Breakdown of Ako su mačevi spremni, krenut ćemo.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
spreman
ready
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
krenuti
to set off
ako
if
mač
sword
Questions & Answers about Ako su mačevi spremni, krenut ćemo.
Why is the plural of mač formed as mačevi instead of mačovi?
Because it is a one-syllable masculine noun, mač (sword) needs an extra syllable before the plural ending -i. While many words take -ov- (like grad becoming gradovi), words ending in 'soft' sounds like č, ć, š, ž, j, or lj take -ev- instead.
Why does the word spremni end in -i?
spremni (ready) is an adjective describing mačevi (swords). Since mačevi is a masculine plural noun, the adjective must match it. The base dictionary form is spreman, and its masculine plural ending is -i.
Why is the final 'i' missing from krenut in krenut ćemo?
This is how the future tense is formed. When an infinitive verb (like krenuti, meaning to set off) comes directly before the future helping verb (ćemo), it drops its final -i. If the word order were reversed, it would keep the 'i', as in: mi ćemo krenuti.
Why does su come right after Ako?
The word su (are) is an enclitic. Enclitics are short, unstressed words that must sit in the second position of their clause. Since this clause begins with Ako (if), su naturally takes the second spot.
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