Breakdown of Odvjetnik govori na sudu protiv njega.
on
he
govoriti
to speak
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
protiv
against
sud
court
odvjetnik
lawyer
Questions & Answers about Odvjetnik govori na sudu protiv njega.
Why do we use njega here instead of the short form ga?
The preposition protiv (against) always requires the Genitive case. Whenever a pronoun comes right after a preposition in Croatian, you cannot use a short (enclitic) form. You must use the long (stressed) form. Therefore, the short Genitive ga becomes the long form njega.
Why is it na sudu instead of u sudu to say "in court"?
Many institutions, public services, and events take the preposition na (with the Locative case) rather than u. Just as you say na pošti (at the post office) or na poslu (at work), you use na sudu for "in court".
Could I change the word order to Odvjetnik govori protiv njega na sudu?
Yes, Croatian word order is very flexible, and that order is completely correct and natural. The original sentence's order simply places a little bit more emphasis on the phrase protiv njega by saving it for the very end.
Does the word sud only mean "court"?
Primarily, yes, it refers to the legal institution or a trial. However, it can also mean "judgment" or "opinion." For example, the phrase po mom sudu translates to "in my opinion" or "in my judgment."
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