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Nakon sastanka smo uzeli mali predah i popili vodu na terasi.

Nakon sastanka smo uzeli mali predah i popili vodu na terasi.
After the meeting we took a short break and drank water on the terrace.
FromLesson 66inHardcore Croatian

Questions & Answers about Nakon sastanka smo uzeli mali predah i popili vodu na terasi.

Why is it nakon sastanka and not nakon sastanak?

Because nakon requires the genitive case in Croatian.

The base form is sastanak = meeting.
After nakon = after, it changes to genitive singular:

  • sastanak → nominative
  • sastanka → genitive

So nakon sastanka means after the meeting / after a meeting.

Where is the word for we in this sentence?

Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb.

Here, smo tells you the subject is we. It is the 1st person plural auxiliary used to form the past tense.

So:

  • smo uzeli = we took
  • popili continues with the same we

You could add mi for emphasis:

  • Nakon sastanka mi smo uzeli...

But normally mi is unnecessary.

Why is it smo uzeli here instead of uzeli smo?

This is about Croatian clitic word order.

Smo is a clitic, and clitics usually go in the second position in the clause.

Here the first unit is Nakon sastanka, so the clitic comes right after it:

  • Nakon sastanka smo uzeli...

If the sentence started with the verb, then you would normally say:

  • Uzeli smo mali predah...

So both word orders can exist, but they depend on what comes first in the sentence.

What exactly are uzeli and popili?

They are past participle forms used with smo to make the Croatian perfect tense.

So:

  • smo uzeli = we took
  • (smo) popili = we drank

This tense is the normal way to talk about past actions in Croatian.

Why do uzeli and popili end in -i?

The participles agree with the subject in number and, in the plural, also often in gender.

Here the subject is we, so the verbs are plural. The form -i is the masculine plural form, which is also the usual default for a mixed group or when the gender makeup is not being specified.

So:

  • uzeli, popili = masculine plural / mixed plural
  • if the group were all female, you would get uzele, popile
Why isn’t smo repeated before popili?

Because Croatian often omits the repeated auxiliary when two past actions share the same subject and tense.

So this is natural:

  • smo uzeli mali predah i popili vodu

The second smo is understood from the first verb phrase.

In English, we also often do something similar:

  • We took a short break and drank some water
Why is it mali predah?

Because predah is the direct object of uzeli, so it is in the accusative case.

However, predah is a masculine inanimate noun, and in the singular its accusative form is the same as the nominative.

So:

  • nominative: mali predah
  • accusative: mali predah

That is why the form does not visibly change.

What does uzeti predah mean? Is it a fixed expression?

Yes, it is a normal expression meaning to take a break or to take a breather.

Predah suggests a short rest or a pause to recover a little. It is close to breather in English.

A very common alternative is napraviti pauzu = to take a break.

So uzeli mali predah is perfectly natural and means they paused briefly.

Why is it vodu and not voda?

Because voda is the direct object of popili, so it must be in the accusative singular.

  • nominative: voda
  • accusative: vodu

This is a very common feminine pattern in Croatian:

  • žena → ženu
  • kava → kavu
  • voda → vodu
Why is it na terasi and not na terasu?

Because na terasi expresses location, not movement.

With na, Croatian uses:

  • locative for being somewhere: na terasi = on the terrace / at the terrace
  • accusative for movement onto something: na terasu = onto the terrace

So here they were drinking water while on the terrace, not going onto the terrace.

Why is there no word for a or the in Croatian?

Because Croatian does not have articles like English.

So sastanka, mali predah, and vodu do not need separate words for a or the.

Whether something means a meeting or the meeting, a break or the break, is understood from context.

That is very normal in Croatian and other Slavic languages.

Why are uzeli and popili used here instead of some other verb forms?

These verbs are perfective, which fits the meaning of completed actions in the past.

  • uzeti = to take, as a completed act
  • popiti = to drink up / drink, as a completed act

This sentence describes finished events:

  • they took a break
  • they drank water

If Croatian wanted to focus more on an ongoing or habitual action, it might use imperfective verbs instead. But here the perfective forms are the natural choice.

Could I also say poslije sastanka instead of nakon sastanka?

Yes. Both nakon sastanka and poslije sastanka mean after the meeting.

Both are common, and both take the genitive case.

A rough nuance:

  • nakon can sound a little more neutral or formal
  • poslije is also very common in everyday speech

So in this sentence, either one would work well.

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