Word
Hoću braniti svoju obitelj!
Meaning
I will defend my family!
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hoću braniti svoju obitelj!
obitelj
family (f)
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
svoj
one's own
braniti
to defend
Questions & Answers about Hoću braniti svoju obitelj!
Why does this sentence use hoću instead of the normal future helper ću?
Hoću is the full, emphasized form of the future tense helper verb. While ja ću braniti or branit ću simply state a future fact (I will defend), starting with hoću adds strong determination, meaning I will defend or I am determined to defend.
Could Hoću braniti also mean I want to defend?
Yes! The verb htjeti means both to want and acts as the helper verb for the future tense. Because of this, hoću braniti can mean either the emphatic future (I will defend) or a strong desire (I want to defend).
Why use svoju instead of moju for my?
In Croatian, when the object belongs to the subject of the sentence, you must use the reflexive possessive pronoun svoj (meaning one's own). Since I am the subject and it is my own family, svoju is the grammatically correct choice here.
Obitelj is the direct object here, so why doesn't it have an accusative ending like -u?