Breakdown of Na početku je bilo dogovoreno da radimo u parovima, ali je na kraju odlučeno da zadatak riješimo sami.
biti
to be
u
in
ali
but
raditi
to work
Questions & Answers about Na početku je bilo dogovoreno da radimo u parovima, ali je na kraju odlučeno da zadatak riješimo sami.
Why are početku and kraju in those forms?
They are both in the locative singular:
- početak → početku
- kraj → kraju
That is because Croatian uses na + locative in expressions like:
- na početku = at the beginning
- na kraju = at the end / in the end
So these are very common time expressions, even though they literally look a bit like location phrases.
Why does the sentence use je bilo dogovoreno and je odlučeno without saying who agreed or decided?
This is an impersonal passive-style construction, very common in Croatian.
- je bilo dogovoreno = it had been agreed / it was agreed
- je odlučeno = it was decided
English often uses a dummy subject, it, but Croatian usually does not need an equivalent subject here.
Also, dogovoreno and odlučeno are in neuter singular, which is the default form when there is no real subject named.
So Croatian is focusing on the fact that an agreement/decision existed, not on the people who made it.
Why is there bilo in je bilo dogovoreno, but not in je odlučeno?