Breakdown of Susjeda mi pravi društvo dok čekam autobus.
Questions & Answers about Susjeda mi pravi društvo dok čekam autobus.
Susjeda here is a feminine noun meaning (female) neighbor. Croatian often forms the feminine counterpart of susjed (male neighbor) as susjeda (female neighbor).
- susjed = male neighbor
- susjeda = female neighbor
(susjedica can exist, but susjeda is the normal, everyday word for a female neighbor.)
It’s nominative singular because it’s the subject of the sentence (the person doing the action): The neighbor is keeping me company.
mi is the dative clitic meaning to me / for me. In this sentence it marks the person who benefits from the action: she’s keeping company to me (i.e., keeping me company).
Croatian clitics (short unstressed words like mi, me, ti, mu, je, se) usually come in the second position in the clause, which is why mi appears right after Susjeda.
Yes. Moja susjeda means my neighbor and adds possession/emphasis. Without moja, it’s simply (the) neighbor in context. Both are grammatical:
- Susjeda mi pravi društvo... = The neighbor is keeping me company...
- Moja susjeda mi pravi društvo... = My neighbor is keeping me company...
Literally, praviti is to make, and društvo is company / companionship. Together, praviti društvo (nekome) is an idiomatic, very common phrase meaning to keep someone company.
pravi is the 3rd person singular present form of praviti because the subject susjeda is she (one person).
- ja pravim = I make / I keep company
- ti praviš = you make
- on/ona pravi = he/she makes
- mi pravimo, vi pravite, oni prave
društvo is accusative singular (and it looks the same as nominative because it’s a neuter noun). It’s the direct object of pravi: she makes/does company (i.e., provides companionship).
Croatian often expresses this idea with the phrase praviti društvo (nekome) rather than a single verb. There is also pratiti (to follow/escort/accompany), but it doesn’t match the “sitting/waiting together” feel as naturally as praviti društvo.
dok means while (time). It introduces a subordinate clause: dok čekam autobus = while I’m waiting for the bus.
No special word order is required beyond normal Croatian patterns. The verb often appears early, but it’s flexible.
Croatian uses the present tense for actions happening now (and also sometimes for near-future in other contexts). Here it’s straightforward present: I am waiting.
Because čekati (to wait for) takes a direct object in the accusative: čekam autobus = I’m waiting for the bus.
For masculine inanimate nouns like autobus, the accusative singular is usually the same form as the nominative singular, so you often can’t see the change in the ending.
Some rearrangements are possible, but clitics like mi have strict placement rules.
- Susjeda mi pravi društvo... is natural.
- Susjeda pravi mi društvo... is generally not standard because mi usually must be in the second position.
- Mi susjeda pravi društvo... is wrong because mi (clitic) can’t normally start the clause like that (unless in very specific spoken/emphatic contexts, and even then it’s unusual).