Njezina braća su složna i uvijek rade zajedno.
Her brothers are united and they always work together.
Breakdown of Njezina braća su složna i uvijek rade zajedno.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
zajedno
together
i
and (additive)
uvijek
always
raditi
to work
njezin
her
braća
brothers (collective)
složan
united
Questions & Answers about Njezina braća su složna i uvijek rade zajedno.
Why are the words for "her" and "united" (njezina, složna) in the feminine singular form if braća refers to a group of men?
Braća is a collective noun. In Croatian, collective nouns ending in -a (like braća, djeca, and gospoda) decline like feminine singular nouns. Because of this, any adjectives or pronouns attached directly to them must also be in the feminine singular form, which is why we see njezina and složna.
If braća takes feminine singular adjectives, why are the verbs su and rade in the plural?
This is the unique challenge of collective nouns! Even though they look and behave like feminine singular nouns for adjectives and pronouns, they still represent a plural group of people. Because the meaning is plural, the verbs describing their actions take the third-person plural form (like su and rade).
Is there a regular plural form for brat (brother) I could use instead of the collective noun braća?
No, the noun brat does not have a regular plural form in standard Croatian. You must always use the collective noun braća when referring to more than one brother.
What exactly does složna mean here?
Složna is the feminine singular form of složan, which means harmonious, united, or in agreement. When used to describe a group of people, it implies that they get along well, do not fight, and act together as a cohesive team.
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