Questions & Answers about Želiš li šalicu čaja?
Why is the word for tea čaja instead of čaj?
Čaj (tea) is a masculine noun. Because we are saying "a cup of tea", it takes the genitive case to show quantity or belonging. For masculine nouns, the genitive singular is formed by adding -a, making it čaja.
Why is the word for cup šalicu instead of šalica?
Šalica is the dictionary form (nominative). Since the cup is the direct object of the verb želiš (it is the thing being wanted), it must be in the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -a, the accusative ending is -u.
How does the word li work to make this a question?
Li is a small question word (particle) used to make yes/no questions. To form a question this way, you put the verb first (želiš), followed immediately by li.
Why is there no word for "you" in this sentence?
In Croatian, you can usually drop subject pronouns like ti (you) because the verb ending already tells us who is doing the action. The -š at the end of želiš specifically means "you want".
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