Breakdown of Uspješno smo riješili problem prije roka.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
problem
problem
prije
before, earlier
rok
deadline
Questions & Answers about Uspješno smo riješili problem prije roka.
I am learning about perfective verbs formed with prefixes. Where is the prefix in riješili?
Unlike verbs that need a prefix to become perfective (like čitati becoming pročitati), the base verb riješiti is already perfective on its own! It tells us the action of solving is completely finished. To make it imperfective (to be solving), the ending changes instead, becoming rješavati.
Why doesn't the direct object problem change its ending?
Because problem is a masculine non-living (inanimate) noun. In Croatian, the accusative case for non-living masculine nouns is exactly the same as the dictionary form (nominative). If you were acting on a living thing, you would have to add an -a to the end.
Why does rok (deadline) change to roka here?
The word rok is in the genitive case here. The preposition prije (before) always forces the noun that follows it to take the genitive case, which for most masculine nouns means adding an -a.
Why is smo placed right after uspješno?
The word smo is an enclitic, which is a weak verb form that can never be the first word in a sentence. It naturally takes the second position, tucking in right behind the first piece of information, which is the adverb uspješno (successfully).