Breakdown of Htjeli bismo izvrstan šampanjac.
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
bi
would (bi, bismo, biste)
izvrstan
excellent
šampanjac
champagne
Questions & Answers about Htjeli bismo izvrstan šampanjac.
How is 'we would like' formed in this sentence?
It uses the conditional mood of the verb htjeti (to want). You combine the plural past participle htjeli with the conditional helper word for 'we', which is bismo. Together, htjeli bismo makes the polite request 'we would like'.
Why does the verb use the form htjeli instead of htio?
Because the subject is 'we', the verb needs a plural ending. Htjeli is the plural form used for a group of men or a mixed group. If a group of only women were speaking, they would say htjele bismo.
What case is izvrstan šampanjac in?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object (the thing we would like). Since šampanjac is a masculine inanimate noun (a non-living thing), its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative (dictionary) form.
Why is the adjective izvrstan instead of izvrsni?
Croatian masculine adjectives have both indefinite ('an') and definite ('the') forms. Because we are asking for 'an' excellent champagne, we use the indefinite form izvrstan. If we were pointing to a specific bottle and saying 'the excellent champagne', it would be izvrsni.