Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'iz' + Genitive for 'from' and 'u' + Accusative for 'to' to describe movement between locations.
- Use 'iz' + Genitive case to express origin: 'Iz Hrvatske' (From Croatia).
- Use 'u' + Accusative case to express destination: 'Idem u školu' (I am going to school).
- These prepositions change the ending of the noun following them based on case rules.
Case Governance Table
| Preposition | Meaning | Case Required | Noun Ending Change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
iz
|
from
|
Genitive
|
Masc: +a, Fem: a->e
|
|
u
|
to/into
|
Accusative
|
Masc: same, Fem: a->u
|
Meanings
These prepositions are the foundation of expressing movement in Croatian. 'Iz' indicates the starting point, while 'u' indicates the target.
Directional Origin
Coming out of or originating from a place.
“Izlazim iz kuće.”
“Dolazim iz Italije.”
Directional Destination
Moving into or towards a place.
“Idem u kino.”
“Putujem u Njemačku.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Iz + Genitive
|
Izlazim iz kuće.
|
|
Affirmative
|
U + Accusative
|
Idem u školu.
|
|
Negative
|
Ne iz + Genitive
|
Ne izlazim iz kuće.
|
|
Negative
|
Ne u + Accusative
|
Ne idem u školu.
|
|
Question
|
Odakle + iz + Genitive
|
Odakle dolaziš iz škole?
|
|
Question
|
Kamo + u + Accusative
|
Kamo ideš u školu?
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
Idem u ured. (Workplace)
Idem u ured. (Workplace)
Idem u ured. (Workplace)
Pičim u ured. (Workplace)
Directional Prepositions
Origin
- iz from
Destination
- u to
レベル別の例文
Dolazim iz Hrvatske.
I come from Croatia.
Idem u školu.
I am going to school.
Izlazim iz kuće.
I am leaving the house.
Putujem u Zagreb.
I am traveling to Zagreb.
Vraćam se iz trgovine.
I am returning from the store.
Ulazim u auto.
I am getting into the car.
On dolazi iz Njemačke.
He comes from Germany.
Idemo u kino večeras.
We are going to the cinema tonight.
Izvadio sam knjigu iz torbe.
I took the book out of the bag.
Uselio sam se u novi stan.
I moved into a new apartment.
Izlaz iz zgrade je tamo.
The exit from the building is there.
Ušao je u ured bez kucanja.
He entered the office without knocking.
Izvukao je zaključak iz razgovora.
He drew a conclusion from the conversation.
Uložio je puno truda u projekt.
He invested a lot of effort into the project.
Izbjegao je odgovor iz straha.
He avoided the answer out of fear.
Uronio je u svijet knjiga.
He immersed himself in the world of books.
Izronio je iz dubina mora.
He emerged from the depths of the sea.
Usmjerio je pažnju u pravom smjeru.
He directed his attention in the right direction.
Izrastao je iz malog mjesta.
He grew out of a small town.
Uvukao se u nevolju.
He got himself into trouble.
Izvire iz duboke tradicije.
It stems from a deep tradition.
Ugradio je svoje ideje u sustav.
He integrated his ideas into the system.
Izbacio je sve sumnje iz glave.
He cast all doubts out of his mind.
Ušao je u povijest kao heroj.
He went down in history as a hero.
間違えやすい
Both mean 'from'.
Both use 'u'.
Both mean 'from'.
よくある間違い
Idem u Zagrebu
Idem u Zagreb
Dolazim iz Zagreb
Dolazim iz Zagreba
Idem u škola
Idem u školu
Izlazim iz kući
Izlazim iz kuće
Putujem u Njemačkoj
Putujem u Njemačku
Vraćam se iz trgovinu
Vraćam se iz trgovine
Ulazim u autu
Ulazim u auto
Izlazim iz ureda
Izlazim iz ureda
Ušao sam u sobi
Ušao sam u sobu
Dolazim iz grada
Dolazim iz grada
Izvukao sam iz konteksta
Izvukao sam iz konteksta
Ušao je u povijesti
Ušao je u povijest
Izlazi iz situacije
Izlazi iz situacije
文型パターン
Ja idem u ___.
Ja dolazim iz ___.
On ulazi u ___.
Ona izlazi iz ___.
Real World Usage
Idem u grad, vidimo se!
Putujem u Hrvatsku.
Dolazim iz tvrtke X.
Dostava iz restorana.
Izlazim iz zone komfora.
Izlaz iz zgrade je tamo.
Focus on endings
Don't mix cases
Use flashcards
Listen to natives
Smart Tips
Think: 'Am I moving into it?' (Accusative) or 'Am I coming out of it?' (Genitive).
Remember: -a becomes -u for Accusative and -e for Genitive.
Always double-check your case endings.
Focus on the preposition; the case ending will follow with practice.
発音
Iz
Pronounced as 'eez'.
U
Pronounced as 'oo'.
Statement
Idem u školu. ↘
Falling intonation for statements.
Question
Idem u školu? ↗
Rising intonation for questions.
暗記しよう
記憶術
Iz is for exiting, U is for entering.
視覚的連想
Imagine a person jumping out of a box (Iz) and then jumping into a different box (U).
Rhyme
Iz is from, U is to, that is what you have to do.
Story
Ana leaves her house (Iz kuće). She walks to the store (U trgovinu). She buys bread and comes back home.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Write 5 sentences about your daily commute using 'iz' and 'u'.
文化メモ
People often use 'dućan' instead of 'trgovina' in informal speech.
Regional dialects might drop prepositions in very casual speech.
Standard Croatian is used in formal settings.
These prepositions are Proto-Slavic in origin.
会話のきっかけ
Odakle dolaziš?
Kamo ideš danas?
Izlaziš li iz kuće?
Putuješ li u inozemstvo?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
Idem ___ školu.
Dolazim ___ Zagreba.
Find and fix the mistake:
Idem u Zagrebu.
kuće / iz / izlazim
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
U + škola = ?
Iz requires Accusative.
A: Kamo ideš? B: Idem ___.
Score: /8
練習問題
8 exercisesIdem ___ školu.
Dolazim ___ Zagreba.
Find and fix the mistake:
Idem u Zagrebu.
kuće / iz / izlazim
Iz -> ?
U + škola = ?
Iz requires Accusative.
A: Kamo ideš? B: Idem ___.
Score: /8
よくある質問 (8)
Croatian uses cases to show the function of a noun. 'Iz' and 'u' trigger specific cases.
No, 'iz' is strictly for origin.
The case rules still apply, but the endings change differently.
Usually, but it can be used for static location with the Locative case.
You have to memorize the case requirements for each preposition.
Some nouns have irregular case forms, but the rules are generally consistent.
No, use 'kod' for people.
Yes, it is standard in all registers.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
aus / in
German uses Dative/Accusative, while Croatian uses Genitive/Accusative.
de / a
Spanish lacks the noun inflection system found in Croatian.
de / à
French is analytic, whereas Croatian is synthetic.
kara / ni
Japanese particles follow the noun, while Croatian prepositions precede it.
min / ila
Arabic case system is based on different grammatical categories.
cong / dao
Chinese has no case inflection whatsoever.