Questions & Answers about Tko jede tanjur tjestenine?
Why does the word for pasta end in -e instead of -a (tjestenine)?
Tjestenina is a feminine noun. Here it is in the genitive case because it expresses the idea of quantity, translated as 'of' in English (a plate of pasta). To form the genitive singular for feminine nouns, you drop the -a and add -e.
Since the plate is the direct object, why doesn't tanjur change its ending?
Tanjur is in the accusative case because it receives the action of the verb jede. However, for masculine nouns that are non-living things (inanimate), the accusative form looks exactly the same as the base dictionary form.
Does jede translate to 'is eating' or 'eats'?
It translates to both! Croatian does not have a separate continuous tense like English does. The context tells you which one makes sense, which in this sentence is 'is eating'.
Where is the word for 'a' in 'a plate'?
Croatian does not use articles like 'a', 'an', or 'the'. The word tanjur alone can mean 'plate', 'a plate', or 'the plate' depending on the context.