Breakdown of Otići će po kolica i krevetić za tri sata.
i
and (additive)
tri
three
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
otići
to leave, to go away
sat
hour
po
for (to fetch)
za
in (after a period of time)
kolica
stroller
krevetić
crib
Questions & Answers about Otići će po kolica i krevetić za tri sata.
The lesson says za takes the accusative case for future time. Why is sat (hour) in the form sata, which looks like the genitive?
You are right that za takes the accusative case to mean 'in [amount of time]'. However, because of the number tri (three), the noun sat (hour) has to follow the '2, 3, 4 rule' and take the genitive singular form, making it sata. The entire phrase tri sata is treated as the accusative object of the preposition za.
Why do we use the preposition po before the stroller and crib?
When you go somewhere specifically to pick someone or something up, Croatian uses the preposition po followed by the accusative case. It neatly translates the English idea of 'going to get' or 'fetching' something.
I see the word for 'bed' (krevet) hidden in krevetić. Is this a diminutive?
Yes! Adding -ić to a masculine noun is a standard way to make it a diminutive, meaning a smaller version of the object. A krevet is a bed, so a krevetić is a small bed, or a crib. Because it is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form (after the preposition po) is identical to its nominative form.
Is kolica (stroller) a feminine noun because it ends in '-a'?
It looks like one, but kolica is actually a neuter plural word. It is a 'plural-only' noun, much like 'scissors' or 'pants' in English. It is used for wheeled objects like strollers, shopping carts, and wheelchairs. In the accusative case (required here by po), neuter plural words stay exactly the same, so it remains kolica.
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