Question 1

Why are both verbs in this sentence imperfective?

Accepted Answer

The word dok (while) sets up two actions happening at the exact same time in the past. To show that these actions were ongoing and running parallel to each other (sleeping and waiting), both verbs need to be imperfective (spavala and čekala). If one action had interrupted the other, the interrupting verb would be perfective.

Question 2

Why does the word je come right after dok instead of after the subject princeza?

Accepted Answer

The verb je is an enclitic (a "weak" word with no stress of its own), which means it must sit in the second position of its clause. In the first clause, the conjunction dok takes the first position, so the enclitic je is forced to come immediately after it, before the subject (princeza).

Question 3

In the second half of the sentence, why does je come after zla vještica instead of right after zla?

Accepted Answer

The phrase zla vještica (the evil witch) is a single grammatical unit, or a noun phrase. When applying the second-position rule for enclitics in Croatian, an entire noun phrase often counts as the first block. So, je takes the second position right after the complete subject phrase, rather than splitting the adjective and the noun.

Question 4

What form is the adjective zla in, and what is its dictionary form?

Accepted Answer

Zla is the feminine nominative form of the adjective meaning evil or bad, perfectly matching the feminine subject vještica (witch). Its default dictionary form (masculine nominative) is zao. The disappearing 'a' in the middle of the word is a common feature in Croatian called the 'fleeting a'.

Dok je princeza spavala, zla vještica je čekala.

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