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Nijedan autobus nije stigao na stanicu, pa idemo pješice.

Nijedan autobus nije stigao na stanicu, pa idemo pješice.
No bus arrived at the station, so we are going on foot.
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Questions & Answers about Nijedan autobus nije stigao na stanicu, pa idemo pješice.

Why is it nijedan autobus (singular) and not something plural like nijedni autobusi?

Croatian commonly uses nijedan + singular noun to mean not a single…:

  • nijedan autobus = not a single bus

You can also say it in plural:

  • nijedni autobusi nisu stigli = no buses arrived

Both are correct; the singular version is very common when you want to stress “not even one.”

If nijedan already means “no/none,” why do we also say nije (another negative)? Isn’t that “double negative”?

Croatian uses negative concord: when you have a negative word like nijedan (“no/none”), the verb is also negative (nije). So nijedan … nije … is the standard grammatical pattern, and it still means a single negation in English:

  • Nijedan autobus nije stigao. = No bus arrived.
Why is the verb singular: nije stigao? In English “no buses arrived” feels plural.

Because the subject here is grammatically singular: nijedan autobus (singular noun), so the verb is singular:

  • nije stigao = did not arrive (singular)

If you use a plural subject, you switch to plural:

  • nijedni autobusi nisu stigli (plural auxiliary + plural participle)
What tense is nije stigao, and how is it formed?

It’s the Croatian perfect (the usual past tense in conversation):

  • nije = present of biti (“to be”) used as an auxiliary (negative form)
  • stigao = past participle of stići (“to arrive”)

Pattern: (auxiliary biti) + past participle
Here: nije + stigao.

Why does the participle look like stigao? Does it change?

Yes—past participles agree in gender and number with the subject (especially in the perfect).

  • autobus is masculine singular → stigao (masc. sg.)

Compare:

  • Autobus je stigao. (masc. sg.)
  • Tramvaj je stigao. (masc. sg.)
  • Autobus i tramvaj su stigli. (masc. pl. mixed group)
  • Autobusna linija je stigla. (fem. sg.)
Why is it na stanicu and not na stanici?

With na, Croatian uses different cases depending on meaning:

  • na + accusative = motion toward/onto → na stanicu (to the stop)
  • na + locative = location at/on → na stanici (at the stop)

So:

  • Nije stigao na stanicu. = didn’t arrive to/at the stop (as a destination)
  • Nije na stanici. = isn’t at the stop
What does pa mean here? Is it the same as zato?

Here pa works like “so/therefore”, linking a cause to a consequence:

  • …, pa idemo pješice. = …, so we’re going on foot.

zato can also mean “therefore/because of that,” but it often feels a bit more explicit:

  • Nijedan autobus nije stigao, zato idemo pješice. Both are possible; pa is very common in everyday speech.
Why is idemo in the present tense if the meaning is about what we’ll do next?

Croatian often uses the present tense for a near-future decision/plan, especially when it’s immediate:

  • idemo pješice = we’re going (now), we’ll go on foot

You could also use future:

  • ići ćemo pješice = we will go on foot (more neutral/explicit future)

Also, depending on context, Idemo! can mean “Let’s go!”, but in this sentence it’s simply “we go / we’re going.”

What part of speech is pješice, and how do I use it?

pješice is an adverb meaning “on foot / walking.”
It doesn’t need a preposition:

  • Idemo pješice. = We’re going on foot.
  • Došao sam pješice. = I came on foot.
Can the word order change? For example: Nije stigao nijedan autobus…

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible, and changes usually affect emphasis:

  • Nijedan autobus nije stigao… (neutral: “No bus arrived…”)
  • Nije stigao nijedan autobus… (more emphasis on the fact of not arriving)

Both are correct.

How should I pronounce the tricky parts like pješice and nijedan?

Key pronunciation notes:

  • nj in nijedan is like the ny in canyon (roughly): ni-je-dan
  • š in pješice is sh as in ship
  • ć in pješice is a soft “ch”-like sound (softer than English ch)

Approximate guide:

  • Nijedan ≈ nee-YEH-dan
  • pješice ≈ PYEH-shee-tseh (with a soft ć sound)
Why is there a comma before pa?

Because the sentence has two independent clauses: 1) Nijedan autobus nije stigao na stanicu
2) pa idemo pješice

The comma is standard when pa links clauses with a “so/therefore” meaning.