Breakdown of Želim zahvaliti kolegama na podršci.
željeti
to want
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
kolega
colleague (m)
podrška
support
zahvaliti
to thank
Questions & Answers about Želim zahvaliti kolegama na podršci.
Why is the word for colleagues kolegama here instead of the accusative?
The verb zahvaliti (to thank) requires the dative case for the person you are thanking. In English, you "thank someone" directly, but in Croatian, you conceptually "give thanks to someone". That's why we use the dative plural kolegama.
Isn't kolega a masculine noun? Why does it have the feminine dative plural ending -ama?
You are right that kolega is a masculine noun. However, because it ends in -a in the nominative singular, it borrows its endings from the feminine declension group (just like tata or sluga). So, the dative plural is kolegama, exactly the same pattern as ženama (to the women).
Why is "for the support" translated as na podršci? Doesn't na usually mean "on"?
Yes, na usually means "on" or "at". But when you use the verb zahvaliti (to thank), you must use na plus the locative case to express what you are thanking someone for. So, "thank you for the support" is phrased in Croatian as thanking someone "on" the support.
Why does the noun podrška change to podršci here?
Because it follows the preposition na, the noun must be in the locative case. When a noun ends in -ka (like podrška), the k changes to c before the -i ending of the locative singular. This is a standard sound change rule (called sibilarization) that makes the word easier to say.
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