Breakdown of Zašto imate sedamnaest slika i osamnaest stolica?
i
and (additive)
slika
picture
zašto
why
imati
to have
stolica
chair
sedamnaest
seventeen
osamnaest
eighteen
Questions & Answers about Zašto imate sedamnaest slika i osamnaest stolica?
Why do slika and stolica look like they are in the singular form here?
They actually aren't! After numbers 5 and above (like sedamnaest and osamnaest), Croatian requires the noun to be in the genitive plural case. For feminine nouns ending in -a, the genitive plural ending is also -a. This makes it look exactly like the basic singular form, but it is grammatically plural.
Doesn't the verb imati usually require the accusative case? Why are the nouns in the genitive?
You are right that imati (to have) normally takes an object in the accusative case. However, when a quantity is 5 or more, the number rule overrules the verb rule. The nouns (slika, stolica) are forced into the genitive plural because they come immediately after the numbers 17 and 18, even though they are the objects of the verb.
Is there an easy way to remember number words like sedamnaest and osamnaest?
Could imate mean something else besides 'you have' (plural)?
Yes, imate is the 'you' form for both plural (speaking to multiple people) and formal singular (speaking respectfully to one person, like a stranger). Without more context, this sentence could be addressed to a group or to one person formally.
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