Djeca trče po dvorištu nakon škole.

The children run around the yard after school.

Breakdown of Djeca trče po dvorištu nakon škole.

• škola: school
• dijete: child
• nakon: after
• trčati: to run
• dvorište: yard
• po: by

Questions & Answers about Djeca trče po dvorištu nakon škole.

Why is djeca used, and why isn’t it djece or djeci?

Djeca is the nominative plural form used for the subject of the sentence (The children).

• djeca = nominative (subject) plural
• djece = genitive (often after negation, quantities, “of the children,” etc.)
• djeci = dative/locative (to/for the children; about/at the children depending on context)

Since the children are doing the action (trče), you use nominative: Djeca trče...

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Is djeca grammatically plural or singular? Why is the verb trče plural?

Meaning-wise it’s plural (children), and it takes a plural verb: trče (they run).
Croatian treats djeca as a plural subject, so agreement is plural:

• Djeca trče. (not Djeca trči.)

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What does trče mean exactly, and what is its dictionary form?

trče means (they) run / are running (present tense).
The dictionary form (infinitive) is trčati (to run).

Croatian present tense often covers both English run and are running; context decides.

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Why is it po dvorištu and not u dvorištu?

Both can be possible but they emphasize different ideas:

• u dvorištu = in the yard (location; being inside that area)
• po dvorištu = around/all over the yard (movement spread across the area)

With trče (running), po commonly highlights moving around within the space, not just being located there.

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What case is dvorištu, and why is it in that case?

dvorištu is locative singular (same form as dative singular for many nouns). It’s used because:

• the preposition po (in this meaning of movement within an area) takes the locative.

So: po + locative → po dvorištu.

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What is the base form of dvorištu and what gender is it?

The base (dictionary) form is dvorište (courtyard/yard).
It’s neuter. Typical neuter pattern:

• nominative: dvorište
• locative: u/po dvorištu

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Does po always require the locative?

Not always. po can govern different cases depending on meaning:

• po + locative: movement/distribution within an area (po dvorištu = around the yard), or “according to” (po pravilima = according to the rules)
• po + accusative: direction/goal in some uses, especially with amounts or time spans, e.g. po jedan (one each), po cijeli dan (all day long)

In your sentence, it’s the common po + locative “around” use.

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Why is it nakon škole and not poslije škole?

Both are correct and very common:

• nakon škole = after school (neutral, slightly more formal)
• poslije škole = after school (often feels more conversational in many regions)

They both take the genitive: škole.

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What case is škole, and why?

škole is genitive singular of škola (school).
Prepositions like nakon and poslije require the genitive, so:

• nakon + genitive → nakon škole
• poslije + genitive → poslije škole

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Could I say poslije školi or nakon škola?

No, because the case would be wrong:

• poslije školi → školi is dative/locative, but poslije needs genitive
• nakon škola → škola in nominative plural doesn’t fit; you need genitive singular here: škole

Correct: poslije škole / nakon škole.

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What word order is normal here? Can I move parts around?

The given order is very natural: Djeca trče po dvorištu nakon škole.
Croatian word order is flexible, but changes emphasis:

• Nakon škole djeca trče po dvorištu. (emphasizes after school)
• Djeca nakon škole trče po dvorištu. (also fine)
• Po dvorištu djeca trče nakon škole. (emphasizes around the yard)

Most versions are grammatical; the default is usually “subject + verb + (place) + (time).”

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Is dvorište best translated as “yard” or “courtyard”?

It depends on context:

• dvorište can be a yard (e.g., by a house)
• or a school courtyard/playground area

The Croatian word is broader than either English term; you pick the English word that matches the setting.