Zbog oluje moramo odgoditi izlet na jezero.

Because of the storm, we have to postpone the trip to the lake.

Breakdown of Zbog oluje moramo odgoditi izlet na jezero.

• morati: to have to
• na: to
• zbog: because of
• izlet: trip
• jezero: lake
• oluja: storm
• odgoditi: to postpone

Questions & Answers about Zbog oluje moramo odgoditi izlet na jezero.

Why does zbog use oluje and not oluja?

Because zbog (because of) requires the genitive case.
The noun oluja (storm) is feminine singular, and its genitive singular form is oluje.
So: zbog oluje = because of the storm.

Is zbog the only way to say “because of” in Croatian? What’s the difference with radi?

Two common options are:

• zbog + Genitive: neutral/common for causes, often including negative causes (but not only).
  Example: zbog oluje (because of the storm).
• radi + Genitive: more like “for the sake of / due to (intended purpose)”, and can sound more “purposeful” or formal.
  Example: radi djece (for the sake of the children).

In this sentence, zbog oluje is the natural choice.

What does moramo literally mean, and what form is it?

Moramo is the 1st person plural present tense of morati (to have to / must).
It means we have to / we must.

Why is there an infinitive odgoditi after moramo?

In standard Croatian, modal verbs like morati typically take the infinitive:

• moramo odgoditi = we have to postpone

You may also hear da + present in some regional speech (more common in some neighboring standards/areas), but the infinitive is the default in standard Croatian.

What’s the difference between odgoditi and odgađati?

It’s mainly aspect:

• odgoditi = perfective (a completed, single act): to postpone (once), to put it off.
• odgađati = imperfective (ongoing/repeated): to be postponing, to postpone repeatedly.

With moramo, both can work depending on meaning, but moramo odgoditi often implies a specific decision/action: “We need to postpone it (now).”

Why is izlet not changed—shouldn’t it be in a different case?

It is in the accusative as the direct object of odgoditi, but for masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular is the same as the nominative.
So it looks unchanged:

• nominative: izlet
• accusative: izlet

If it were masculine animate, you’d see a difference (e.g., vidim psa vs nominative pas).

What’s the role of na jezero—why na and why that form?

Na jezero expresses destination: “to the lake.”
With na, the case depends on meaning:

• movement toward / destination → accusative: na jezero
• location (being there) → locative: na jezeru (“at/on the lake”)

Here it’s an “outing to the lake,” so na jezero fits.

Is jezero accusative here, and why does it look unchanged too?

Yes, jezero is accusative singular after na (destination).
Many neuter nouns have the same form in nominative and accusative singular, so jezero stays jezero.

Could the word order be different, like Moramo zbog oluje...?

Yes. Croatian word order is fairly flexible because cases carry a lot of the meaning. For example, these are all possible with slightly different emphasis:

• Zbog oluje moramo odgoditi izlet na jezero. (emphasis on the reason first)
• Moramo odgoditi izlet na jezero zbog oluje. (reason added at the end)
• Izlet na jezero moramo odgoditi zbog oluje. (emphasis on the outing)

How do I pronounce oluje and what does that j represent?

oluje is roughly “oh-LOO-yeh” (Croatian j is like English y in yes).
So the -uje part sounds like -oo-yeh.

Can I replace odgoditi with otkazati here?

You can, but it changes the meaning:

• odgoditi = postpone (you’ll do it later)
• otkazati = cancel (it won’t happen, at least not as planned)

So moramo odgoditi izlet implies you plan to reschedule; moramo otkazati izlet implies it’s called off.

Why isn’t there a word for “the” (like “the storm”, “the trip”, “the lake”)?

Croatian doesn’t have articles like the / a. Definiteness is usually understood from context or expressed in other ways (word order, demonstratives like taj/ova/onaj, etc.).
So zbog oluje can mean “because of a storm” or “because of the storm,” depending on context.