Questions & Answers about Morate reći istinu ženi.
Why is the word for woman ženi instead of žena?
ženi is the dative case of the feminine noun žena. We use the dative case for the indirect object, which is the person receiving an action. Since you are telling the truth to the woman, she goes in the dative case. For most feminine nouns ending in -a, the dative ending is -i.
Why does istina (truth) change to istinu in this sentence?
istinu is in the accusative case because it is the direct object, meaning it is the thing that is being told. For feminine nouns that end in -a, the accusative ending changes to -u. Notice how the sentence clearly separates the thing being told (istinu) from the person hearing it (ženi).
Why do we use the dictionary form reći (to tell) instead of matching it to the subject?
The first verb, morate (you must), already shows who is doing the action. When you use a verb like must, can, or want, the second verb stays in its basic dictionary form (the infinitive). This is very similar to English.
The English translation says You must, but I do not see the word vi (you). Why?