Breakdown of Oni su razbacali odjeću po krevetu.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
oni
they
krevet
bed
odjeća
clothes
razbacati
to scatter
po
across, around
Questions & Answers about Oni su razbacali odjeću po krevetu.
Why do we use po krevetu here instead of na krevetu?
The preposition po paired with the locative case describes an action spreading across a surface or area. While na krevetu just means "on the bed," po krevetu gives the feeling of "all over the bed" or "scattered across the bed." The word krevetu is the locative form of the masculine noun krevet.
Why does the word for clothes end in -u (odjeću)?
It is the direct object of the action (it is what they scattered), so it must be in the accusative case. The dictionary form is the feminine noun odjeća, and feminine nouns ending in -a change that ending to -u in the accusative.
What does the raz- prefix in razbacali mean?
In Croatian, the prefix raz- often adds the meaning of spreading something apart or moving things in different directions. Added to a verb related to throwing, it creates the meaning "to scatter" or "to throw around."
Why does the past tense verb end in -i (razbacali)?
The ending -i is used because the subject Oni refers to a group of men or a mixed group of men and women. If the group was made entirely of women, the pronoun would be One and the verb would end in -e (razbacale).
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