Word
Na stolu je oko pedeset žetona.
Meaning
There are about fifty tokens on the table.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Na stolu je oko pedeset žetona.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
stol
table
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
pedeset
fifty
Questions & Answers about Na stolu je oko pedeset žetona.
Why is the verb je (is) in the singular when the sentence talks about fifty tokens?
In Croatian, when you use numbers from five onwards, the verb must be in the singular (specifically, third-person singular neuter). Instead of saying 'fifty tokens are', Croatian grammar literally says 'it is fifty of tokens'.
Does the preposition oko always mean 'about' as in an approximate number?
Not always. The physical meaning of oko is 'around' (like sitting around a table). In this sentence, it is used for approximation, meaning 'about' or 'approximately' fifty tokens. In both meanings, it requires the phrase that follows to be in the genitive case.
Why is the word for tokens žetona instead of the nominative plural žetoni?
This is because of the number pedeset (fifty). In Croatian, numbers from five and up require the noun that follows them to be in the genitive plural. So žetona is the genitive plural form of žeton.
If oko requires the genitive case, is the number pedeset in the genitive here?
Technically, yes, the entire phrase pedeset žetona acts as the object of oko. However, higher numbers like pedeset do not change their form (they are indeclinable). Only the noun žetona clearly shows the genitive plural ending.
Why is it Na stolu instead of Na stol?
The preposition na takes the locative case when describing a fixed location, which is why we use stolu. If the sentence described motion, like putting the tokens onto the table, we would use the accusative case stol.