Croatian Prepositions & Cases
A Croatian preposition never travels alone — each one demands a specific case from the noun after it. Learn the preposition and its case together, as one unit, and half the case system installs itself for free.
Prepositions Choose Cases
The same noun wears different endings depending on the preposition in front:
- iz Zagreba — from Zagreb (genitive)
- u Zagrebu — in Zagreb (locative)
- u Zagreb — to Zagreb (accusative)
Three phrases, one city, three endings — and each is completely predictable from the preposition + meaning.
The Genitive Crowd
The biggest gang of prepositions all take the genitive:
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| iz | from, out of | Ja sam iz Hrvatske. — I'm from Croatia. |
| kod | at someone's place | Večeras sam kod bake. — I'm at grandma's tonight. |
| bez | without | kava bez šećera — coffee without sugar |
| do | up to, until | do centra — up to the centre |
| pored | next to | pored prozora — next to the window |
Kod is a small treasure: kod mene — at my place; Idem kod liječnika — I'm going to the doctor's.
Jednu kavu bez šećera, molim.
One coffee without sugar, please.
Note: Bez + genitive, at the café where you'll actually say it.
u and na: Direction vs Location
The pair you'll use most. Each takes two cases — and the case answers a question:
| Question | Case | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Kamo? (where to) | accusative | Idem u grad. / Idem na posao. |
| Gdje? (where at) | locative | Živim u gradu. / Ja sam na poslu. |
Motion → accusative; parked → locative. One vowel of difference (u grad vs u gradu) carries the whole distinction, so Croatian ears listen for it closely. (Croatian even keeps a dedicated question word for direction — kamo? — alongside gdje? for location.)
Choosing between u and na: u goes with enclosed places (u kući, u školi, u kinu), na with surfaces, events, and open spaces (na stolu, na utakmici, na trgu) — plus the idiomatic na kavi (out for coffee) and na poslu (at work).
Idem u grad. Bit ću u gradu do tri.
I'm going into town. I'll be in town until three.
Note: The same u, two cases: motion, then location.
s: With
s (or sa before tricky clusters) + instrumental covers company and accompaniment:
| Croatian | English |
|---|---|
| s bratom | with my brother |
| sa sestrom | with my sister |
| kava s mlijekom | coffee with milk |
| sa zadovoljstvom | with pleasure |
Means of transport skip the preposition entirely and use the bare instrumental: idem autobusom / vlakom — by bus / by train.
The Beginner's Cheat Sheet
| Preposition | Case | Anchor phrase |
|---|---|---|
| iz | genitive | iz Hrvatske — from Croatia |
| kod | genitive | kod bake — at grandma's |
| bez | genitive | bez šećera — without sugar |
| u (motion) | accusative | u grad — into town |
| u (place) | locative | u gradu — in town |
| na (motion) | accusative | na posao — to work |
| s | instrumental | s bratom — with my brother |
Seven anchor phrases, spoken aloud until they feel obvious — that's the entire assignment.
Večeras idem kod bake sa sestrom.
Tonight I'm going to grandma's with my sister.
Note: Two prepositions, two cases, one very Croatian evening.
Hear the anchors in a conversation — tap the speakers:
💬 Weekend plans
Gdje si za vikend?
Where are you this weekend?
U subotu sam kod roditelja, u Osijeku.
On Saturday I'm at my parents' place, in Osijek.
Ideš vlakom ili autobusom?
Are you going by train or by bus?
Vlakom, s bratom. A u nedjelju idemo na more.
By train, with my brother. And on Sunday we're going to the seaside.
Common Mistakes
- Same ending for motion and location. Živim u grad is the classic beginner tell. Parked = locative: u gradu. Going = accusative: u grad.
- Using u for events and open places. Work, matches, coffee dates and squares take na: na poslu, na utakmici, na kavi.
- Word-for-word "at grandma's house". Croatian compresses it into kod + genitive: kod bake — no word for "house" needed.
- Adding s to transport. By bus is bare instrumental: autobusom, not s autobusom (that would mean physically together with the bus).
- Learning cases as tables first. Learn the seven anchor phrases instead — iz Hrvatske, kod bake, bez šećera… — and let the endings generalise from there.
What You Can Do Now
You can say where you're from, where you're going and where you are, who you're with, and how you're travelling — the questions that make up most small talk. Order kavu bez šećera, announce idem kod bake, and distinguish u grad from u gradu like someone who's been here a while. The full case tables are next door in the seven cases whenever you're ready.