A1 Prepositions 1 min read Fácil

Expressing 'From' and 'To' (iz, u)

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Pratique

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.
Iz (Origin) + Genitive Case ↔ U (Destination) + Accusative Case

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.

1

Directional Origin

Coming out of or originating from a place.

“Izlazim iz kuće.”

“Dolazim iz Italije.”

2

Directional Destination

Moving into or towards a place.

“Idem u kino.”

“Putujem u Njemačku.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Expressing 'From' and 'To' (iz, u)
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?

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
Idem u ured.

Idem u ured. (Workplace)

Neutro
Idem u ured.

Idem u ured. (Workplace)

Informal
Idem u ured.

Idem u ured. (Workplace)

Gíria
Pičim u ured.

Pičim u ured. (Workplace)

Directional Prepositions

Movement

Origin

  • iz from

Destination

  • u to
Cadastre-se grátis para ler a explicação completa

Exemplos por nível

1

Dolazim iz Hrvatske.

I come from Croatia.

2

Idem u školu.

I am going to school.

3

Izlazim iz kuće.

I am leaving the house.

4

Putujem u Zagreb.

I am traveling to Zagreb.

1

Vraćam se iz trgovine.

I am returning from the store.

2

Ulazim u auto.

I am getting into the car.

3

On dolazi iz Njemačke.

He comes from Germany.

4

Idemo u kino večeras.

We are going to the cinema tonight.

1

Izvadio sam knjigu iz torbe.

I took the book out of the bag.

2

Uselio sam se u novi stan.

I moved into a new apartment.

3

Izlaz iz zgrade je tamo.

The exit from the building is there.

4

Ušao je u ured bez kucanja.

He entered the office without knocking.

1

Izvukao je zaključak iz razgovora.

He drew a conclusion from the conversation.

2

Uložio je puno truda u projekt.

He invested a lot of effort into the project.

3

Izbjegao je odgovor iz straha.

He avoided the answer out of fear.

4

Uronio je u svijet knjiga.

He immersed himself in the world of books.

1

Izronio je iz dubina mora.

He emerged from the depths of the sea.

2

Usmjerio je pažnju u pravom smjeru.

He directed his attention in the right direction.

3

Izrastao je iz malog mjesta.

He grew out of a small town.

4

Uvukao se u nevolju.

He got himself into trouble.

1

Izvire iz duboke tradicije.

It stems from a deep tradition.

2

Ugradio je svoje ideje u sustav.

He integrated his ideas into the system.

3

Izbacio je sve sumnje iz glave.

He cast all doubts out of his mind.

4

Ušao je u povijest kao heroj.

He went down in history as a hero.

Fácil de confundir

Expressing 'From' and 'To' (iz, u) vs Iz vs Od

Both mean 'from'.

Expressing 'From' and 'To' (iz, u) vs U + Accusative vs U + Locative

Both use 'u'.

Expressing 'From' and 'To' (iz, u) vs Iz vs Sa

Both mean 'from'.

Erros comuns

✗

Idem u Zagrebu

✓

Idem u Zagreb

Using Locative instead of Accusative for destination.
✗

Dolazim iz Zagreb

✓

Dolazim iz Zagreba

Missing the Genitive ending.
✗

Idem u škola

✓

Idem u školu

Missing the Accusative ending.
✗

Izlazim iz kući

✓

Izlazim iz kuće

Incorrect case ending.
✗

Putujem u Njemačkoj

✓

Putujem u Njemačku

Locative vs Accusative.
✗

Vraćam se iz trgovinu

✓

Vraćam se iz trgovine

Accusative vs Genitive.
✗

Ulazim u autu

✓

Ulazim u auto

Locative vs Accusative.
✗

Izlazim iz ureda

✓

Izlazim iz ureda

Actually correct, but often confused with 'od'.
✗

Ušao sam u sobi

✓

Ušao sam u sobu

Locative vs Accusative.
✗

Dolazim iz grada

✓

Dolazim iz grada

Correct, but sometimes learners use 'od'.
✗

Izvukao sam iz konteksta

✓

Izvukao sam iz konteksta

Correct, but check for case agreement.
✗

Ušao je u povijesti

✓

Ušao je u povijest

Locative vs Accusative.
✗

Izlazi iz situacije

✓

Izlazi iz situacije

Correct, but check for case agreement.

Padrões de frases

Ja idem u ___.

Ja dolazim iz ___.

On ulazi u ___.

Ona izlazi iz ___.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Idem u grad, vidimo se!

Travel very common

Putujem u Hrvatsku.

Job Interview common

Dolazim iz tvrtke X.

Food Delivery common

Dostava iz restorana.

Social Media very common

Izlazim iz zone komfora.

Directions common

Izlaz iz zgrade je tamo.

Cadastre-se grátis para ver todos os exemplos
💡

Focus on endings

Don't just learn the preposition; learn the noun ending that comes with it.
⚠️

Don't mix cases

Using the wrong case is the #1 way to sound like a beginner.
🎯

Use flashcards

Create cards with 'Iz + Genitive' and 'U + Accusative' examples.
💬

Listen to natives

Pay attention to how they use these in daily conversation.

Smart Tips

Think: 'Am I moving into it?' (Accusative) or 'Am I coming out of it?' (Genitive).

Idem u školu (correct). → Idem u školu (correct).

Remember: -a becomes -u for Accusative and -e for Genitive.

Idem u škola. → Idem u školu.

Always double-check your case endings.

Dolazim iz ured. → Dolazim iz ureda.

Focus on the preposition; the case ending will follow with practice.

Idem u Zagreb. → Idem u Zagreb.

Pronúncia

/iz/

Iz

Pronounced as 'eez'.

/u/

U

Pronounced as 'oo'.

Statement

Idem u školu. ↘

Falling intonation for statements.

Question

Idem u školu? ↗

Rising intonation for questions.

Memorize

Mnemônico

Iz is for exiting, U is for entering.

Associação visual

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

izukućaškolagradtrgovinaposao

Desafio

Write 5 sentences about your daily commute using 'iz' and 'u'.

Notas culturais

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.

Iniciadores de conversa

“

Odakle dolaziš?

“

Kamo ideš danas?

“

Izlaziš li iz kuće?

“

Putuješ li u inozemstvo?

Temas para diário

Describe your daily routine using 'iz' and 'u'.
Where did you go yesterday and where did you come from?
Write about a trip you took.
Discuss the importance of travel.

Erros comuns

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Idem ___ školu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: u
Destination requires 'u'.
Choose the correct form. Múltipla escolha

Dolazim ___ Zagreba.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: iz
Origin requires 'iz'.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Idem u Zagrebu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Idem u Zagreb
Destination requires Accusative.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

kuće / iz / izlazim

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Izlazim iz kuće
Correct word order.
Match the preposition to the case. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Genitive
Iz always takes Genitive.
Change the noun. Conjugation Drill

U + škola = ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: u školu
Accusative feminine ending.
Is this true? True False Rule

Iz requires Accusative.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Iz requires Genitive.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Kamo ideš? B: Idem ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: u kino
Destination requires Accusative.

Score: /8

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Idem ___ školu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: u
Destination requires 'u'.
Choose the correct form. Múltipla escolha

Dolazim ___ Zagreba.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: iz
Origin requires 'iz'.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Idem u Zagrebu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Idem u Zagreb
Destination requires Accusative.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

kuće / iz / izlazim

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Izlazim iz kuće
Correct word order.
Match the preposition to the case. Match Pairs

Iz -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Genitive
Iz always takes Genitive.
Change the noun. Conjugation Drill

U + škola = ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: u školu
Accusative feminine ending.
Is this true? True False Rule

Iz requires Accusative.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Iz requires Genitive.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Kamo ideš? B: Idem ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: u kino
Destination requires Accusative.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (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

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Cadastre-se grátis para praticar

In Other Languages

German high

aus / in

German uses Dative/Accusative, while Croatian uses Genitive/Accusative.

Spanish moderate

de / a

Spanish lacks the noun inflection system found in Croatian.

French moderate

de / à

French is analytic, whereas Croatian is synthetic.

Japanese partial

kara / ni

Japanese particles follow the noun, while Croatian prepositions precede it.

Arabic partial

min / ila

Arabic case system is based on different grammatical categories.

Chinese low

cong / dao

Chinese has no case inflection whatsoever.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Expressing 'In' and 'On' (u, na)
Next
Prepositions for Time (prije, poslije)

Related Grammar Rules

B2

Prepositions Governing Dative and Locative (e.g., pri, k)
A1

Prepositions with Genitive (Origin & Separation)
A2

Using Locative to Express 'About' or 'On'
A2

Expressing 'By Means of' (Čime?)
B1

Prepositions Expressing Concession (unatoč, usprkos)
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