Breakdown of Kakvu haljinu tražite?
tražiti
to look for / to demand, request
kakav
what kind of / what a (exclamatory)
haljina
dress
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Questions & Answers about Kakvu haljinu tražite?
Why do we use kakvu here instead of koju?
Kakvu comes from kakav and asks 'what kind of' or 'what sort of'. It expects a description as an answer, like a long, red, or summer dress. If we used koju (from koji, meaning 'which'), we would be asking the person to point out a specific dress from a limited selection they are already looking at.
Why do the words kakvu and haljinu end in -u?
They are in the accusative case because they are the direct object of the action (they are the thing being looked for). The dictionary form is kakva haljina, which is feminine. In the accusative case, feminine words ending in -a change their ending to -u.
Who is the verb tražite directed at?
Tražite is the formal or plural 'you' form. Since this sentence is something a shop assistant might ask a customer, the formal 'you' (Vi) is used to show respect. If you were asking a friend, you would use the informal singular tražiš.
Do question words always have to go at the start of the sentence in Croatian?
Yes, it is the standard rule. Question words like kakvu, koju, što, or tko almost always take the first position in a sentence. Saying Tražite kakvu haljinu? would sound very unnatural unless you are expressing shock or asking someone to repeat themselves.