Breakdown of Ovdje nema vatre, nemoj se bojati.
ovdje
here
nemati
to not have
bojati se
to be afraid
nemoj
do not (sg., pl. nemojte)
vatra
fire (flames)
Questions & Answers about Ovdje nema vatre, nemoj se bojati.
Why do we use nemoj and an infinitive here instead of a normal negative verb?
Nemoj is used to make a negative command or request (meaning "don't"). To tell someone not to do something in Croatian, you use a form of nemoj (here, the informal "you" form) followed by the infinitive of the verb, which is bojati (to be afraid).
Why is the word se placed between nemoj and bojati?
The word se is a clitic (a short, unstressed word), and Croatian has strict rules about where these go. They usually belong in the second position of a clause. Here, nemoj is the first word of the second clause, so se must immediately follow it, pushing the infinitive bojati to the end.
Why is the word for fire vatre instead of the dictionary form vatra?
When the verb nema is used to mean "there is no" or "there isn't any", the noun that follows it must be in the genitive case. Because vatra is a feminine noun ending in -a, its genitive form becomes vatre.
Does the verb bojati always require the word se?
Yes, bojati se (to be afraid / to fear) is a reflexive verb, meaning the se is a permanent, required part of it. Whenever you use this verb, you must include se, no matter what tense or form the verb takes.
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