Questions & Answers about Dijete se igra sa susjedom.
Why is the preposition sa used here instead of just s?
The preposition for "with" is usually just s. However, we add an 'a' to make it sa when the next word starts with a similar hissing sound, like s, z, š, or ž. Since susjedom starts with an 's', saying "s susjedom" would be too hard to pronounce!
Why does the word for neighbor end in -om here?
When you do an action "with" someone, the preposition s/sa requires the noun to be in the Instrumental case. For a regular masculine noun ending in a consonant, like susjed, we add the Instrumental ending -om to get susjedom.
Could susjedom also mean a female neighbor?
Yes, it could! The feminine word for neighbor is susjeda. In the Instrumental case, regular feminine nouns ending in -a drop the -a and take the ending -om. This means both susjed (masculine) and susjeda (feminine) become susjedom in this sentence.
Why is there a se in this sentence?
The verb for "to play" (as in kids playing or playing a game) is igrati se. The se is a required part of this reflexive verb, so it must be included alongside igra.