Breakdown of Bez energije, tijelo je slabo.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
bez
without
slab
weak
energija
energy
tijelo
body
Questions & Answers about Bez energije, tijelo je slabo.
Why is it energije instead of energija?
The preposition bez (without) always requires the noun following it to be in the genitive case. For feminine nouns ending in -a like energija, the genitive ending is -e, making it energije. This is the exact same genitive case you use after words of quantity like previše (too much) or premalo (too little).
Why does the adjective slabo end in -o?
Adjectives must match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. The noun tijelo (body) is a neuter noun in the nominative (subject) case. Therefore, the base adjective slab (weak) takes the neuter ending -o to become slabo.
Can I put the verb first and say, Bez energije, je tijelo slabo?
No, because je is an enclitic (a weak word that lacks its own stress). Enclitics can never be the first word in a sentence or clause, and they cannot immediately follow a pause like a comma. That is why je must go in the second position, right after tijelo.
Does the genitive case from bez carry over to tijelo?
No, it only affects the noun right next to the preposition (energije). The phrase tijelo je slabo is its own separate clause, so its subject (tijelo) stays in the standard, default nominative case.
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