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Crijevo je pokraj slavine, ali voda iz njega danas slabo ide.

Crijevo je pokraj slavine, ali voda iz njega danas slabo ide.
The hose is next to the tap, but today the water flows weakly from it.
FromLesson 67inHardcore Croatian

Questions & Answers about Crijevo je pokraj slavine, ali voda iz njega danas slabo ide.

Why does crijevo mean hose here? Doesn’t it also mean intestine?

Yes — crijevo can mean both intestine/gut and hose/tube.

Croatian often uses the same word for something long and tubular. So:

  • crijevo = intestine, gut
  • vrtno crijevo = garden hose
  • in everyday context, just crijevo can mean hose

In this sentence, because it mentions slavina (tap/faucet) and voda (water), the meaning is clearly hose.

Why is it pokraj slavine and not pokraj slavina?

Because pokraj normally takes the genitive case.

So:

  • nominative: slavina = faucet, tap
  • genitive: slavine

That is why the sentence says:

  • pokraj slavine = next to the faucet / by the faucet

This is very common in Croatian: many prepositions require a specific case, and pokraj is one of the prepositions that usually requires the genitive.

What exactly does pokraj mean? Is it the same as next to?

Yes, in this sentence pokraj means something like:

  • next to
  • beside
  • by
  • near

So Crijevo je pokraj slavine means the hose is located by the faucet.

A learner should know that Croatian has a few similar words:

  • pokraj
  • pored
  • kraj

All can often mean by / next to / beside in everyday use, though their style and exact usage can vary a bit by region or context.

Why is it iz njega? What does njega refer to?

Njega refers back to crijevo.

So:

  • iz njega = out of it / from it
  • here: out of the hose

Grammatically:

  • iz requires the genitive case
  • the pronoun on/ono in genitive becomes njega

Since crijevo is neuter, English speakers often expect some special neuter-looking form, but Croatian personal pronouns don’t always work that way in the forms learners expect. After a preposition like iz, njega is the correct full form.

Why do we say iz njega and not iz ga?

Because after a preposition, Croatian uses the full stressed form of the pronoun, not the short clitic form.

So:

  • ga = short unstressed form
  • njega = full stressed form

After iz, you must say:

  • iz njega = correct
  • iz ga = incorrect

This is a very important rule in Croatian:

  • short forms like ga, mu, joj, ih do not come after prepositions
  • after prepositions, use forms like njega, njega/nju, njih, etc.
Why is there no word for it in Crijevo je pokraj slavine? Shouldn’t Croatian need a subject pronoun?

No. Croatian usually does not need an explicit subject pronoun when the subject is already clear.

In this sentence:

  • Crijevo is the subject
  • je means is

So Crijevo je pokraj slavine already fully means The hose is by the faucet.

Croatian often leaves out pronouns like he, she, it, they unless they are needed for emphasis or contrast.

Why is voda in the nominative?

Because voda is the subject of the second clause:

  • voda ... ide = the water goes / flows

So:

  • nominative singular: voda
  • verb: ide

Even though English might phrase this differently, Croatian treats water as the thing doing the action of going/flowing, so it stays in the nominative.

Does ide really mean goes here? Why is that used for water?

Yes. Literally, ide means goes, from the verb ići = to go.

But Croatian often uses ići in a broader way than English. With things like water, electricity, traffic, machines, and processes, ići can mean:

  • go
  • run
  • come through
  • flow
  • work

So voda iz njega slabo ide literally is something like:

  • water goes weakly out of it

But natural English is more like:

  • water isn’t flowing well from it
  • water is coming out weakly
  • the water flow from it is weak today

This is a very normal Croatian use of ići.

What does slabo ide mean exactly?

Slabo means:

  • weakly
  • poorly
  • not strongly
  • badly, depending on context

So slabo ide means that the water is not coming out with good pressure.

In this sentence, it suggests something like:

  • the hose is giving only a weak stream
  • the water pressure is poor
  • the water isn’t flowing properly today

So slabo is not just about physical weakness in a human sense — it is also used for performance, intensity, quality, and strength.

Why is danas placed in the middle of the sentence?

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and adverbs like danas (today) can move around depending on emphasis and rhythm.

Here:

  • voda iz njega danas slabo ide

sounds natural because danas modifies the whole situation: today the water is flowing poorly.

You could also hear variants like:

  • Voda iz njega slabo ide danas.
  • Danas voda iz njega slabo ide.

These are all possible, but they can sound slightly different in emphasis:

  • Danas ... emphasizes today
  • ... danas slabo ide sounds like a neutral statement
Why is the sentence split with ali?

Ali means but.

It connects two clauses that contrast with each other:

  • Crijevo je pokraj slavine = the hose is by the faucet
  • ali voda iz njega danas slabo ide = but the water is flowing weakly from it today

So the contrast is:

  • the hose is there / connected / in place
  • but even so, the water is not flowing well

This is a very standard use of ali.

Could the second part say voda iz crijeva instead of voda iz njega?

Yes, absolutely.

You could say:

  • voda iz crijeva danas slabo ide

That would mean the same thing: the water from the hose isn’t flowing well today.

Using iz njega avoids repeating crijevo, so it sounds smoother and more natural in connected speech. Croatian often does this just like English uses it to avoid repetition.

Why is je in second position? Is that important?

Croatian has a strong tendency for short unstressed forms, called clitics, to appear near the beginning of the clause, often in second position.

In:

  • Crijevo je pokraj slavine

the verb je is a clitic form of biti (to be) and appears right after the first phrase Crijevo.

This is very typical Croatian word order.

Compare:

  • Crijevo je pokraj slavine. = natural
  • Crijevo pokraj slavine je. = possible only in special contexts, but not the normal neutral order

So yes, the placement of je is important for natural Croatian.

How should I understand the structure of the whole sentence?

A useful breakdown is:

  • Crijevo = hose
  • je = is
  • pokraj slavine = by the faucet

and then:

  • ali = but
  • voda = water
  • iz njega = out of it / from it
  • danas = today
  • slabo ide = flows weakly / doesn’t flow well

So the pattern is:

  • [subject] + [is] + [location], but [subject] + [from it] + [time] + [flows poorly]

This is a good example of:

  • a location expression with pokraj + genitive
  • a prepositional phrase with iz + genitive
  • natural use of ići for flow/movement
  • flexible but still structured Croatian word order
How do you pronounce crijevo? It looks difficult.

It can be tricky at first.

A rough English-friendly guide:

  • crijevo ≈ TSRYEH-vo

Notes:

  • c in Croatian is always like ts
  • rije is pronounced as one flowing sequence, roughly ryeh
  • stress can vary by dialect and standard accent descriptions, but for a learner the main goal is to pronounce the sounds clearly

Also:

  • slavine ≈ slah-VEE-neh
  • njega ≈ NYEH-gah
  • danas ≈ DAH-nahs

The most important thing is to get:

  • c = ts
  • nj = like Spanish ñ or ny in canyon
  • vowels clear and pure, not reduced like in English
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