Breakdown of Imamo premalo vitamina za energiju.
imati
to have
za
for / at (a table) (+ instrumental)
premalo
too little
vitamin
vitamin
Questions & Answers about Imamo premalo vitamina za energiju.
Why does the word vitamin have an -a at the end here?
Because it comes after premalo (too little / too few). Words that indicate a quantity require the following noun to be in the genitive case. Here, it is the genitive plural form of the masculine noun vitamin.
Wait, is vitamina singular or plural here? Doesn't the genitive singular also end in -a?
Good catch! Yes, for most masculine nouns, both the genitive singular and genitive plural end in -a. Context tells us it is plural here because we are counting them (too few vitamins). In spoken Croatian, the final -a in the plural form is pronounced slightly longer to help tell them apart.
Why is the word for energy written as energiju instead of energija?
The preposition za (for) requires the noun to be in the accusative case when it expresses a purpose or goal. Since energija is a feminine noun ending in -a, its accusative form changes the ending to -u.
How does premalo relate to the word malo?