The Proper Locative Case: Location and Topic
The Locative case (Prepositional) specifies location ('in', 'on', 'at') or the topic of discussion ('about'). It is unique because it is always used with a preposition, such as u (in), na (on), or o (about).
Nouns:
- Singular Masculine/Neuter: Ending -u. (e.g., u domu - in a house, o mužu - about a man, u selu - in a village, o polju - about a field)
- Singular Feminine: Common ending is -i. (e.g., na rjeci - on a river, o sestri - about a sister, na zemlji - on the earth)
- Plural (all genders): Often ends in -ima. (e.g., u domovima - in houses, o muškarcima - about men, u selima - in villages, na rijekama - on rivers)
Adjectives:
- Singular Masculine/Neuter: ending -om (hard) / -om (soft). (e.g., u dobrom domu - in a good house, o nježnom muškarcu - about a tender man)
- Singular Feminine: ending -oj. (e.g., na dobroj rijeci - on a good river, o nježnoj ženi - about a tender woman)
- Plural (all genders): ending -im. (e.g., u dobrim domovima - in good houses, o nježnim muškarcima - about tender men)
Examples: Moja knjiga je na stolu (My book is on the table). Govorimo o našem domu (We are talking about our house). Oni žive u velikom gradu (They live in a big city). Djeca se igraju u dvorištima (Children are playing in the yards).