Breakdown of Jeste li slikali sliku kistom?
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
slika
picture
li
question particle
slikati
to photograph, to paint
kist
paintbrush
Questions & Answers about Jeste li slikali sliku kistom?
Why doesn't this sentence use the word s (with) before kistom?
In English, we say "with a paintbrush," but in Croatian, when you use an object as a tool or instrument to do an action, you use the Instrumental case without the preposition s (or sa). Since kist (paintbrush) is a masculine noun, it just takes the Instrumental ending -om to become kistom. You only use s when doing something alongside someone or something else, like "with a friend" (s prijateljem).
I thought slikati meant "to take a photo". Why does it mean "to paint" here?
The verb slikati is used for making images in general, so it can mean both "to paint" and "to take a photograph". You have to rely on context to tell the difference. Since the person in this sentence is using a kist (paintbrush), it clearly means "to paint"!
Why is the word for picture written as sliku instead of slika?
Sliku is the direct object of the sentence because it is the thing being painted. Feminine nouns that end in -a like slika change their ending to -u in the Accusative case to show they are receiving the action of the verb.
Can this sentence be addressed to just one person, even though the verb is plural (slikali)?
Yes! The sentence uses the structure for vi (you), which is implied by jeste li. This can either mean you are talking to multiple people ("you all"), or you are speaking formally and politely to just one person. When using formal vi, the verb always takes the plural form (slikali).
Learn Jeste li slikali sliku kistom and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free