Learn Hardcore Croatian: Na kraju sastanka pojavio se novi problem. - At the end of the meeting a new problem appeared.

na – preposition “on / at”
kraj (dictionary form) – noun, “end”
- here in locative singular: kraju → “at/on the end”
sastanak (dictionary form) – noun, “meeting”
- here in genitive singular: sastanka → “of the meeting”

So the structure is:

na
- locative (kraju) = at the end
kraj
- genitive (sastanka) = end of the meeting

Together: Na kraju sastanka = At the end of the meeting.

Why is the preposition na used in Na kraju sastanka, and not u?

In Croatian, both na and u can translate as “at” in time expressions, but they’re used with different fixed phrases.

na kraju is an idiomatic phrase that means “at the end” (in a temporal or logical sense).
- Na kraju sastanka – At the end of the meeting
- Na kraju dana – At the end of the day
- Na kraju filma – At the end of the movie

Using u kraju here would be wrong in this meaning. U kraju would more likely be spatial and dialectal, like “in the (local) area/neighborhood.”

So you should treat na kraju as a set expression for “at the end (of something)” in time/sequence contexts.

What case is sastanka, and why is it used?

Sastanka is in the genitive singular of sastanak (meeting).

The reason: the noun kraj (“end”) typically takes a genitive complement to express “the end of something”:

kraj sastanka – the end of the meeting
kraj filma – the end of the film
kraj dana – the end of the day

So the pattern is:

kraj + GENITIVE = the end of X

In your sentence, Na kraju sastanka literally is At the end of the meeting.

Why is the word order pojavio se novi problem and not novi problem se pojavio? Are both correct?

Both pojavio se novi problem and novi problem se pojavio are grammatically correct, but they differ slightly in emphasis and information structure.

Pojavio se novi problem.
- Literally: Appeared REFL new problem.
- This is a common neutral-sounding order, especially in narration.
- The new information / focus often comes later in the sentence, so novi problem at the end is what you “announce.”
Novi problem se pojavio.
- Literally: New problem REFL appeared.
- Here, novi problem is moved to the front, so you’re thematically starting with “A new problem”.
- This can feel a bit more like: “A new problem appeared (as opposed to something else)” or you’re continuing to talk about that problem.

In many real-life contexts, the difference is small, and both are acceptable. Croatian word order is relatively flexible; speakers choose the order based on what they want to highlight or what sounds most natural in context.

In your sentence, Pojavio se novi problem is a very typical narrative style: first the event (pojavio se), then what it was (novi problem).

What is se in pojavio se, and what does it do?

Se is a clitic reflexive pronoun. In this sentence it has a medio-passive or intransitive function rather than a true reflexive (“himself”) meaning.

The verb here is effectively:

pojaviti se – to appear, to emerge

Without se, pojavio would usually need a direct object (and could have a different nuance), but with se it becomes an intransitive “something appears”:

pojavio se novi problem – a new problem appeared

So:

pojavio – past tense, masculine singular of pojaviti
se – reflexive clitic that’s part of the verb’s normal form pojaviti se

In many dictionaries, you’ll see the verb listed as pojaviti se rather than just pojaviti because se is an essential part of its usual meaning “to appear.”

Where does se usually go in the sentence, and could we put it somewhere else here?

Se is a clitic, and Croatian clitics have fairly strict placement rules. In main clauses, they usually go in “second position” (after the first stressed word or phrase in the clause).

In your sentence:

Pojavio – first stressed word
se – clitic in second position
novi problem – rest of the clause

So: Pojavio se novi problem.

If we start the sentence with a time expression:

Na kraju sastanka pojavio se novi problem.

The first stressed element is Na kraju sastanka (as one initial phrase), and then the clitic cluster comes:

Na kraju sastanka pojavio se novi problem.

Other acceptable variants:

Na kraju sastanka se pojavio novi problem. (also heard in practice; some style guides prefer verb–clitic order, but this is common in speech)

You can’t just move se freely. For example, *Pojavio novi se problem is wrong. The clitic must appear in its “clitic slot,” usually right after the first stressed element in the clause or right after the verb if that’s first.

Why is pojavio se masculine singular? What would change if the subject were feminine or plural?

In Croatian, the past tense agrees with the subject’s gender and number.

Here, the logical subject is novi problem:

problem is a masculine singular noun
therefore, the past participle is pojavio (masculine singular)

If the subject changed, the past participle would change accordingly:

Masculine singular:
- Pojavio se novi problem. – A new (masc.) problem appeared.
Feminine singular (e.g. poteškoća = difficulty):
- Pojavila se nova poteškoća.
Neuter singular (e.g. pitanje = question):
- Pojavilo se novo pitanje.
Masculine plural (e.g. problemi):
- Pojavili su se novi problemi.
Feminine plural (e.g. poteškoće):
- Pojavile su se nove poteškoće.

Notice that in the plural we also add su (the auxiliary biti in 3rd person plural):

pojavio se (he/it appeared)
pojavili su se (they appeared)

So the form of pojavio/pojavila/pojavilo/pojavili/pojavile depends on the subject.

What tense and aspect is pojavio se, and how would you say something like “was appearing” or “used to appear”?

Pojavio se is:

past tense
of a perfective verb (pojaviti se)

Perfective aspect in Croatian describes completed, one-time events with a clear result:

pojavio se novi problem – a new problem (suddenly) appeared (once, as a complete event)

To express ongoing, repeated, or habitual appearance (like “was appearing” / “used to appear”), you’d usually use the imperfective counterpart pojavljati se:

Na kraju sastanka pojavljivao se novi problem.
- At the end of the meeting, a new problem was (repeatedly / habitually) appearing.
Na kraju sastanaka uvijek se pojavljivao neki novi problem.
- At the ends of meetings, some new problem always used to appear.

So:

pojavio se – perfective, completed event “appeared”
pojavljivao se – imperfective, ongoing / repeated “was appearing, used to appear”

What case and gender is novi problem, and how do we know?

Novi problem is:

nominative singular
masculine gender

We know this because:

problem is a masculine noun (it behaves like typical masculine nouns ending in a consonant in the nominative singular).
In this sentence, novi problem is the subject:
- (Who/what) appeared? → novi problem
The adjective novi agrees with problem in:
- gender: masculine
- number: singular
- case: nominative

Some forms to compare:

Masculine nominative singular: novi problem
Feminine nominative singular: nova knjiga (new book)
Neuter nominative singular: novo pitanje (new question)
Masculine accusative singular (animate): novog prijatelja (new friend) – different ending

Here, since novi problem is the subject and matches the verb pojavio se (masculine singular), we identify it as nominative masculine singular.

Can Na kraju sastanka go somewhere else in the sentence, or must it stay at the beginning?

Na kraju sastanka is a time expression and can move quite freely in the sentence. All of these are possible and natural, with slight shifts in emphasis:

Na kraju sastanka pojavio se novi problem.
– At the end of the meeting, a new problem appeared.
(Neutral, common: sets the time frame first.)
Pojavio se novi problem na kraju sastanka.
– A new problem appeared at the end of the meeting.
(Slightly more focus on “a new problem appeared,” then you add when.)
Novi problem se pojavio na kraju sastanka.
– A new problem appeared at the end of the meeting.
(More emphasis on “new problem” as the topic.)

All are grammatical. Croatian allows relatively free word order; you just have to respect clitic placement (like se, je, su, etc.). The choice of position mostly affects focus and flow, not grammaticality.

How would you negate this sentence?

To negate Na kraju sastanka pojavio se novi problem, you insert nije (the negative form of biti in 3rd person singular past) and keep clitic order in mind:

Na kraju sastanka nije se pojavio novi problem.
– At the end of the meeting, no new problem appeared / a new problem did not appear.

Another common ordering is:

Na kraju sastanka se nije pojavio novi problem.

Both are heard; style guides often prefer putting nije before se, but se nije is very common in real speech.

Key elements:

nije – negative auxiliary (did not / has not)
pojavio – past participle, still masculine singular
se – reflexive clitic, stays close to the verb
The rest stays the same.

How would you say “At the beginning of the meeting, a new problem appeared” in Croatian?

You mainly replace kraj (end) with početak (beginning):

Na početku sastanka pojavio se novi problem.

Breakdown:

na početku – at the beginning
- na
  - početak → locative: početku
sastanka – genitive singular, “of the meeting”
pojavio se novi problem – a new problem appeared

So the pattern is parallel:

Na kraju sastanka pojavio se novi problem. – At the end of the meeting…
Na početku sastanka pojavio se novi problem. – At the beginning of the meeting…

How do we know whether to translate novi problem as “a new problem” or “the new problem,” since Croatian has no articles?

Croatian doesn’t have “a / an / the” as separate words, so you choose “a” or “the” in English based on context, not on any visible word in Croatian.

novi problem can mean:
- “a new problem” – introducing it for the first time:
  - At the end of the meeting, *a new problem appeared.*
- “the new problem” – if both speaker and listener already know which new problem is meant:
  - At the end of the meeting, *the new problem appeared (the one we were expecting).*

In your sentence taken on its own, with no prior context, English speakers would most naturally translate:

Na kraju sastanka pojavio se novi problem. →
At the end of the meeting, a new problem appeared.

Because in English, “a” is used when introducing something new into the story. Croatian relies on context and word order for this kind of nuance, not on articles.