Još se nismo navikli na novi raspored u uredu.

Questions & Answers about Još se nismo navikli na novi raspored u uredu.

Why is se used in Još se nismo navikli...?

Because the verb is naviknuti se, which means to get used to / to become accustomed to. In Croatian, this verb normally appears with se.

So the basic dictionary form is:

  • naviknuti se na nešto = to get used to something

Without se, you are usually dealing with a different verb pattern or a different meaning.

In this sentence:

  • se nismo navikli = we have not gotten used to

The se is not translated literally into English, but it is a normal and necessary part of this Croatian verb.

Why is it nismo navikli and not a simple present-tense form?

Croatian commonly uses the perfect tense here:

  • nismo navikli

This is built from:

  • nismo = we are not / we have not (auxiliary biti in the present, negative)
  • navikli = past participle

With verbs like naviknuti se, Croatian often uses the perfect to express a result or change of state:

  • Navikli smo se. = We got used to it / We have become used to it.
  • Još se nismo navikli. = We still haven’t gotten used to it yet.

A present-tense form would not sound natural for this meaning.

What exactly does još mean here?

Here još means something like still or yet, depending on how you translate the whole sentence into English.

Because the sentence is negative:

  • Još se nismo navikli...

it is often best translated as:

  • We still haven’t gotten used to... or
  • We haven’t gotten used to ... yet.

So još adds the idea that the situation continues up to now.

Compare:

  • Navikli smo se. = We got used to it.
  • Još se nismo navikli. = We still haven’t gotten used to it / We haven’t gotten used to it yet.
Why is the participle navikli and not naviknuli?

Both forms may be heard, depending on the verb and on usage, but navikli is the normal standard participle from naviknuti se in this meaning.

So:

  • naviknuti senavikao / navikla / navikli

Examples:

  • Navikao sam se. = I got used to it. (male speaker)
  • Navikla sam se. = I got used to it. (female speaker)
  • Navikli smo se. = We got used to it.

The form navikli is therefore the correct plural participle here.

Why is it navikli and not navikle?

The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.

Here the implied subject is we = mi.

  • navikli = masculine plural or mixed-gender plural
  • navikle = feminine plural

So:

  • Još se nismo navikli... would be used by a group containing at least one male, or when speaking in a general/mixed way.
  • Još se nismo navikle... would be used if the speakers are all female.

This agreement is something English does not show, but Croatian does.

Why does na novi raspored use na, and why is novi raspored in that form?

The verb naviknuti se requires the preposition na:

  • naviknuti se na nešto = to get used to something

After this na, Croatian uses the accusative case.

So:

  • na novi raspored

Here:

  • novi is the accusative singular masculine adjective
  • raspored is a masculine inanimate noun

For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular is the same as the nominative singular, so:

  • novi raspored looks the same in both nominative and accusative

Compare with a feminine noun:

  • na novu situaciju = to the new situation / get used to the new situation

So the form is controlled by the verb-preposition pattern: naviknuti se na + accusative.

Why is it u uredu and not u ured?

Because this phrase expresses location, not movement.

  • u uredu = in the office → location
  • u ured = into the office → movement/direction

In Croatian:

  • u + locative = location
  • u + accusative = movement toward/into

So in this sentence, the schedule is the one in the office, meaning the office setting or workplace context:

  • novi raspored u uredu = the new schedule in the office

The noun ured in the locative singular becomes:

  • ureduredu
What is the basic word order here, and why are se and nismo placed where they are?

Croatian word order is flexible, but clitics usually go near the beginning of the clause, often in the second position area.

In this sentence:

  • Još se nismo navikli na novi raspored u uredu.

the small unstressed words are:

  • se
  • nismo

They appear early in the sentence, before the main participle navikli.

A learner-friendly way to understand the structure is:

  • Još = still/yet
  • se nismo navikli = we have not gotten used
  • na novi raspored u uredu = to the new schedule in the office

You may also hear slightly different word orders for emphasis, such as:

  • Još nismo se navikli...

but Još se nismo navikli... is very natural and idiomatic.

Could I also say Još uvijek se nismo navikli...?

Yes. That is also correct.

  • još = still / yet
  • još uvijek = still

So:

  • Još se nismo navikli...
  • Još uvijek se nismo navikli...

Both are natural. The version with još uvijek is a little more explicit, while još alone is very common and often enough on its own.

What is the difference between naviknuti se and navikavati se?

This is a question of aspect, which is very important in Croatian.

  • naviknuti se = perfective
    It focuses on reaching the result: to get used to
  • navikavati se = imperfective
    It focuses on the process: to be getting used to / to get used to gradually

In your sentence, the perfective verb is used in the perfect tense:

  • Još se nismo navikli...
  • literally: We have not yet become accustomed...

If you used the imperfective, you would get a more process-focused meaning, for example:

  • Još se navikavamo na novi raspored.
  • We are still getting used to the new schedule.

Both are possible, but they highlight the situation differently.

Can this sentence refer to people physically being in the office, or does u uredu describe the schedule?

In this sentence, u uredu most naturally describes raspored:

  • novi raspored u uredu = the new schedule in the office

So the meaning is about the office schedule or arrangement at work.

Grammatically, Croatian often allows this kind of phrase at the end, and context tells you what it belongs to. Here, the most natural reading is not we, in the office, still haven’t gotten used to the new schedule, but rather we still haven’t gotten used to the new office schedule.

If you wanted to make it even clearer, you could also say:

  • Još se nismo navikli na novi uredski raspored.

where uredski means office-related.

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