Breakdown of Kiša je padala i nastavilo je grmjeti.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
i
and (additive)
kiša
rain
padati
to fall
Questions & Answers about Kiša je padala i nastavilo je grmjeti.
Why do we use the imperfective verb grmjeti after nastavilo je?
Because nastaviti (to continue) is a phase verb. In Croatian, phase verbs like početi (to start), prestati (to stop), and nastaviti must always be followed by an imperfective infinitive, since you can only start, stop, or continue an ongoing process.
Why is it nastavilo je (neuter) and not nastavila je to match kiša (rain)?
The second part of the sentence is a new clause and is not about the rain. It translates to 'it continued thundering', not 'the rain continued thundering'. When describing general weather events like thundering without a specific noun, Croatian uses an impersonal construction, which always takes the neuter singular form.
Could I use the perfective form of padati in the first half of this sentence?
No. The imperfective form padala is used here because it describes a continuous background action (the rain was falling). If you used the perfective form pala, it would mean the rain dropped once and completely finished.
Is the phase verb nastavilo itself perfective or imperfective here?
The verb nastaviti is perfective, meaning the transition or decision to 'continue' is treated as a completed fact in the past. Even though the phase verb itself is perfective, the action that follows it (grmjeti) must still be imperfective.