Breakdown of Sestra mi se jako boji visine.
ja
I
sestra
sister
bojati se
to be afraid
jako
very, strongly (colloquial)
Questions & Answers about Sestra mi se jako boji visine.
Why is the word for "heights" in the genitive case (visine) instead of the accusative?
The verb bojati se (to be afraid of) is one of several verbs in Croatian that require their object to be in the genitive case rather than the usual accusative. Here, visine is the genitive singular form of visina (height).
Why is mi used here instead of moja to say "my sister"?
In Croatian, the dative pronoun mi is frequently used to show possession, especially with family members and body parts. Sestra mi literally means "the sister to me." While Moja sestra se jako boji visine is perfectly correct, using the dative mi sounds very natural to native speakers.
Why are the short words ordered as mi se and not se mi?
Croatian has strict rules for the order of clitics (short, unstressed words). When you have multiple clitics in a row, dative pronouns like mi must always come before the reflexive pronoun se.
Why does the Croatian sentence use the singular visine when the English translation says "heights"?
In Croatian, it is much more common to use the singular form visina (height) when talking about a general fear of being high up. English prefers the plural "heights" for this phobia, but Croatian keeps it singular.