Breakdown of Redatelj i glumica čitaju dijalog cijelo popodne.
i
and (additive)
čitati
to read
popodne
afternoon; in the afternoon
cijeli
whole
redatelj
director (of a film)
glumica
actress
dijalog
dialogue
Questions & Answers about Redatelj i glumica čitaju dijalog cijelo popodne.
Why is there no preposition before cijelo popodne?
In Croatian, to express how long an action lasts (duration of time), you put the time phrase directly into the accusative case without any preposition. This is similar to saying "all afternoon" in English instead of "for all afternoon".
Wait, cijelo popodne is in the accusative case here? It looks exactly like the dictionary form.
Yes, it is in the accusative! The noun popodne is neuter. For all neuter nouns, the accusative case looks exactly the same as the nominative (dictionary) case. The adjective cijelo (whole/entire) agrees with it, so it also uses the neuter accusative form.
Is the word dijalog also in the accusative case?
Exactly! The verb čitaju (they read) needs a direct object, which takes the accusative case. Dijalog is a masculine noun, and because it is inanimate (a thing, not a living being), its accusative form is identical to its nominative form.
If the subjects are a masculine noun (redatelj) and a feminine noun (glumica), what gender rules apply to the verb?
In the present tense, you only need to match the number, so you just use the standard 3rd-person plural form čitaju (they read). You only need to worry about mixed-gender rules if you are using the past tense, where the masculine plural ending takes priority.
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