Breakdown of Otišli su na izlet s lokalnim vodičem.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
izlet
trip (m)
otići
to leave, to go away
Questions & Answers about Otišli su na izlet s lokalnim vodičem.
Why does the adjective lokalnim end in -im?
In this sentence, it is in the instrumental case to agree with the noun it describes, vodičem (guide). For masculine and neuter adjectives in the instrumental singular, the ending is always -im.
Why is the noun ending -em in vodičem instead of -om?
Most masculine nouns in the instrumental case take the ending -om. However, because vodič ends in a palatal (soft) consonant (č), it takes the ending -em instead.
Why is the preposition s used here instead of sa?
The preposition meaning 'with' is normally just s. You only add the 'a' (making it sa) if the following word starts with certain consonants that would make it hard to pronounce together (like s, z, š, or ž). Since lokalnim starts with an 'l', s is easy to say!
Why use Otišli su instead of Išli su for 'They went'?
Ići (went / were going) is an imperfective verb focusing on the general process of traveling. Otići is the perfective version, which focuses on the completed action of leaving or departing. Using Otišli su emphasizes that they have set off on their trip.