Breakdown of Nas dvoje večeras čuvamo nećaka i nećakinju.
i
and
večeras
tonight
nas
us (accusative/genitive)
čuvati
to look after
Questions & Answers about Nas dvoje večeras čuvamo nećaka i nećakinju.
Why does the sentence start with nas dvoje instead of just mi?
Nas dvoje means the two of us and is more specific than mi (we).
- mi čuvamo = we are looking after / babysitting
- nas dvoje čuvamo = the two of us are looking after / babysitting
So the speaker is emphasizing that exactly two people are involved.
This is a very common Croatian pattern:
- nas dvoje = the two of us
- vas dvoje = the two of you
- njih dvoje = the two of them
It is especially used when talking about a mixed pair or when gender is not the main point.
Why is it nas dvoje and not mi dvoje?
Croatian usually uses the oblique form of the pronoun in this construction:
- nas dvoje
- vas dvoje
- njih dvoje
Even though nas is also the form you may know as us, here it is simply the standard form used with dvoje.
So nas dvoje is the normal idiomatic way to say the two of us.
You may occasionally hear mi dvoje, but nas dvoje is the more standard and common form in this kind of sentence.
What exactly does dvoje mean?