The locative case (location, after u / na)
The locative says where something is and only ever appears after a preposition, most often u (in) and na (on/at). Masculine and neuter nouns take -u (grad → gradu), feminine -a nouns take -i (škola → školi).
Examples
- u gradu in the city
- u školi at school
- na stolu on the table
The full lesson
Everything in the video, in text.
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u grad or u gradu? One means you're going into the city, the other that you're already there. Same preposition, different case. Let's clear it up.
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The locative is the case of place. It answers the question 'where?' and tells you where someone or something is. Its quirk: it never stands alone — it always comes after a preposition.
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The two most common prepositions are u and na. 'u' means inside something, 'na' means on or at something. After both, the noun goes into the locative.
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Now the endings. Masculine and neuter nouns take the ending -u. grad becomes gradu, selo becomes selu. Feminine nouns in -a take -i: škola becomes školi.
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Let's start. 'u gradu' means you're in the city, inside it. grad goes into the locative and takes the ending -u. u gradu
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Same with a feminine noun. 'u školi' means at school, in the school building. škola moves into the locative and becomes školi. u školi
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Now the preposition na. 'na stolu' — something is on the surface of the table. sto, whose stem expands to stol, becomes stolu. na stolu
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Another one with na. 'na poslu' means you're at work, at your workplace. posao becomes poslu, again with the ending -u. na poslu
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And with a neuter noun. 'u selu' means you're in the village. selo takes the ending -u and becomes selu. u selu
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Here's the key difference. The same preposition u can also take the accusative. 'Idem u grad' is motion, going in — accusative. 'Ja sam u gradu' is place — locative. Motion means accusative, being still means locative.
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A quick rule to remember. If you can ask 'where?', you use the locative. If the question is 'where to?', that's the accusative.
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Let's recap. The locative is the case of place and always comes after a preposition, most often u and na. Masculine and neuter take -u, feminine -i. And remember: staying put is the locative, motion is the accusative.