Breakdown of Djeluje li ovaj sirup protiv prehlade?
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
li
question particle
prehlada
cold (illness)
protiv
against
Questions & Answers about Djeluje li ovaj sirup protiv prehlade?
How does the preposition protiv change the word for "cold" in this sentence?
The preposition protiv (against) always requires the noun that follows it to be in the Genitive case. The base word for a cold is prehlada. Because it is a feminine noun ending in -a, it changes to -e in the Genitive, giving us protiv prehlade.
Why does the sentence use djeluje for "work" instead of a form of raditi?
In English, "work" is used for both a person doing a job and a medicine being effective. Croatian splits these meanings. You use raditi when someone is performing labor or a task. You use djelovati (which literally means to act or to have an effect) when talking about medicines, chemicals, or plans working successfully.
Why is the question word li placed right after djeluje?
The word li is an enclitic, which is a "weak" word that cannot start a sentence and typically must sit in the second position. By placing it immediately after the first word, the verb Djeluje, the sentence perfectly follows the strict Croatian word order rules for questions.
What case is ovaj sirup in here, and why?
It is in the Nominative case because "this syrup" is the subject of the sentence—it is the thing doing the action of working. Since sirup is a masculine noun that ends in a consonant, both the noun and its pointing word ovaj (this) appear in their base dictionary forms.