U ponedjeljak ujutro imam sastanak u uredu.

On Monday morning I have a meeting in the office.

Breakdown of U ponedjeljak ujutro imam sastanak u uredu.

• imati: to have
• ujutro: in the morning
• ponedjeljak: Monday
• sastanak: meeting
• ured: office
• u: to/into

Questions & Answers about U ponedjeljak ujutro imam sastanak u uredu.

Why do we say u ponedjeljak and not na ponedjeljak or just ponedjeljak?

For days of the week used as a time expression, Croatian commonly uses u + accusative: u ponedjeljak = on Monday.
You can also say just ponedjeljak ujutro in some contexts, but u ponedjeljak is very standard and clear. Na ponedjeljak is generally not used for this meaning.

What case is ponedjeljak here, and why?

It’s accusative singular. The preposition u takes:

• accusative for time expressions like u ponedjeljak (when something happens), and also for motion/direction
• locative for location (where something is), like u uredu

So u ponedjeljak (accusative) = on Monday, while u uredu (locative) = in the office.

Why is it ujutro and not u jutro?

Ujutro is an adverb meaning in the morning / in the mornings. It’s a fixed, common form.
U jutro can exist but is much less common and usually sounds marked; in normal everyday speech you use ujutro.

Does u ponedjeljak ujutro mean a specific Monday morning or Mondays in general?

Usually it means a specific Monday morning (the next/that Monday), especially with imam sastanak.
If you want every Monday morning, Croatian often uses something like:

• Ponedjeljkom ujutro imam sastanak. (Mondays in the morning)
• Svaki ponedjeljak ujutro imam sastanak. (Every Monday morning)

Why is imam in the present tense if the meeting might be in the future?

Croatian often uses the present tense for scheduled or planned future events, similar to English I have a meeting on Monday. Context/time phrases like u ponedjeljak ujutro make the future meaning clear.

Can I add ja (I) here: Ja imam sastanak...? When is it needed?

Yes, but it’s usually omitted because the verb ending -am already shows I.
You add ja for emphasis or contrast:

• Ja imam sastanak, a ti imaš slobodno. (I have a meeting, but you’re free.)

Is imam sastanak the most natural way to say this, or would Croatians say it differently?

Imam sastanak is very natural and common. Other possible options:

• Imam meeting u uredu. (colloquial, mixing English is common in offices)
• Sastajem se u uredu. (I’m meeting (someone) at the office — focuses more on meeting people, and you may want to add s kim = with whom)
• Imam dogovoren sastanak u uredu. (I have a meeting arranged/scheduled)

What case is sastanak, and does it change here?

It’s accusative singular, and it looks the same as nominative because sastanak is a masculine noun where nominative = accusative for inanimate objects.
You can see it change in other cases, e.g.:

• Bez sastanka (without a meeting) — genitive
• O sastanku (about the meeting) — locative

Why is it u uredu and not u ured?

Because this is location (where the meeting is), so u + locative is used: u uredu = in the office.
U ured (accusative) would imply motion/direction: going into the office.

What exactly is uredu—is that the same as u redu (meaning OK)?

They look similar but are different:

• uredu (one word) is the locative of ured (office): u uredu = in the office
• u redu (two words) means all right / OK / in order: Sve je u redu. = Everything is OK.

Is the word order fixed? Could I rearrange the sentence?

It’s flexible. This order is neutral and natural: time → verb → object → place.
Common alternatives include:

• U uredu imam sastanak u ponedjeljak ujutro. (emphasizes location)
• Imam sastanak u uredu u ponedjeljak ujutro. (very natural too) The meaning stays basically the same; word order mostly shifts emphasis.

Should ponedjeljak be capitalized?

No. In Croatian, days of the week and months are not capitalized unless they start a sentence:

• U ponedjeljak... (Monday not capitalized)
• Ponedjeljak je težak. (Capitalized only because it’s the first word)