Breakdown of Ova plemenita loza sačuvala je stare korijene.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
star
old
plemenit
noble
loza
lineage
sačuvati
to preserve
korijen
root
Questions & Answers about Ova plemenita loza sačuvala je stare korijene.
I thought loza meant 'vine'. Why is it translated as 'lineage' here?
In Croatian, loza literally means 'vine' (especially a grapevine). However, it is very commonly used figuratively to mean 'lineage', 'bloodline', or 'dynasty' (similar to how we talk about a 'family tree' in English).
Why is the ending on stare korijene '-e' instead of '-i'?
It is in the accusative case because it's the direct object of the verb (the thing being preserved). The noun korijen (root) is masculine. In the plural, its nominative (subject) form is korijeni, but the accusative plural ending for masculine nouns is -e, making it korijene. The adjective stare (old) matches this accusative plural form.
Why does the verb use sačuvala instead of just čuvala?
Čuvati is an imperfective verb meaning 'to keep', 'to guard', or 'to preserve' as an ongoing process. Sačuvati is its perfective counterpart, focusing on the successful completion of the action. Here, it emphasizes that the lineage actually managed to 'preserve' or 'save' the roots.
Could the little word je go somewhere else in this sentence?
Yes! Enclitics like je typically want to be in the second logical position of a sentence. Because Ova plemenita loza acts as one single block (the subject phrase), you could put je right after it: Ova plemenita loza je sačuvala stare korijene. Putting it after the main verb, as done here, is also perfectly correct and can sound a bit more emphatic.
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