Breakdown of Trebam puno brašna za ovaj kolač.
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
puno
a lot
kolač
cake
trebati
to need / should (ought to)
Questions & Answers about Trebam puno brašna za ovaj kolač.
Why is the word for flour (brašno) written as brašna here?
After indefinite quantifiers like puno (a lot), malo (a little), or nekoliko (several), the noun that follows must be in the genitive case. Since brašno is a neuter noun, its genitive form ends in -a, becoming brašna. You can think of this genitive ending as doing the job of the English word "of", making it "a lot of flour".
Why does ovaj kolač look like the dictionary form if it comes after the preposition za?
The preposition za (meaning "for") requires the accusative case here. Because kolač is a masculine inanimate noun (a non-living thing), its accusative form is exactly the same as its dictionary (nominative) form. The same rule applies to the pointing word ovaj!
Could I use mnogo instead of puno in this sentence?
Yes! Both puno and mnogo mean "a lot" and both require the genitive case for the noun that follows. puno brašna and mnogo brašna are completely interchangeable, though puno is generally more popular in everyday spoken Croatian.
Is it okay to say ja trebam instead of just trebam?