Log inSign up

Kad otvorim ladicu prebrzo, kutija ponekad padne s ruba i ključevi ispadnu.

Kad otvorim ladicu prebrzo, kutija ponekad padne s ruba i ključevi ispadnu.
When I open the drawer too quickly, the box sometimes falls from the edge and the keys fall out.

Breakdown of Kad otvorim ladicu prebrzo, kutija ponekad padne s ruba i ključevi ispadnu.

i
and
ponekad
sometimes
kad
when
otvoriti
to open
ključ
key
s
from
rub
edge
ladica
drawer
kutija
box
prebrzo
too quickly
pasti
to fall
ispasti
to fall out
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Croatian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Croatian now

Questions & Answers about Kad otvorim ladicu prebrzo, kutija ponekad padne s ruba i ključevi ispadnu.

Why is it Kad otvorim and not Kada ću otvoriti for “when I open the drawer”?

In Croatian, you normally do not use ću in time clauses with kad / kada.

Instead, you use a present tense form (often of a perfective verb) even when talking about the future or about repeated events:

  • Kad dođem, nazvat ću te. – When I come, I’ll call you.
  • Kad završim posao, otići ću kući. – When I finish work, I’ll go home.

So:

  • Kad otvorim ladicu = When I open the drawer... (each time / whenever / in the future)
  • Kad ću otvoriti ladicu is ungrammatical in standard Croatian in this meaning.
What is the difference between otvorim and otvaram here?

Both are 1st person singular present, but of different aspects:

  • otvorim – perfective (from otvoriti: to open as a single, completed action)
  • otvaram – imperfective (from otvarati: to be opening, to open habitually)

In this sentence:

  • Kad otvorim ladicu prebrzo...
    The focus is on each completed opening (each time you manage to open it too fast, this can happen).

If you said:

  • Kad otvaram ladicu prebrzo...

it would sound more like you’re describing the ongoing process of opening, not the result of that action. The perfective otvorim is more natural for “whenever I (successfully) open it too quickly, this happens.”

Why is it ladicu and not ladica?

Ladica is a feminine noun meaning drawer.

Croatian marks grammatical case. Here, ladicu is the accusative singular, used for the direct object of the verb:

  • Nominative (subject): ladica – Ladica je prazna. – The drawer is empty.
  • Accusative (direct object): ladicu – Otvaram ladicu. – I’m opening the drawer.

Since the drawer is what you are opening, you need the accusative:

  • Kad otvorim ladicu prebrzo...
What does prebrzo literally mean, and why does it end in -o?

Prebrzo = too quickly / too fast.

  • The base adjective is brz – fast.
  • The prefix pre- makes it mean too fast / excessively fast.

  • The -o ending turns it into an adverb:

    • brz – fast (adjective, masculine)
    • brza – fast (adjective, feminine)
    • brzo – fast, quickly (adverb)

So:

  • prebrzo = too fast(‑ly)
    Otvorim ladicu prebrzo = I open the drawer too quickly.
Could I say Kad prebrzo otvorim ladicu instead? Is that correct?

Yes, that is also correct:

  • Kad otvorim ladicu prebrzo...
  • Kad prebrzo otvorim ladicu...

Both are natural. The difference is only in focus / rhythm:

  • Kad otvorim ladicu prebrzo... – slightly more focus on opening the drawer, then specifying too quickly.
  • Kad prebrzo otvorim ladicu... – the “too quickly” part is slightly more prominent.

In everyday speech, both word orders are fine and common.

Why is it padne and not pada?

Again, this is an aspect difference:

  • pasti (perfective) → padne (present) – to fall (as a single event)
  • padati (imperfective) → pada (present) – to be falling / fall repeatedly / be in the process of falling

In the sentence:

  • kutija ponekad padne s ruba – the box sometimes falls from the edge (each incident is a complete, sudden fall).

If you used pada instead:

  • kutija ponekad pada s ruba

it would sound more like “is sometimes falling from the edge” – focusing on the ongoing process rather than on the completed event. Padne is more natural for sudden, complete “plop, it falls off” events.

What does s ruba mean grammatically, and why is it ruba, not rub?

s ruba literally means “from (the) edge”.

  • rub – edge (nominative singular)
  • ruba – edge (genitive singular)

The preposition s (or sa) when it means “from a surface / off of” takes the genitive:

  • s ruba stola – from the edge of the table
  • pasti s krova – to fall from the roof
  • sići s planine – to come down from the mountain

So:

  • s ruba = from the edge
    That’s why rub changes to genitive ruba.
When do I use s and when sa?

Both s and sa are forms of the same preposition. Their meaning is the same; the difference is mostly phonetic convenience and style.

General tendencies:

  • Use sa:

    • before words starting with s, z, š, ž (to avoid tongue-twisters)
      • sa stola, sa zemlje, sa sestrom
    • before consonant clusters that are hard to pronounce after s

  • Use s elsewhere:

    • s ruba, s vrha, s posla

In your sentence, s ruba is normal and easy to pronounce, so s is used.

What is the difference between pasti (padne) and ispasti (ispadnu)?

Both verbs involve falling, but they focus on different things:

  • pasti – to fall (down) in general
    • kutija padne s ruba – the box falls off the edge.
  • ispasti – to fall out of something, to come out unintentionally
    • ključevi ispadnu – the keys fall out (of the box, of a pocket, etc.).

So in the sentence:

  • kutija ponekad padne s ruba – the box (itself) falls off the edge.
  • i ključevi ispadnu – and the keys fall out (of the box).

Croatian uses a different verb (ispasti) to emphasize that they were inside something and then came out by falling.

Why is it ključevi ispadnu, not ključevi ispadaju?

Same aspect pattern as before:

  • ispasti (perfective) → ispadnu (present) – fall out as a single event
  • ispadati (imperfective) → ispadaju (present) – be falling out / keep falling out

In the sentence:

  • ključevi ispadnu – the keys fall out (each time as a single result when the box falls).

Using ispadaju would shift the focus to a ongoing or repeated process, like “they’re in the process of falling out” or “they tend to be falling out”, which sounds unnatural here. We want a clear, single consequence: box falls → keys fall out.

Why is there no “I” (no ja) in the sentence?

Croatian is a pro-drop language: the subject pronoun is usually omitted when it is clear from the verb ending.

  • otvorim already tells us it’s 1st person singular (“I open”).
  • So Ja otvorim ladicu prebrzo would sound emphatic: I (as opposed to someone else) open the drawer too fast.

The neutral, natural version is without ja:

  • Kad otvorim ladicu prebrzo...

You add ja only when you want to stress who is doing the action.

Can ponekad (“sometimes”) go in other places in the sentence?

Yes, ponekad is flexible in word order. All of these are grammatical:

  • Kutija ponekad padne s ruba... (original order)
  • Ponekad kutija padne s ruba...
  • Kutija padne ponekad s ruba... (less usual, but possible in speech with a certain intonation)

The most natural are:

  • Kutija ponekad padne s ruba...
  • Ponekad kutija padne s ruba...

Moving ponekad slightly changes rhythm and sometimes emphasis, but not the basic meaning.

Is ladica the only word for “drawer” in Croatian?

In standard Croatian, ladica is the usual word for a drawer.

However, in regional speech and other former Yugoslav varieties you may also hear:

  • fioka – very common in Serbian and Bosnian, also understood in Croatia (but felt as non-standard / regional there).
  • gaveta – regional (e.g. some coastal / Dalmatian areas).

If you’re learning standard Croatian, stick with:

  • ladica – drawer
    • kuhinjska ladica – kitchen drawer
    • ladica stola – drawer of the table / desk