Parallel Structure: kako ..., tako (i) ...
To draw a direct parallel between two facts or situations, use the correlative structure kako ..., tako (i) .... This is the Croatian equivalent of "Just as ..., so too ...".
The word kako introduces the first clause, and tako introduces the matching second clause. The particle i (also/too) is typically added in the second clause for emphasis.
| Just as vocabulary is important, so too is grammar. | Kako je vokabular važan, tako je i gramatika. |
This structure is useful for describing connected processes, like language acquisition and cognitive development.
| Just as we use the brain, so too we develop memory. | Kako koristimo mozak, tako razvijamo i pamćenje. |
| Just as language acquisition is a cognitive process, so too memory is important. | Kako je usvajanje jezika kognitivan proces, tako je i pamćenje važno. |
You can use this pair alongside many different sentence types, including commands:
| Just as you pay attention to vocabulary, so too pay attention to pronunciation! | Kako paziš na vokabular, tako pazi i na izgovor! |
It can also express parallel states of mind, perfectly mirroring constructions like strah me je + Genitive case in both halves of the sentence:
| Just as I am afraid of grammar, so too I am afraid of pronunciation. | Kako me je strah gramatike, tako me je strah i izgovora. |
Finally, this structure embeds easily into larger complex sentences, such as reported speech or descriptions of ongoing habits:
| They had said that, just as we expand vocabulary, so too we develop fluency. | Bili su rekli da, kako proširujemo vokabular, tako razvijamo i tečnost. |
| Just as we read daily, so too we constantly expand the vocabulary. | Kako svakodnevno čitamo, tako stalno proširujemo i vokabular. |
