Word
Majka je sinoć naručila meso.
Meaning
The mother ordered meat last night.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Majka je sinoć naručila meso.
Why does naručila end in -la?
In the Croatian past tense, the main action word (the l-participle) must match the gender of the subject. Because Majka (mother) is feminine, the verb takes the feminine singular ending -la instead of the masculine -o.
Why is the present tense word je (is) used in a past tense sentence?
Croatian creates the past tense using a helper verb combined with the main verb. The helper verb is always the present tense of biti (to be). So, the structure literally translates to 'Mother is last night ordered meat.'
Why isn't the helper verb je placed right next to naručila?
The helper verb je is an enclitic, which is a short, unstressed word that typically must sit in the second position of a sentence. Here, it naturally snaps into place right after the first word, Majka, separating it from the main verb.
Is meso in the accusative case here since it is the object being ordered?
Yes, it is in the accusative case because it receives the action. However, meso is a neuter noun. For neuter nouns, the accusative form is exactly the same as the basic dictionary form, so the ending does not change.