Breakdown of Još nismo stigli jer je gužva.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
nisam
am not (nisi, nije, nismo, niste, nisu)
još
yet, still / another, one more
jer
because
stići
to arrive
gužva
traffic jam / crowd
Questions & Answers about Još nismo stigli jer je gužva.
How is the negative past tense formed in nismo stigli?
To make the past tense negative, you use the negative present tense of the helper verb "to be" (biti) along with the l-participle (past action word) of your main verb. Here, nismo means "we are not" and stigli is the plural l-participle for "arrived". Together, nismo stigli creates the meaning "we didn't arrive" or "we haven't arrived".
Doesn't još usually mean "still" or "more"? Why is it translated as "yet" here?
You are right! In positive sentences, još often means "still" or "more". However, when it is placed in a negative sentence (like one using nismo), još translates to "yet". So, još nismo simply means "we haven't yet".
Why isn't the word for "we" (mi) included before the verb?
In Croatian, you usually drop the subject pronouns (like I, you, we) because the verb form already tells you who is doing the action. The word nismo specifically means "we are not", so adding mi is unnecessary unless you really want to emphasize that we (and not someone else) haven't arrived.
Why does stigli end with an -i?
The ending of the l-participle changes based on who is doing the action. The -i ending on stigli is the plural ending used for a group of males, or a mixed group of males and females. If a group made up entirely of women were speaking, they would change the ending and say nismo stigle.
The translation says "traffic jam", but I thought gužva meant "crowd". Which is it?
It means both! Gužva broadly refers to any messy, crowded situation where things are jammed together. If you are walking into a busy cafe, it means a crowd of people. If you are talking about driving or commuting, it means heavy traffic.
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