Although the Croatian language has seven cases, in the locative (Lokativ), both the singular and plural endings are identical to those used in the dative case.
When is the locative used?
The locative is thought of as the “place-case” and mostly determines the place of an action (e.g. Ja sam u školi → I’m in school). In some cases, it can also denote time (e.g. u tom trenutku → at that moment).
The rules on when to use the locative are very straightforward. It’s used only with the following prepositions:
u – in
- Spavam u krevetu. – I sleep in a bed
- Živiš u Zagrebu. – You live in Zagreb.
- Rade u pošti. – They work in a post-office.
na – on, at
- Jabuka je na ormaru. – An apple is on the cupboard.
- Mačka spava na krevetu. – A cat is sleeping on the bed.
- Sjedim na kauču. – I’m sitting on a sofa.
o – about
- Razgovaramo o ljetu. – We’re talking about summer.
- Ana razmišlja o novom poslu. – Ana is thinking about a new job.
- Sanjam o tebi. – I’m dreaming about you.
po – along, over, on (a surface)
- Hodamo po ogradi. – We’re walking on a fence.
- Trčimo po snijegu. – We’re running on snow.
- Djeca crtaju po zidu. – Children are drawing on the wall.
pri – by, near, next to
- Knjiga mi nije pri ruci. – The book is out of my hand reach.
- Ti nisi pri zdravoj pameti. – You’re not in your right mind.
- Marija živi pri kraju ulice. – Marija lives near the end of the street.
Regular noun endings in the locative case
| Number | Case | Muški rod (m.) | Ženski rod (f.) | Srednji rod (n.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jednina (singular) | Nominative |
– susjed (neighbour) mobitel (cell phone) |
-a karta (map) soba (room) |
-o/e polje (field) selo (village) |
| Locative | -u susjedu mobitelu | -i karti sobi | -u polju selu | |
| Množina (plural) | Nominative | -i susjedi mobiteli | -e karte sobe | -a polja sela |
| Locative | -ima susjedima mobitelima | -ama kartama sobama | -ima poljima selima |
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Irregular noun endings
Irregular nouns have different endings, so be careful with words like stvar (thing), riječ (word) or ponoć (midnight). We will cover this special group in a separate guide.
Good to know
Prepositions u, na, o and po are also used with the accusative case:
Locative
Ja sam u školi. → I’m in school.
Mi smo na terasi. → We’re on a terrace.
Accusative
Idem u školu. → I’m going to school.
Idemo na večeru. → We’re going to dinner.
We’ll write more about this difference in one of the following articles.
Exercise
The dog is sleeping on the sofa. Pas spava na kauču
I’m thinking about lunch. Razmišljam o ručku.
I’m running in the park. Trčim po parku.
I’m waiting for you at the restaurant. Čekam te u restoranu.
We met at a museum. Upoznali smo se u muzeju.
Please don’t sleep in my bed. Molim te, nemoj spavati u mojem krevetu.
Language guide
Explore grammar and learning tips in our Croatian language guide.
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Love & Relationships
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Grammar Essentials
Want to give a command or make a polite request? This guide teaches how to use and soften the imperative in Croatian.
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Grammar Essentials
Every noun in Croatian has a gender – learn to recognize masculine, feminine, and neuter forms with helpful patterns.
