Learn Hardcore Croatian: Njegov prijedlog je da se sutra nađemo u sredini grada i zajedno učimo. - His suggestion is that tomorrow we meet in the middle of the city and study together.

Je is the 3rd‑person singular form of the verb biti (to be). Here it works as a linking verb (copula) between the subject Njegov prijedlog (his suggestion) and the rest of the sentence.

Njegov prijedlog je da... = His suggestion is that...

Croatian allows some flexibility in word order, so you can also say:

Njegov je prijedlog da...

Both are grammatically correct. The difference is mostly in emphasis:

Njegov prijedlog je... – neutral, standard order: His suggestion is…
Njegov je prijedlog... – puts a slight emphasis on njegov (his), e.g. contrasting with someone else’s suggestion.

What exactly does da do in ...je da se sutra nađemo...? Is it the same as English “that”?

Yes, da here functions like English “that” introducing a subordinate clause that depends on prijedlog (suggestion).

Njegov prijedlog je da se sutra nađemo...
His suggestion is that we meet tomorrow...

After da, Croatian usually uses the present tense to express ideas like:

suggestions
wishes
intentions
things that will happen in the (near) future

So da + present tense often works similarly to an English “that” + (subjunctive / “should”) structure:

da se sutra nađemo ≈ that we (should) meet tomorrow

Why is there a reflexive se in da se sutra nađemo? What is the difference between naći and naći se?

The verb naći by itself means “to find”:

naći ključ – to find the key

When you add se and use naći se, it becomes a reflexive/reciprocal verb meaning “to meet (up)”, i.e. people finding each other:

naći se s prijateljima – to meet up with friends

In your sentence:

da se sutra nađemo = that we meet (up) tomorrow

If you removed se and said da sutra nađemo u sredini grada, it would be wrong, because:

naći (nešto) needs a direct object (what you find)
u sredini grada is just a location, not something you are “finding”

So se is essential here to get the meaning “meet each other”.

Why is nađemo in the present tense, not a future tense like ćemo se naći?

In Croatian, after da you usually use the present tense even when you are talking about the future. This structure often corresponds to an English “subjunctive‑like” or “should” construction:

da se sutra nađemo
literally: that we meet tomorrow
≈ that we (should) meet tomorrow

If you said:

Njegov prijedlog je da ćemo se sutra naći.

this would sound wrong or at least very unnatural. Da + future tense is not used in this kind of “suggestion / intention” clause.

So:

correct/natural: Njegov prijedlog je da se sutra nađemo.
unnatural: Njegov prijedlog je da ćemo se sutra naći.

What form is njegov in Njegov prijedlog and why does it look like that?

Njegov is a possessive adjective meaning “his”. It agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies.

Noun: prijedlog – masculine, singular, nominative (subject of the sentence)
Possessive adjective: njegov – masculine, singular, nominative

So you get:

Njegov prijedlog – his suggestion

If the noun changed, njegov would change too:

njegova ideja (feminine singular nominative) – his idea
njegovo mišljenje (neuter singular nominative) – his opinion
njegovi prijedlozi (masculine plural nominative) – his suggestions

In u sredini grada, why is it grada and not grad?

The phrase u sredini grada literally means “in the middle of the city”.

There are two parts:

u sredini – “in the middle”
- u requires the locative case here
- sredina (middle) → locative singular: sredini
grada – “of the city”
- Here grad (city) is in the genitive case because it depends on sredina
- It answers “middle of what?” → of the city
- Genitive singular of grad is grada

So:

u sredini – in the middle (locative)
grada – of the city (genitive, dependent on “middle”)

That’s why it’s u sredini grada, not u sredini grad.

What’s the difference between u sredini grada and u centru grada? Can I use both?

Both are grammatical and often can be used in similar contexts, but there are nuances:

u sredini grada
- literally: in the middle of the city
- more geometric/spatial: somewhere around the mid‑point of the whole city area
- might sound a bit more descriptive or literal
u centru grada
- literally: in the centre of the city
- more like “downtown / city centre” – the main central area (often commercial or historic centre)
- this is the more common everyday expression when people mean downtown

In everyday speech, u centru grada is probably more usual if you mean the city centre, but u sredini grada is correct and understandable.

Can the word order inside the da clause change, e.g. da sutra se nađemo or da se nađemo sutra?

Croatian word order is relatively flexible, but not all orders sound natural.

Most natural orders here are:

da se sutra nađemo
da se nađemo sutra

Both are fine. The difference:

da se sutra nađemo – neutral; adverb sutra comes early
da se nađemo sutra – slightly more emphasis on sutra (contrasting with some other day)

The version da sutra se nađemo is not typical and sounds awkward. In Croatian, the clitic se usually stays very close to the verb and tends to come early in the clause, often right after da.

So stick to:

da se sutra nađemo or
da se nađemo sutra

Why is it u sredini grada and not na sredini grada? Is there a difference between u and na here?

Both u and na can sometimes be translated as “in/on/at”, but they’re used differently.

u sredini grada – literally “in the middle of the city”
- u is used with enclosed spaces / areas / volumes: in a room, in a city, in a box
- a city is seen as an area you are inside of
na sredini is more usual when you’re talking about the surface or a defined area, e.g.:
- na sredini stola – in the middle of the table
- na sredini ulice – in the middle of the street (on the surface)

For a city, u sredini grada is the natural choice, because you are inside the city boundaries, not on its surface.

Is there any difference between zajedno učimo and učimo zajedno?

Both mean “we study together” and are grammatically correct. The difference is one of word order and slight emphasis:

zajedno učimo – starts with zajedno (together); can very slightly highlight the togetherness
učimo zajedno – starts with učimo (we study/are studying); slightly more neutral

In most everyday contexts, they are interchangeable and both sound natural.

Why do we use učimo (present tense) here? Does it mean “we are going to study” or “we study (habitually)”?

In this sentence:

Njegov prijedlog je da se sutra nađemo u sredini grada i zajedno učimo.

učimo is in the present tense, but because it is inside a da‑clause talking about a future arrangement (with sutra), it refers to a future action:

...da se sutra nađemo... i zajedno učimo.
≈ that we meet tomorrow in the middle of the city and study together (then).

So here učimo is not about a general habit; it’s about what we will do when we meet. Again, this is the same pattern: da + present for suggestions/intended future actions.

Could I say Njegov prijedlog je da sutra budemo u sredini grada i učimo zajedno instead? Is that still correct?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct, but it changes the nuance a bit.

Original:

Njegov prijedlog je da se sutra nađemo u sredini grada i zajedno učimo.
Focuses on the action of meeting up (nađemo se) and then studying together.

Alternative:

Njegov prijedlog je da sutra budemo u sredini grada i učimo zajedno.
Literally: His suggestion is that we be in the middle of the city tomorrow and study together.
- Focuses more on being/remaining in that place rather than on the act of meeting up.

Both are understandable and correct, but if you want to emphasize “meet up”, nađemo se is the more natural verb.