Questions & Answers about Sutra idemo u zoološki vrt sa sestrom.
Why is idemo in the present tense if the sentence is about tomorrow?
Croatian very often uses the present tense for a future meaning when a future time word is already present, such as sutra (tomorrow).
So Sutra idemo... literally uses present tense, but naturally means We’re going tomorrow or Tomorrow we’re going...
This is similar to English sentences like:
- Tomorrow we’re going to the zoo.
- I’m leaving next week.
You could also express the future with a future-tense form in Croatian, but in everyday speech the present tense is very common in sentences like this.
What exactly does sutra do in the sentence?
Sutra means tomorrow and gives the time of the action.
It often appears at the beginning of the sentence because Croatian word order is flexible, and speakers commonly put time expressions early:
- Sutra idemo u zoološki vrt sa sestrom.
But you could also hear:
- Idemo sutra u zoološki vrt sa sestrom.
Putting sutra first gives it a slightly stronger time focus: Tomorrow, we’re going...
Why is it u zoološki vrt and not u zoološkom vrtu?