Breakdown of Pojedinac može utjecati na ljude.
ljudi
people
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
moći
can
pojedinac
individual
utjecati
to influence
Questions & Answers about Pojedinac može utjecati na ljude.
Why is the word for "people" ljude here instead of ljudi?
The noun ljudi (people) is the highly irregular plural of čovjek (person). In this sentence, it follows the preposition na, which requires the accusative case. The accusative plural of ljudi is ljude.
What would this sentence look like if it meant "can influence a person" (singular)?
You would use the singular word for person, which is čovjek. Because the preposition na takes the accusative case here, it becomes čovjeka. The sentence would be: Pojedinac može utjecati na čovjeka. This shows just how completely the word changes between singular and plural!
Why do we need the preposition na? Doesn't "influence" just take a direct object in English?
While English uses a direct object (influence people), the Croatian verb utjecati requires the preposition na followed by the accusative case. You can think of it literally as projecting an effect onto someone.
Is pojedinac related to the number one?
Yes, pojedinac (individual) is derived from jedan (one). It specifically highlights a single, solitary person, which creates a strong contrast in this sentence with the plural group, ljude.
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