Breakdown of Ide li tramvaj na kolodvor?
li
question particle
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
kolodvor
railway station
ići
to go
tramvaj
tram
Questions & Answers about Ide li tramvaj na kolodvor?
Why does the sentence start with Ide instead of ići?
Ide is the he/she/it form of the verb ići (to go). Since the subject is tramvaj (the tram, an 'it'), we use this 3rd person singular form.
What is the purpose of the word li?
li is a small question word used to ask yes/no questions. When you use it, the sentence order changes to start with the verb, followed immediately by li, and then the subject: Ide li tramvaj (Does the tram go).
Why do we use the preposition na instead of u for going to the train station?
In Croatian, most enclosed buildings take u (into), but certain public locations like stations, squares, and open spaces traditionally take na (onto). Because of this, you always go na kolodvor.
Why doesn't the word kolodvor change its ending here, since we are moving towards it?
It actually is in the accusative case because it is the destination of the motion! However, for masculine nouns that are not alive (like a train station), the accusative form looks exactly the same as the basic dictionary form.
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