Time Expressions with Days of the Week and Months
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'u' + Accusative for specific days and 'u' + Locative for months to pinpoint when events happen.
- Days use 'u' + Accusative: 'u ponedjeljak' (on Monday).
- Months use 'u' + Locative: 'u siječnju' (in January).
- Recurring days use Instrumental: 'ponedjeljkom' (on Mondays).
Declension of Days with Preposition 'u'
| Day (Nominative) | Gender | With 'u' (Accusative) | English |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ponedjeljak
|
Masculine
|
u ponedjeljak
|
on Monday
|
|
Utorak
|
Masculine
|
u utorak
|
on Tuesday
|
|
Srijeda
|
Feminine
|
u srijedu
|
on Wednesday
|
|
Četvrtak
|
Masculine
|
u četvrtak
|
on Thursday
|
|
Petak
|
Masculine
|
u petak
|
on Friday
|
|
Subota
|
Feminine
|
u subotu
|
on Saturday
|
|
Nedjelja
|
Feminine
|
u nedjelju
|
on Sunday
|
Recurring Days (Instrumental Case)
| Day | Instrumental Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
|
Ponedjeljak
|
ponedjeljkom
|
on Mondays / every Monday
|
|
Utorak
|
utorkom
|
on Tuesdays / every Tuesday
|
|
Srijeda
|
srijedom
|
on Wednesdays / every Wednesday
|
|
Četvrtak
|
četvrtkom
|
on Thursdays / every Thursday
|
|
Petak
|
petkom
|
on Fridays / every Friday
|
|
Subota
|
subotom
|
on Saturdays / every Saturday
|
|
Nedjelja
|
nedjeljom
|
on Sundays / every Sunday
|
Meanings
The primary way to express when an action occurs relative to the calendar, involving specific prepositions and case endings.
Specific Point in Time (Days)
Using the preposition 'u' followed by a day of the week in the Accusative case to indicate a one-time event.
“Vidimo se u subotu.”
“Imam ispit u četvrtak.”
Specific Point in Time (Months)
Using the preposition 'u' followed by a month in the Locative case to indicate when something happens within a month.
“Rođendan mi je u travnju.”
“U kolovozu je prevruće.”
Habitual/Recurring Actions
Using the Instrumental case without a preposition to indicate that something happens every week on that day.
“Ponedjeljkom idem u teretanu.”
“Subotom spavamo duže.”
Reference Table
| Time Unit | Structure | Example | Case Used |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Specific Day
|
u + Day
|
u petak
|
Accusative
|
|
Specific Month
|
u + Month
|
u svibnju
|
Locative
|
|
Recurring Day
|
Day + -om/-om
|
subotom
|
Instrumental
|
|
Recurring Month
|
svakog + Month (Gen)
|
svakog siječnja
|
Genitive
|
|
Next Day
|
idući + Day (Acc)
|
idući utorak
|
Accusative
|
|
Last Month
|
prošli + Month (Loc)
|
u prošlom rujnu
|
Locative
|
|
Beginning of...
|
početkom + Month (Gen)
|
početkom travnja
|
Genitive
|
|
End of...
|
krajem + Month (Gen)
|
krajem godine
|
Genitive
|
طیف رسمیت
Vidimo se u ponedjeljak. (social meeting)
Vidimo se u ponedjeljak. (social meeting)
Vidimo se u pon. (social meeting)
Čujemo se u pon, brijem. (social meeting)
The Preposition 'u' and its Two Faces
Days of the Week
- Accusative Case Direct object form
- u subotu on Saturday
Months of the Year
- Locative Case Position form
- u siječnju in January
Specific vs. Recurring Time
Choosing the Right Case
Is it a day or a month?
Is it a day? (Yes)
Is it a month? (Yes)
Feminine vs Masculine Days
Feminine (Ends in -u)
- • u srijedu
- • u subotu
- • u nedjelju
Masculine (No change)
- • u ponedjeljak
- • u utorak
- • u četvrtak
- • u petak
مثالها بر اساس سطح
U ponedjeljak idem u školu.
On Monday I go to school.
U subotu pijem kavu.
On Saturday I drink coffee.
U siječnju je hladno.
In January it is cold.
Rođendan je u svibnju.
The birthday is in May.
Vidimo se u srijedu u pet sati.
See you on Wednesday at five o'clock.
Oni putuju u Njemačku u lipnju.
They are traveling to Germany in June.
Ne radim u nedjelju.
I don't work on Sunday.
U listopadu lišće pada.
In October the leaves fall.
Ponedjeljkom uvijek imam puno posla.
On Mondays I always have a lot of work.
Idućeg utorka idemo u kino.
Next Tuesday we are going to the cinema.
Bio sam u Zagrebu prošlog ožujka.
I was in Zagreb last March.
Sastanak je u četvrtak, a ne u petak.
The meeting is on Thursday, not on Friday.
Krajem kolovoza svi se vraćaju s mora.
At the end of August, everyone returns from the seaside.
Početkom siječnja planiramo nove projekte.
At the beginning of January, we plan new projects.
Subotom navečer grad je pun ljudi.
On Saturday evenings, the city is full of people.
U travnju su česte kiše, tzv. travanjske kiše.
In April, rains are frequent, so-called April rains.
Uoči Božića u prosincu vlada velika gužva.
On the eve of Christmas in December, there is a big crowd.
Potkraj rujna temperature počinju opadati.
Towards the end of September, temperatures begin to drop.
Sredinom veljače održava se poznati karneval.
In the middle of February, a famous carnival is held.
Svakog drugog četvrtka u mjesecu imamo sjednicu.
Every second Thursday of the month, we have a session.
Inauguracija je predviđena za prvu subotu u lipnju.
The inauguration is scheduled for the first Saturday in June.
Tijekom studenoga magla je uobičajena pojava u nizinama.
During November, fog is a common occurrence in the lowlands.
Od siječnja do travnja teku pripreme za sezonu.
From January to April, preparations for the season are underway.
Ponedjeljkom se obično sumiraju rezultati proteklog tjedna.
On Mondays, the results of the past week are usually summarized.
بهراحتی اشتباه گرفته میشود
Learners mix up which case goes with days versus months since the preposition is the same.
When to use 'ponedjeljkom' vs 'u ponedjeljak'.
Why we say 'prošlog petka' instead of 'u prošli petak'.
اشتباهات رایج
u ponedjeljku
u ponedjeljak
na subotu
u subotu
u subota
u subotu
u siječanj
u siječnju
svaki ponedjeljak
ponedjeljkom
u lipanj
u lipnju
prošli tjedan u srijeda
prošlog tjedna u srijedu
u idući petak
idućeg petka
u siječnu
u siječnju
u zadnji mjesec
prošlog mjeseca
u listopadu mjesecu
u listopadu
الگوهای جملهسازی
U ___ (day) idem na ___.
U ___ (month) je vrijeme ___.
___ (day-Instrumental) obično ___.
Planiram putovanje u ___ (month-Locative) jer ___.
Real World Usage
Može u petak?
Mogu početi u siječnju.
Dolazimo u subotu.
Imate termin u utorak.
Napokon petak!
Ne vozi nedjeljom.
The 'Number' Shortcut
Feminine Day Trap
Coffee Culture
Instrumental for Habits
Smart Tips
Always change the -a to -u when using 'u'.
Drop the 'u' and add '-om' to the day.
Use the number of the month.
Switch to the Genitive case and drop 'u'.
تلفظ
Falling accent on 'u'
The preposition 'u' is short and unstressed, leaning on the following word.
Palatal 'nj' in months
Months like siječanj and lipanj require a soft 'nj' sound.
Rising on the day
U ponedjeljak? ↗
Asking for confirmation of the day.
حفظ کنید
روش یادسپاری
Remember: 'Days are Active (Accusative), Months are Local (Locative)'.
تداعی تصویری
Imagine a calendar where the days are running (active/Accusative) and the months are sitting in a house (local/Locative).
Rhyme
U srijedu i subotu, završi svu robotu. (On Wednesday and Saturday, finish all the work.)
Story
A man named Ponedjeljak (Accusative) goes to a house called Siječanj (Locative). He stays there for a month, but only visits the days for a moment.
شبکه واژگان
چالش
Write down your schedule for next week using 'u' + day for specific tasks and the Instrumental case for things you do every week.
نکات فرهنگی
Croatians often refer to months by their number (e.g., 'u prvom mjesecu' for January) in casual speech to avoid the complex Slavic names.
In coastal regions, you might hear Italian-influenced names for days or months in very old dialects, though standard Croatian is used in schools.
The concept of 'spajanje blagdana' (joining holidays) means if a holiday is on a Thursday, people often take Friday off to have a long weekend.
Croatian month names are of Proto-Slavic origin, reflecting agricultural and natural cycles.
شروعکنندههای مکالمه
Što obično radiš subotom?
Koji ti je najdraži mjesec i zašto?
Kada ideš na godišnji odmor?
Imaš li puno obaveza ponedjeljkom?
موضوعات نگارش
اشتباهات رایج
Test Yourself
Vidimo se u ___.
Idemo na more u ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Radim u subota.
___ ___ ___ ___.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
In January.
Answer starts with: U s...
Choose the specific appointment.
Sastanak je ___ (Thursday).
Score: /8
تمرینهای عملی
8 exercisesVidimo se u ___.
Idemo na more u ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Radim u subota.
___ ___ ___ ___.
Petak -> ?
In January.
Choose the specific appointment.
Sastanak je ___ (Thursday).
Score: /8
سوالات متداول (8)
This is due to palatalization. The 'n' becomes 'nj' before the Locative ending '-u' in many Slavic month names.
No, 'na' is used for surfaces or specific events like 'na koncertu'. For days, always use `u`.
`u ponedjeljak` means 'this coming Monday', while `ponedjeljkom` means 'every Monday'.
No, unlike English, days and months are written in lowercase in Croatian unless they start a sentence.
You use the word `sredinom` followed by the Genitive: `sredinom svibnja`.
Croatian uses traditional Slavic names that describe nature (e.g., `listopad` = leaf fall), while English uses Latin names.
Yes, in casual speech people often say `u prvom mjesecu` (in the first month) instead of `u siječnju`.
It is followed by the Genitive case: `prošlog tjedna`, `prošlog utorka`.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
on Monday / in January
English relies on prepositions; Croatian relies on case endings.
el lunes / en enero
Spanish uses articles for days; Croatian uses prepositions and cases.
am Montag / im Januar
German contracts prepositions; Croatian declines the noun.
getsuyoubi ni / ichigatsu ni
Japanese is agglutinative; Croatian is fusional (case endings).
fi yawm al-ithnayn / fi yanayir
Arabic uses Latin-based month names in many dialects; Croatian uses Slavic ones.
xingqiyi / yiyue
Chinese uses a numerical system; Croatian uses unique names and cases.
