Kad pada jaka kiša, rijeka je mutna.

to be

Breakdown of Kad pada jaka kiša, rijeka je mutna.

• kiša: rain
• kad: when
• rijeka: river

Questions & Answers about Kad pada jaka kiša, rijeka je mutna.

What does kad mean here, and is it the same as kada?

Kad means when here.

Yes, kad and kada both mean when. In everyday speech, kad is very common and slightly more conversational. Kada can sound a bit more formal or careful, but both are correct.

So you could also say:

Kada pada jaka kiša, rijeka je mutna.

The meaning stays the same.

What verb is pada, and why is it used here?

Pada is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb padati.

In this sentence, padati is used for weather, so kiša pada means rain is falling or simply it is raining.

Because the subject is jaka kiša (heavy rain), the verb has to be singular:

• kiša pada = the rain falls / it rains

Croatian often expresses weather more literally than English does.

Why does Croatian say jaka kiša? Doesn’t that literally mean strong rain?