Prepositions for Time and Duration (tijekom, za vrijeme, nakon)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'tijekom', 'za vrijeme', and 'nakon' with the Genitive case to describe when or how long something happens.
- Use 'tijekom' for continuous duration (e.g., tijekom dana - during the day).
- Use 'za vrijeme' for events happening within a period (e.g., za vrijeme rata - during the war).
- Use 'nakon' for sequence (e.g., nakon sastanka - after the meeting).
Genitive Case Endings for Time Prepositions
| Gender | Nominative (Subject) | Genitive (After Preposition) | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Masculine
|
Sastanak (Meeting)
|
Sastanka
|
Nakon sastanka
|
|
Feminine
|
Kava (Coffee)
|
Kave
|
Tijekom kave
|
|
Neuter
|
Ljeto (Summer)
|
Ljeta
|
Za vrijeme ljeta
|
|
Plural (M)
|
Praznici (Holidays)
|
Praznika
|
Za vrijeme praznika
|
|
Plural (F)
|
Godine (Years)
|
Godina
|
Tijekom godina
|
Meanings
These prepositions establish a temporal relationship between two events or a state and a time period, specifically indicating duration or sequence.
Continuous Duration
Using 'tijekom' to emphasize the entire span of a period.
“Tijekom cijele godine radimo na projektu.”
“Tijekom noći je padala kiša.”
Event-based Duration
Using 'za vrijeme' to indicate something happened while another event was occurring.
“Za vrijeme ručka nismo razgovarali o poslu.”
“Što si radio za vrijeme praznika?”
Sequential Aftermath
Using 'nakon' to indicate that one event follows another in time.
“Nakon večere idemo u šetnju.”
“Nakon dugog dana, samo želim spavati.”
Reference Table
| Preposition | Meaning | Context | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tijekom
|
During / Throughout
|
Formal / Continuous
|
Tijekom noći
|
|
Za vrijeme
|
During / At the time of
|
Neutral / Event-based
|
Za vrijeme rata
|
|
Nakon
|
After
|
Neutral / Formal
|
Nakon predavanja
|
|
Poslije
|
After
|
Informal / Neutral
|
Poslije škole
|
|
U tijeku
|
In progress
|
Status of an event
|
Radovi su u tijeku
|
|
Nakon što
|
After (conjunction)
|
Followed by a verb
|
Nakon što sam došao
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Nazvat ću Vas nakon završetka sastanka. (Professional/Personal communication)
Nazvat ću te nakon sastanka. (Professional/Personal communication)
Zovem te poslije sastanka. (Professional/Personal communication)
Čujemo se poslije. (Professional/Personal communication)
Time Prepositions in Croatian
During
- Tijekom Throughout
- Za vrijeme During an event
After
- Nakon After (Formal)
- Poslije After (Informal)
Tijekom vs. Za Vrijeme
Choosing the Right Word
Is it after something?
Is it a continuous span?
Common Nouns in Genitive
Events
- • Sastanka
- • Koncerta
- • Utakmice
Periods
- • Tjedna
- • Mjeseca
- • Godine
Daily
- • Kave
- • Ručka
- • Posla
Beispiele nach Niveau
Nakon kave idem kući.
After coffee, I am going home.
Za vrijeme ručka šutimo.
During lunch, we are quiet.
Što radiš nakon škole?
What are you doing after school?
Spavam nakon posla.
I sleep after work.
Tijekom sastanka nismo koristili mobitele.
During the meeting, we didn't use mobile phones.
Nakon dugog razmišljanja, donio sam odluku.
After long thinking, I made a decision.
Za vrijeme praznika posjetit ću baku.
During the holidays, I will visit my grandmother.
Tijekom cijelog tjedna bit će sunčano.
Throughout the whole week, it will be sunny.
Tijekom burnih povijesnih previranja, grad je ostao netaknut.
Throughout the turbulent historical upheavals, the city remained intact.
Nakon iscrpne analize dostupnih podataka, zaključili smo sljedeće.
After an exhaustive analysis of available data, we concluded the following.
Za vrijeme trajanja mandata, predsjednik je uveo nove reforme.
During the term of office, the president introduced new reforms.
Tijekom procesa integracije, pojavili su se nepredviđeni izazovi.
During the integration process, unforeseen challenges emerged.
Leicht verwechselbar
They both mean 'after' and take Genitive. Learners don't know which one to pick.
Both can be translated as 'through' in English.
Both involve the word 'vrijeme' (time).
Häufige Fehler
Nakon sastanak
Nakon sastanka
Za vrijeme kava
Za vrijeme kave
Poslije ja dođem
Nakon što dođem
U vrijeme ručak
Za vrijeme ručka
Tijekom cijeli dan
Tijekom cijelog dana
Kroz ljeta
Tijekom ljeta
Nakon tri sat
Nakon tri sata
Za vrijeme mog boravak
Za vrijeme mog boravka
Tijekom da sam radio
Tijekom rada
Nakon tjedan dana
Nakon tjedan dana
U tijeku sastanka
Tijekom sastanka
Satzmuster
Nakon ___ (Genitive), idem u ___ (Accusative).
Tijekom ___ (Genitive), volim ___ (Infinitive).
Za vrijeme ___ (Genitive), dogodilo se ___ (Nominative).
Što si radio nakon ___ (Genitive)?
Real World Usage
Tijekom rada u prethodnoj tvrtki, stekao sam važne vještine.
Vidimo se poslije kave!
Molimo ne pušite tijekom leta.
Dostava je moguća tek nakon 20 sati.
Pijte ove tablete nakon jela.
Evo par slika za vrijeme našeg izleta!
The -A Rule
Don't use 'poslije' in essays
Fixed Phrase: U tijeku
Coffee Culture
Smart Tips
Think of the word 'sastanak'. It almost always becomes 'sastanka'. If the word ends in -a, it's likely Genitive.
Swap 'poslije' for 'nakon' to sound more professional and educated.
Use 'tijekom cijelog/cijele' to emphasize that something happened the whole time.
Use the fixed phrase 'u tijeku' instead of trying to conjugate 'tijekom'.
Aussprache
Tijekom accent
The first syllable is long and falling.
Nakon accent
Short falling accent on the first syllable.
Za vrijeme
Pronounced as two distinct words, but 'za' is a proclitic (unstressed).
Temporal emphasis
Nakon SASTANKA, idemo kući.
Emphasizing that the action happens specifically AFTER the meeting.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Tijekom is for the 'Tide' (flow of time), Nakon is for 'Next'.
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a long river representing 'tijekom' (the flow) and a finish line representing 'nakon' (what happens after).
Rhyme
Nakon kave, bole me glave! (After coffee, my head hurts!)
Story
A student studied 'tijekom' the whole night. 'Za vrijeme' his exam, he was tired. 'Nakon' the exam, he finally slept.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Write three sentences about your yesterday: one with 'tijekom', one with 'za vrijeme', and one with 'nakon'.
Kulturelle Hinweise
In formal media (HRT), 'tijekom' is strictly preferred over 'za vrijeme' for duration.
People often use 'iza' instead of 'nakon' or 'poslije' for time.
Often use 'poslije' in almost all situations, even semi-formal ones.
'Tijekom' comes from the noun 'tijek' (flow/course), related to the verb 'teći' (to flow).
Gesprächseinstiege
Što obično radiš nakon posla ili škole?
Jesi li ikada zaspao za vrijeme filma u kinu?
Što se u tvojoj zemlji promijenilo tijekom posljednjih deset godina?
Kako se osjećaš nakon dugog putovanja avionom?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
Nakon ___ (sastanak), idemo na ručak.
___ protekle godine, naša tvrtka je rasla.
Find and fix the mistake:
Za vrijeme kava smo pričali.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
posla / nakon / se / vidimo
Select the grammatically correct sentence.
Što si radio za vrijeme ___ (praznici)?
How do you say 'After the movie'?
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesNakon ___ (sastanak), idemo na ručak.
___ protekle godine, naša tvrtka je rasla.
Find and fix the mistake:
Za vrijeme kava smo pričali.
Match the following:
posla / nakon / se / vidimo
Select the grammatically correct sentence.
Što si radio za vrijeme ___ (praznici)?
How do you say 'After the movie'?
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Yes, in spoken language they are interchangeable. However, `nakon` is preferred in formal writing.
Yes, always. Every noun or adjective following `tijekom` must be in the Genitive.
`Tijekom` often implies a continuous duration throughout a period, while `za vrijeme` is used for events happening within that period.
You cannot use 'nakon' directly with a verb. You must say `nakon jela` (after the meal) or `nakon što pojedem` (after I eat).
No. `Tijekom` is a preposition (during), while `u tijeku` is a phrase meaning 'in progress' (e.g., Sastanak je u tijeku).
No, `nakon` is strictly for time. For physical space (e.g., after the bridge), use `poslije` or `iza`.
Usually `-a`. For example, `tijekom godina` (during the years) or `nakon praznika` (after the holidays).
This is a regional/dialectal variation (common in Dalmatia) where `iza` (behind) is used to mean 'after'.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
During / After
Noun declension (Genitive) is mandatory in Croatian.
Während / Nach
Croatian uses Genitive for both 'during' and 'after', while German switches between Genitive and Dative.
Durante / Después de
Spanish uses a separate particle 'de' instead of changing the noun ending.
Pendant / Après
Lack of noun cases in French.
...の間 (no aida) / ...の後で (no ato de)
Word order is reversed (Noun + Preposition).
...期间 (qījiān) / ...之后 (zhīhòu)
Chinese uses post-nominal markers rather than prepositions.
