Breakdown of Treba mi jak konac kojim mogu popraviti torbu.
ja
I
torba
bag
trebati
to need / should (ought to)
moći
can
Questions & Answers about Treba mi jak konac kojim mogu popraviti torbu.
Why is the relative pronoun kojim used here?
Kojim translates to 'with which'. It is the masculine singular instrumental form of koji, pointing back to konac (thread). It is in the instrumental case because the thread is the tool being used to fix the bag.
The English translation says 'fix the bag with'. Why is there no word for 'with' like s or sa before kojim?
When the instrumental case is used for a tool or means of doing something (like a thread to sew with, or a pen to write with), you do not use the prepositions s or sa. You only use them to indicate company, like doing something together with someone.
Why is the sentence built as Treba mi jak konac instead of just using the verb trebati normally?
Both are actually correct! While using trebati like a normal verb is common in spoken Croatian, Treba mi is the traditional impersonal construction. It literally means 'A strong thread is needed to me'. The thing needed (jak konac) is the grammatical subject, and the person needing it is in the dative case (mi).
Could I use the imperfective verb popravljati instead of popraviti here?