tonight.

What is the difference between pobjeda and pobjedi here?

Pobjeda is the dictionary form (nominative singular, “victory, win”).
In the sentence, after the preposition o (about), the noun must be in the locative case, which for pobjeda is pobjedi.

So the forms are:

pobjeda – nominative (subject form):
Pobjeda je bila važna. – The victory was important.
pobjedi – dative/locative singular:
Razgovaramo o pobjedi. – We’re talking about the victory.

Pattern:

o + [something] → that [something] goes into the locative case.
o pobjedi, o gradu, o Marku, etc.

So o pobjedi is just “about the victory”, with pobjedi being the locative form of pobjeda.

I see pobjedi and pobijedi sometimes. What’s the difference?

These look similar but are different words:

pobjedi (with bj) – can be dative/locative singular of the noun pobjeda (victory):
- o pobjedi – about the victory
pobijedi (with b i j) – usually a verb form of pobijediti (to win):
- on/ona pobijedi – he/she wins (present, aspectually tricky but often used)
- Pobijedi! – Win! (imperative)

In your sentence:

o pobjedi = about the victory (noun)
Using o pobijedi would be incorrect here.

Why is it o pobjedi and u kafiću? How do these prepositions work with cases?

Croatian prepositions almost always force a specific case. Two important ones here:

o (about)
→ requires locative:
- o pobjedi – about the victory
- o filmu – about the film
- o prijatelju – about the friend
u (in)
→ with location, it usually also takes locative:
- u kafiću – in the café
- u školi – in school
- u Dubrovniku – in Dubrovnik

So:

o + pobjeda → o pobjedi
u + kafić → u kafiću

Both pobjedi and kafiću are in the locative singular because that’s what the prepositions o and u demand when talking about location/topic.

Why is it u kafiću and not u kafić?

Kafić is the basic (nominative) form, but after u in a static location meaning (in the café), you normally use the locative case:

Nominative: kafić – a/the café
Kafić je blizu. – The café is nearby.
Locative: kafiću – in the café
Sjedimo u kafiću. – We’re sitting in the café.

So:

u kafić would sound wrong in this context.
You only use u kafić (accusative) with movement into:
- Idemo u kafić. – We’re going to the café. (movement towards/into)

Compare:

Idemo u kafić. – We’re going to the café. (accusative, movement)
Sjedimo u kafiću. – We’re sitting in the café. (locative, location)

What exactly does kafić mean? Is it like “café”, “bar”, or “coffee shop”?

Kafić is most often something between an English café and a bar:

It usually serves coffee, drinks (including alcohol), and light snacks.
It’s often more like a social bar/café than a strict coffee shop.

Other related words:

kavana – more old‑fashioned or formal, like a traditional café.
bar – very similar to English bar, used especially for places focused on alcohol/cocktails.
kafić – the most common casual word for a place where friends meet for coffee/drinks.

In your sentence, u kafiću is best translated as “in the café” or “at the bar”, depending on context.

Can I say pričamo o pobjedi instead of razgovaramo o pobjedi? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

razgovaramo (o nečemu) – we are talking/discussing (about something)
Suggests a more two‑way, possibly structured conversation, almost like “have a conversation/discussion.”
pričamo (o nečemu) – we are talking (about something) / we are chatting / telling stories
Can feel a bit more informal, sometimes more like chatting.

So:

Večeras razgovaramo o pobjedi u kafiću.
Sounds like you plan to discuss the victory (maybe more focused, serious, or planned).
Večeras pričamo o pobjedi u kafiću.
Could sound slightly more like we’re chatting about the victory.

In everyday speech they often overlap, and people will understand both.

What does večeras literally mean, and how is it different from večer?

večer = evening (the noun)
večeras = this evening / tonight (adverb, like a time word)

You use:

večer when it’s clearly a noun:
- Ova večer je posebna. – This evening is special.
večeras when you specify when something happens:
- Večeras razgovaramo… – Tonight we are talking…
- Večeras idem kući rano. – I’m going home early tonight.

You can also say ove večeri (this evening, tonight), but večeras is shorter and much more common in everyday speech.

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Večeras u kafiću razgovaramo o pobjedi or Razgovaramo večeras o pobjedi u kafiću?

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, especially for elements like time and place. All of these are grammatically correct:

Večeras razgovaramo o pobjedi u kafiću.
Večeras u kafiću razgovaramo o pobjedi.
U kafiću večeras razgovaramo o pobjedi.
Razgovaramo večeras o pobjedi u kafiću.

Differences are mainly in emphasis:

Putting večeras first highlights “tonight”.
Putting u kafiću first highlights “in the café”.
The version you have (Večeras razgovaramo o pobjedi u kafiću) is very neutral and natural.

Unlike English, you can move these parts around more freely without changing the basic meaning, as long as you don’t break fixed combinations like o pobjedi or u kafiću.

How would I say “Tonight we will talk…” and “Tonight we talked…” instead of the present?

Your sentence uses present for a planned near future:

Večeras razgovaramo o pobjedi u kafiću.
Tonight we’re talking / we’ll be talking about the victory in the café.

If you want the future tense more explicitly:

Večeras ćemo razgovarati o pobjedi u kafiću.
Tonight we will talk about the victory in the café.

If you want the past tense (it already happened tonight):

Večeras smo razgovarali o pobjedi u kafiću.
Tonight we talked about the victory in the café.

So the structure is:

Future: ćemo + infinitive → ćemo razgovarati
Past: jesmo (auxiliary) + past participle → smo razgovarali

There’s no “the” or “a” in o pobjedi u kafiću. How do I know if it’s “the victory” or “a victory”?

Croatian has no articles (a, an, the). The phrase:

o pobjedi u kafiću

can mean “about the victory in the café” or “about a victory in the café”, depending on context.

You understand definiteness from:

Context / previous mention
If you already know which victory, it’s “the victory” in translation.
Additional words
- o jednoj pobjedi – about one victory / about a victory (indefinite)
- o toj pobjedi – about that victory (definite, specific)

In most natural contexts, if speakers obviously know which victory they mean (e.g. a game you just won), English will translate o pobjedi as “about the victory.”

How would I negate this sentence: “Tonight we are not talking about the victory in the café”?

To negate a verb in Croatian, you normally put ne directly in front of the verb:

Večeras ne razgovaramo o pobjedi u kafiću.
Tonight we’re not talking about the victory in the café.

Pattern:

razgovaramo → ne razgovaramo
idemo → ne idemo
pričamo → ne pričamo

The rest of the sentence stays the same.