Questions & Answers about Origano dobro raste u suhoj zemlji.
Why is it u suhoj zemlji and not u suha zemlja?
Because after u meaning in, Croatian uses the locative case for location.
So:
- basic form: suha zemlja = dry soil / dry earth
- after u: u suhoj zemlji = in dry soil
Both the adjective and the noun change because Croatian marks case on both:
- suha → suhoj
- zemlja → zemlji
This is a very common pattern in Croatian.
A useful contrast:
- u suhoj zemlji = in dry soil (location, so locative)
- u suhu zemlju = into dry soil (movement toward/into, so accusative)
What case is zemlji?
Zemlji is locative singular here.
The noun zemlja is a feminine singular noun, and after u in the meaning in, it appears in the locative:
- zemlja = nominative singular
- zemlji = locative singular
So in this sentence, u suhoj zemlji is a prepositional phrase meaning in dry soil.