Questions & Answers about Mi smatramo da je to laž.
How does the word da work in this sentence?
The word da (that) connects the main action, smatramo (we consider), to the subordinate object clause je to laž (this is a lie). In English, we often drop the word 'that' and just say 'We consider this is a lie', but in Croatian, you must always include da to link these types of clauses together.
Why is the word order da je to instead of da to je?
The verb je (is) is an enclitic, which is a short, unstressed word that strongly prefers the second position in its clause. The conjunction da takes up the first position of this new clause, so je must step right into the second position, pushing the pronoun to (this/that) into the third spot.
Is the pronoun Mi strictly necessary at the start of the sentence?
No, it can be dropped entirely to just say Smatramo da je to laž. The verb smatramo already means 'we consider' because of its -mo ending. Including Mi here just adds a slight emphasis, contrasting our opinion with someone else's: 'We consider that this is a lie'.
The noun laž ends in a consonant. Does that mean it is a masculine word?