Breakdown of Trebam trideset ili četrdeset komada.
trebati
to need / should (ought to)
komad
piece
ili
or
trideset
thirty
Questions & Answers about Trebam trideset ili četrdeset komada.
How do we form the words for thirty (trideset) and forty (četrdeset)?
They are built by combining the base number with deset (ten). Trideset is simply tri (three) + deset. For četrdeset, the word četiri (four) shortens to četr- before adding deset.
Why is the word for pieces (komada) in the genitive plural case?
In Croatian, any number from five and up requires the noun that follows it to be in the genitive plural. The base word is komad, and its genitive plural is komada. You can think of it as saying 'thirty of pieces'.
Since trebam (I need) expects an object, do the numbers trideset and četrdeset change their endings?
No. Cardinal numbers from five onwards never change their form regardless of their role in the sentence. They stay exactly the same, but they force the noun after them into the genitive case.
Why isn't the word ja (I) used before trebam?
The ending -am on the verb trebam already shows that it is the first person singular (I). In Croatian, subject pronouns like ja are usually dropped unless you want to add special emphasis.