The Prefixes o- and ob-
In Croatian, the verbal prefixes o- and ob- often express circular motion, encompassing an area, or acting upon a surface. This makes them perfect for describing military tactics like a siege (opsada—a noun derived from "sitting around" a location).
| Due to the long siege, there is no more food. | Uslijed duge opsade, nema više hrane. |
Surrounding and Besieging
Adding o- or ob- can indicate forming a circle around a target. For example, okružiti means to surround (from the root for circle), and opkoliti means to besiege.
| The army surrounded the castle and the siege began. | Vojska je okružila dvorac i opsada je počela. |
| These soldiers will besiege the castle from all sides. | Ovi vojnici će opkoliti dvorac sa svih strana. |
To describe physically going around something, like inspecting outer walls, use obići (ob- + ići, to go).
| The soldier must go around every wall at night. | Vojnik mora obići svaki zid noću. |
Encompassing and Walling Off
These prefixes also describe enclosing an area or taking it entirely into one's grasp. Ograditi means to wall off, and obuhvatiti means to encompass.
| The peasants walled off the village due to fear of attack. | Seljaci su ogradili selo uslijed straha od napada. |
| Our plan must encompass all soldiers and protect the fort. | Naš plan mora obuhvatiti sve vojnike te zaštititi utvrdu. |
Defense and Security
Beyond physical movement, o- and ob- can imply securing a perimeter or covering an outer layer, as in obraniti (to defend) and osigurati (to secure).
| The commander wants to secure every wall and preserve the treasure. | Zapovjednik želi osigurati svaki zid te sačuvati blago. |
This encompassing nature also extends to nouns for defensive structures. An obruč is a ring or encirclement, while an opkop is a moat or trench dug entirely around a fortification.
| We are afraid that the enemy might break through the ring. | Bojimo se da se neprijatelj ne probije kroz obruč. |
| We cannot defend the empire if the enemy crosses the moat. | Ne možemo obraniti carstvo ako neprijatelj prijeđe opkop. |
