Breakdown of Vodič nam je objasnio zašto su ove znamenitosti tako važne za naš obilazak.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
zašto
why
važan
important
za
for / at (a table) (+ instrumental)
objasniti
to explain
nam
to us
tako
so, that way
naš
our
vodič
guide (m)
obilazak
tour
znamenitost
sight
Questions & Answers about Vodič nam je objasnio zašto su ove znamenitosti tako važne za naš obilazak.
Why does the clitic su come right after zašto instead of later in the sub-clause?
This is the rule for reported (indirect) Wh- questions! When a sentence has a sub-clause that starts with a question word like zašto (why), that question word acts as the first position of the new clause. Therefore, the clitic su must jump into the second position right after it, giving us zašto su ove znamenitosti... instead of zašto ove znamenitosti su....
In the first part of the sentence, why is the clitic order nam je instead of je nam?
When you have multiple clitics in a row, they must follow a strict order. Pronoun clitics (like the dative nam) almost always come before the verb clitic je. In fact, je is always the very last clitic in the standard Croatian clitic order.
Why do the words ove and važne end in -e if znamenitosti ends in -i?
Znamenitost (sight/landmark) is a feminine noun that ends in a consonant, which means it belongs to the special i-declension group. Its plural form ends in -i (znamenitosti), but any adjectives or pronouns attached to it still use the regular feminine plural endings, which are -e. That is why we say ove znamenitosti and važne znamenitosti.
What case is used for naš obilazak after the preposition za?
It is in the accusative case. The preposition za takes the accusative when it means "for" (as in a purpose or benefit). Because obilazak (tour) is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its dictionary (nominative) form.
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