Questions & Answers about Proba traje cijeli dan.
Why is there no preposition before cijeli dan to mean "for all day"?
In Croatian, to express how long something lasts (duration of time), you just use the accusative case without any preposition. Putting the phrase cijeli dan right after the verb naturally translates to "for the whole day" or "all day long".
Is cijeli dan really in the accusative case here? It looks exactly like the dictionary form!
Yes, it is! Because dan (day) is a masculine inanimate noun (a non-living thing), its accusative form is identical to its nominative (dictionary) form. The adjective cijeli (whole) also uses the inanimate ending, which matches the dictionary form.
Could I use the word sav (all) instead of cijeli here, since the English translation says "all day"?
What is the dictionary form of the verb traje?
The infinitive (dictionary form) is trajati (to last). It is very common to use this verb with events like a rehearsal (proba), a movie, or a meeting to describe how much time they take.