Questions & Answers about Poslije malog nesporazuma opet su se nasmijali i zagrlili.
Why is malog nesporazuma in that form?
Because poslije takes the genitive case.
The basic dictionary forms are:
- mali nesporazum = a small misunderstanding
After poslije (after), both words change to genitive singular:
- mali → malog
- nesporazum → nesporazuma
So:
- poslije malog nesporazuma = after a small misunderstanding
This is a very common pattern in Croatian:
- poslije ručka = after lunch
- poslije sastanka = after the meeting
Could I say nakon malog nesporazuma instead of poslije malog nesporazuma?
Yes. Poslije and nakon can both mean after, and both are followed by the genitive.
So both are correct:
- Poslije malog nesporazuma...
- Nakon malog nesporazuma...
In many situations, poslije sounds a bit more everyday and conversational, while nakon can sound slightly more neutral or formal, but both are perfectly normal.
Why is there no subject like oni or one in the sentence?
Because Croatian often omits subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form or from context.
In English, you usually need they:
- They laughed again and hugged.
In Croatian, the subject is often left out:
- Opet su se nasmijali i zagrlili.
The form su shows that the subject is plural, and the participles also help show number and gender. So the pronoun is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.
How is the past tense formed in su se nasmijali i zagrlili?
This is the usual Croatian perfect tense.
It is made with:
- the present tense of biti (to be), here su
- plus the l-participle of the main verb
So:
- su nasmijali is not correct by itself, because the verb is nasmijati se
- su se nasmijali = they laughed/smiled
- su zagrlili = they hugged
The full tense pattern is:
- ja sam
- ti si
- on/ona/ono je
- mi smo
- vi ste
- oni/one/ona su
Why is se there in su se nasmijali?
Because the verb is nasmijati se, not just nasmijati.
Here se is part of the verb. Many Croatian verbs are used with se, and you often cannot translate it literally word for word into English.
So you learn it as a whole expression:
- nasmijati se = to laugh / to smile / to have a laugh, depending on context
A learner should usually memorize such verbs together with se:
- smijati se
- nadati se
- bojati se
- sjećati se
Does se belong only to nasmijali, or also to zagrlili?
In this sentence, se most directly belongs to nasmijali:
- nasmijali se
The second verb is simply:
- zagrlili
So the structure is basically:
- they laughed/smiled and hugged
The object of zagrlili is understood from context, often something like each other.
You may also hear or see:
- opet su se nasmijali i zagrlili se
or more naturally in many contexts:
- opet su se nasmijali i zagrlili
The version in your sentence is natural and compact.
Why is the word order opet su se nasmijali, not something like opet se su nasmijali?
Because su and se are clitics: short, unstressed words that have special word-order rules.
In Croatian, clitics usually stand near the beginning of the clause, in a natural clitic cluster. That is why:
- opet su se nasmijali sounds normal
- opet se su nasmijali is wrong
The order of the clitics also matters. Here the normal order is:
- su se
So the sentence follows a very typical Croatian pattern:
- Poslije malog nesporazuma opet su se nasmijali i zagrlili.
What is the difference between nasmijali se and smijali su se?
This is mainly a question of aspect.
- nasmijati se is perfective
- smijati se is imperfective
In very simple terms:
- nasmijali se presents the action as a completed whole
- smijali su se presents it as ongoing, repeated, or descriptive
So:
- Opet su se nasmijali = they laughed/smiled again, as a complete reaction
- Smijali su se = they were laughing / they laughed for some time
In your sentence, the perfective form fits well because the sentence describes a short sequence of completed events:
- there was a misunderstanding
- then they laughed again
- then they hugged
What is the difference between zagrlili and grlili?
Again, this is an aspect difference.
- zagrliti = perfective
- grliti = imperfective
So:
- zagrlili = they hugged, seen as a completed act
- grlili = they were hugging / they used to hug / they hugged for a while
In this sentence, zagrlili is the natural choice because it refers to one completed action in a sequence.
Why do the participles end in -li: nasmijali, zagrlili?
Because the subject is plural masculine in form.
In the Croatian past tense, the participle agrees with the subject in number and often gender.
Here:
- nasmijali
- zagrlili
suggest a masculine plural form, which is also the normal default if the group is mixed or unspecified.
Compare:
- oni su se nasmijali i zagrlili = masculine plural / mixed group
- one su se nasmijale i zagrlile = feminine plural
So if the sentence referred only to women, you would usually expect:
- Poslije malog nesporazuma opet su se nasmijale i zagrlile.
Is mali nesporazum meant literally as small misunderstanding?
Usually it means a minor misunderstanding.
So mali here often has the same kind of meaning that English small has in phrases like:
- a small problem
- a small misunderstanding
It does not usually mean physically small, of course. It means the misunderstanding was not serious.
Can opet move to another place in the sentence?
Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but not every position sounds equally natural.
Your sentence:
- Poslije malog nesporazuma opet su se nasmijali i zagrlili.
is very natural.
You may also hear things like:
- Opet su se nasmijali i zagrlili poslije malog nesporazuma.
But the original order works well because it first sets the scene (after the misunderstanding) and then gives the main actions.
With Croatian, the most important thing is to keep the clitics in a natural place:
- su se, not se su
Is poslije the normal Croatian spelling here?
Yes. Poslije is the normal Croatian form.
Learners may also notice related forms in other standards, for example posle, but for Croatian you should use:
- poslije
So the sentence is fully natural Croatian as written:
- Poslije malog nesporazuma opet su se nasmijali i zagrlili.
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