Nasuprot školi otvorili su mali kafić, ali ja i dalje radije idem u staru trgovinu.

Because nasuprot usually takes the dative case in Croatian.

• škola = school
• dative singular: školi

So:

• nasuprot školi = opposite the school / across from the school

This is something English speakers often need to memorize, because English uses a preposition without changing the noun, while Croatian changes the noun form.

Other examples:

• nasuprot kući = opposite the house
• nasuprot parku = opposite the park

You may also sometimes see suprotno školi or similar structures, but here nasuprot + dative is the key pattern.

Croatian often leaves out the subject if it is not important, unknown, or understood from context.

• otvorili su literally means they opened
• but in natural English here it often means something like they opened, someone opened, or a new café opened depending on context

The ending and the auxiliary tell you it is 3rd person plural:

• otvorili = opened
• su = have / auxiliary used to form the past tense

So the sentence is not necessarily focusing on who did it. It is focusing on the fact that the café was opened.

Otvorili su is the past tense in Croatian, specifically the common compound past tense often called perfekt.

It is made of:

• the past participle: otvorili
• the auxiliary verb biti in the present tense: su

So:

• otvorili su = they opened / they have opened

Croatian forms the past tense this way very often:

• kupili su = they bought
• došli su = they came
• vidjela je = she saw

English speakers sometimes expect one word for the past tense, but Croatian usually uses this two-part structure.

This is because su is a clitic, a short unstressed word that usually goes in the second position in the sentence or clause.

In the clause:

• Nasuprot školi otvorili su mali kafić

the first unit is Nasuprot školi, and then the clitic su comes after the first stressed element cluster, so otvorili su is natural here.

Croatian clitic placement can feel strange to English speakers because it does not work like English word order. You will often see patterns like:

• Jučer su došli. = They arrived yesterday.
• U gradu je otvoren novi restoran. = A new restaurant has opened in town.

So this is not random word order; it follows Croatian clitic rules.

Mali kafić is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of otvorili su.

They opened what?

• mali kafić = a small café

For masculine nouns like kafić that are inanimate, the accusative singular is the same as the nominative singular:

• nominative: mali kafić
• accusative: mali kafić

So the form does not change visibly here, but grammatically it is functioning as the accusative.

Kafić usually means a small café, coffee bar, or casual place to have coffee or drinks.

It comes from:

• kava = coffee
• kafić = little café / café bar

The ending -ić often gives a diminutive sense, so kafić can sound like small café or little café, though in everyday use it is just the normal word for this kind of place.

Depending on context, English translations could be:

• café
• coffee shop
• small café
• sometimes even bar, if the place is more drink-oriented

• ali = but
• ja = I
• i dalje = still / still continue to / even now

So:

• ali ja i dalje... = but I still...

The phrase i dalje is very common and means that something continues to be true.

Examples:

• I dalje živim ovdje. = I still live here.
• On i dalje radi tamo. = He still works there.

The pronoun ja is included here for emphasis or contrast:

• they opened a new café, but I still...

Croatian often drops pronouns, so ja is not required, but it helps stress the contrast.

Yes, you could absolutely say:

• ali i dalje radije idem u staru trgovinu

That would still be correct.

Croatian often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject:

• idem = I go

So ja is optional here. It is included for emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• they opened a small café, but I still prefer going to the old shop

English usually requires I, but Croatian does not.

Radije means rather or preferably.

In this sentence:

• radije idem = I prefer to go / I’d rather go

It expresses preference.

Examples:

• Radije ostajem kod kuće. = I’d rather stay at home.
• Radije pijem čaj nego kavu. = I prefer tea to coffee.

So here:

• i dalje radije idem u staru trgovinu = I still prefer going to the old shop

English speakers should note that Croatian often uses radije + verb where English might use prefer.

Because u can take different cases depending on meaning.

Here it shows movement toward a place, so it takes the accusative:

• idem u trgovinu = I am going to the shop

The noun changes like this:

• nominative: trgovina
• accusative singular: trgovinu

The adjective must match it:

• stara trgovina = old shop
• u staru trgovinu = to the old shop

This is a very important Croatian pattern:

• u + accusative = motion into/to
• u + locative = location in

Compare:

• Idem u trgovinu. = I’m going to the shop.
• U trgovini sam. = I’m in the shop.

Because the adjective has to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

The noun trgovina is:

• feminine
• singular
• here in the accusative

So the adjective stara changes to staru:

• nominative feminine singular: stara
• accusative feminine singular: staru

That is why you get:

• stara trgovina = an old shop
• u staru trgovinu = to an old shop / to the old shop

This kind of adjective agreement is a core feature of Croatian grammar.

Because Croatian expresses this idea differently from English.

English says:

• I prefer to go to the old shop
• or I’d rather go to the old shop

Croatian says:

• radije idem u staru trgovinu

There is no separate word corresponding exactly to English to before go here. The preference is expressed by radije, and the destination is expressed by u + accusative.

So it is best not to translate word for word. Think of the whole phrase as:

• I prefer going to the old shop
• I’d rather go to the old shop

Yes. Trgovina can mean:

• shop / store
• trade / commerce, in some contexts

In this sentence, because of idem u staru trgovinu (I go to the old shop/store), it clearly means a physical shop.

Depending on context, English translations might be:

• shop
• store
• sometimes market, if the context supports it

Yes, it is natural and idiomatic.

It has two parts joined by ali (but):

1. Nasuprot školi otvorili su mali kafić

   • Opposite the school, they opened a small café.

2. ali ja i dalje radije idem u staru trgovinu

   • But I still prefer going to the old shop.

A learner-friendly breakdown is:

• Nasuprot školi = opposite the school
• otvorili su = they opened
• mali kafić = a small café
• ali = but
• ja = I
• i dalje = still
• radije idem = prefer to go / would rather go
• u staru trgovinu = to the old shop

So the sentence contrasts a new option with the speaker’s continued preference for the old one.