When solving an escape room, you will need to search for clues, check every lock, and look for a combination (kombinacija) to a safe (sef).
| Is the combination for the safe in the riddle? | Je li kombinacija za sef u zagonetki? |
Splitting "i-" pronouns with prepositions
In Croatian, indefinite pronouns like itko (anyone) and išta (anything) start with the prefix i-. When these pronouns are used with a preposition (such as u, o, or s), something unusual happens: the preposition steps inside the word.
Instead of placing the preposition before the whole pronoun, you split the prefix from the pronoun core and insert the preposition in the middle: i + preposition + pronoun.
For example, to ask if something is "in anything", you combine i-, the preposition u, and the locative form of the pronoun (čemu). This creates the phrase i u čemu.
| Is the combination hidden in anything? | Je li kombinacija skrivena i u čemu? |
| Did you find the lever in anything? | Jesi li našao polugu i u čemu? |
This rule applies to all prepositions used with these indefinite pronouns. If a mechanism depends on something, you use the preposition o (about/on). "On anything" splits to become i o čemu.
| Does this mechanism depend on anything? | Ovisi li ovaj mehanizam i o čemu? |
Similarly, if a chain (lanac) is connected "with anything", the preposition s splits the pronoun išta (which becomes čim in the instrumental case). The result is i s čim.
| Is the chain connected to anything? | Je li lanac povezan i s čim? |
Splitting "anyone"
The exact same rule applies to people. When you want to say "with anyone", the preposition s splits the pronoun itko (anyone).
The instrumental form of tko (who) is kim. Wrap the i- prefix and the base pronoun around the preposition to get i s kim.
| Did you share the code with anyone? | Jesi li podijelio šifru i s kim? |
| Are you talking about the riddle with anyone? | Razgovaraš li o zagonetki i s kim? |