Breakdown of Unatoč gustom smogu, teleskop nam pomaže.
nam
to us
pomagati
to help (imperfective)
unatoč
despite
gust
dense
smog
smog
teleskop
telescope
Questions & Answers about Unatoč gustom smogu, teleskop nam pomaže.
Why are the words gustom smogu in the dative case?
The preposition unatoč (meaning "despite" or "in spite of") always requires the noun phrase that follows it to be in the dative case. So, the nominative gusti smog (thick smog) becomes the dative gustom smogu.
Could I use the other word for "despite", usprkos, in this sentence?
Absolutely. The prepositions unatoč and usprkos are completely interchangeable. Both mean "despite" or "in spite of", and both require the dative case. Saying Usprkos gustom smogu would mean exactly the same thing.
Why is the pronoun nam (us) in the dative case instead of the accusative?
In Croatian, the verb pomagati (to help) and its perfective form pomoći require a dative object. You are literally saying that the telescope provides help to us. Therefore, you must use the dative pronoun nam, not the accusative nas.
Why is the enclitic nam placed after teleskop?
Enclitics (short words without their own accent) naturally want to be in the second position of their clause. The comma acts as a boundary, so the main clause starts with teleskop in position one, making the spot right after it the correct second position for nam.
Learn Unatoč gustom smogu, teleskop nam pomaže and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free