Log inSign up

Djeca jedu kekse uz čaj, a ja čuvam čokoladu za poslije večere.

Djeca jedu kekse uz čaj, a ja čuvam čokoladu za poslije večere.
The children eat cookies with tea, and I save the chocolate for after dinner.

Breakdown of Djeca jedu kekse uz čaj, a ja čuvam čokoladu za poslije večere.

ja
I
večera
dinner
jesti
to eat
poslije
after
a
and
čaj
tea
dijete
child
za
for
uz
with
čokolada
chocolate
keks
cookie
čuvati
to save
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Croatian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Croatian now

Questions & Answers about Djeca jedu kekse uz čaj, a ja čuvam čokoladu za poslije večere.

Why is djeca used instead of a form like djeci or djeco?

Djeca is the nominative plural form meaning (the) children and it’s the subject of jedu (eat).
Other forms have different roles:

  • djeci = dative/locative plural (to/for the children, about the children)
  • djeco = vocative (Children!) when calling them
What form is jedu, and how do I know it means they eat?

Jedu is the 3rd person plural present tense of jesti (to eat).
In Croatian, the verb ending often makes the subject clear, so Djeca jedu already means The children eat / are eating without needing a pronoun like oni/one (they).

Does the present tense here mean they eat or they are eating?

Either is possible. Croatian present tense commonly covers both:

  • Djeca jedu kekse = The children eat cookies (general/habit)
  • Djeca jedu kekse = The children are eating cookies (right now)
    Context decides which English tense you’d use.
Why is it kekse and not keksi?

Because kekse is accusative plural, used for a direct object after an action verb like jesti.

  • Nominative plural (subject form): keksi
  • Accusative plural (object form): kekse
    So Djeca jedu kekse = Children eat (some) cookies.
What does uz mean here, and why is it not s/sa?

Uz here means with in the sense of along with / accompanied by, especially for food and drink:

  • kekse uz čaj = cookies with tea / cookies alongside tea

s/sa is also with, but it’s more like together with (a person/thing as company or instrument):

  • Idem s prijateljem. = I’m going with a friend.
    For food pairings, uz is extremely common.
Why is it čaj and not something like čaja?

After uz, Croatian typically uses the accusative. For čaj, the accusative singular is the same as nominative: čaj.
So:

  • uz čaj = with tea

You might see čaja as genitive in other contexts, e.g. šalica čaja (a cup of tea) or bez čaja (without tea).

What’s the role of a in the middle of the sentence?

A is a very common conjunction meaning and/but, often used to contrast two statements or shift focus:

  • Djeca jedu..., a ja čuvam... = The kids are eating..., and/but I’m saving...

It’s softer and more “contrastive” than just i (and). Using i here would sound more like simple addition, with less contrast.

Why is ja included? Isn’t the verb form enough?

Yes, čuvam already implies I (1st person singular). Ja is added for emphasis or contrast, especially after a:

  • ..., a ja čuvam... ≈ ..., but I am saving...
    Without ja, it’s still correct: ..., a čuvam čokoladu..., just less emphatic.
What exactly does čuvam mean here—guard, keep, or save?

Čuvati has a range of meanings depending on context:

  • keep/save for later (most natural here): čuvam čokoladu za poslije večere
  • look after / watch over: čuvam djecu (I’m watching the children)
  • guard/protect: čuvam kuću (I’m guarding the house / watching the house)

With food + za + time, it strongly reads as save/keep for later.

Why is it čokoladu and not čokolada?

Because it’s the direct object of čuvam, so it goes in the accusative singular:

  • Nominative: čokolada (subject form)
  • Accusative: čokoladu (object form)

So čuvam čokoladu = I’m saving the chocolate (or some chocolate, depending on context).

How does za poslije večere work grammatically?

It’s a very common “saving something for later” structure:

  • za
    • (accusative phrase) = for (a purpose/time later)

Here poslije večere functions like later / after dinner, and the whole chunk means:

  • za poslije večere = for after dinner / for later, after dinner
Why is it poslije večere (genitive), not poslije večeru?

Because poslije (like nakon) normally takes the genitive case:

  • poslije (koga? čega?) večere = after (what?) dinner

So:

  • večera (nominative) = dinner
  • večere (genitive) = of dinner / after dinner
Are the commas necessary in this sentence?

The comma before a is standard and expected when a links two independent clauses:

  • Djeca jedu..., a ja čuvam...

The comma after čaj is optional depending on style and pacing. Many writers include it to clearly separate the two clauses; others may omit it in shorter sentences.