Word
Novi pacijent čeka u optici.
Meaning
The new patient is waiting at the optician's.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Novi pacijent čeka u optici.
Why is the adjective Novi used here instead of Nov?
In Croatian, adjectives can have definite and indefinite forms. Nov is the indefinite form (meaning 'a new' patient), while novi is the definite form (meaning 'the new' patient). Since the sentence refers to a specific patient, the definite form novi is used.
What case is u optici and why is it used here?
It is in the locative case. The preposition u (in/at) takes the locative case when describing a static location, meaning where someone or something is currently waiting or located.
Why does the noun optika change to optici?
This happens because of a sound change called sibilarization. When a feminine noun ends in -ka, -ga, or -ha, that final consonant changes to -c, -z, or -s before the -i ending of the dative and locative cases. Therefore, optika becomes optici.