Breakdown of Znam da si odan kolega.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
znati
to know
kolega
colleague (m)
da
that (conjunction)
odan
loyal
Questions & Answers about Znam da si odan kolega.
This lesson is about words that take the dative case. Where is the dative in this sentence?
There actually isn't a dative word in this specific sentence because odan (loyal) is simply modifying the noun kolega. However, odan belongs in this lesson because it requires the dative case when you state who or what someone is loyal to. For example, if you wanted to say "loyal to the company," you would use the dative: odan tvrtki.
Why is the adjective odan in the masculine form if the noun kolega ends in "-a"?
The word kolega is a special type of noun. Even though it ends in "-a" and changes its endings like a feminine noun, its actual gender is masculine because it refers to a male person. Because of this, any adjectives describing it must be in the masculine form, like odan. If you were talking about a female colleague, you would use the feminine noun kolegica and say odana kolegica.
Why does the verb si come right after da?
The word si (are) is an enclitic, which is a "weak" word that must sit in the second position of its clause. The conjunction da (that) starts a new dependent clause and counts as the first position, so the enclitic si naturally locks in right behind it.
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