Breakdown of Želiš li kocku šećera i žlicu kave?
i
and (additive)
li
question particle
kava
coffee
željeti
to want
šećer
sugar
žlica
spoon
kocka
cube
Questions & Answers about Želiš li kocku šećera i žlicu kave?
Why is the word for coffee "kave" instead of "kava"?
Kava is a feminine noun ending in -a. In this sentence, it is in the genitive case because it comes after a measurement to mean "of coffee" (a spoon of coffee). In the genitive case, feminine nouns ending in -a change their ending to -e.
Why do the words for "cube" and "spoon" end in -u (kocku, žlicu)?
Both kocka (cube) and žlica (spoon) are feminine nouns. Because they are the things you want (the direct objects of the verb želiš), they need to be in the accusative case. For feminine nouns, the -a changes to -u in the accusative.
Why is it "šećera" for "of sugar", but "kave" for "of coffee"? Don't they use the same case?
They are both in the genitive case to show quantity, but they have different genders. Kava is feminine, so it takes the -e ending. Šećer (sugar) is a masculine noun ending in a consonant, and masculine nouns take the -a ending in the genitive singular.
What is the purpose of the word "li" after the verb?
Li is a small question word used to form yes/no questions. By taking the statement želiš (you want) and adding li right after it, it turns into the question "Do you want?".
Learn Želiš li kocku šećera i žlicu kave and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free