Breakdown of Znaš li dokad će pčele skupljati nektar?
li
question particle
znati
to know
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
skupljati
to gather, to collect
dokad
until when
pčela
bee
nektar
nectar
Questions & Answers about Znaš li dokad će pčele skupljati nektar?
Is there a difference between using dokad and do kada in this sentence?
No, they mean exactly the same thing (until when). Dokad is just a combined, slightly more conversational version of the preposition do (until) and the question word kada (when). You can use either one here without changing the meaning.
Why is the future tense split up, with će and skupljati separated by the subject pčele?
This happens because of Croatian's strict word order rules for clitics (short words with no accent). In the second part of the sentence (dokad će pčele skupljati nektar), the clitic će must take the second position. The first position is taken by the conjunction dokad, so će must immediately follow it, pushing the subject and the main verb further down the sentence.
Why do we use the imperfective verb skupljati (to gather) instead of the perfective version skupiti?
The word dokad naturally asks about the duration of an ongoing action up to a certain point in time. Because the bees are engaged in a continuous, repetitive process of gathering, we need the imperfective verb skupljati. If you used skupiti, it would sound like you are asking when they will finish gathering a single, specific amount of nectar.
What case is the word nektar here, since it looks identical to its dictionary form?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb skupljati. For masculine nouns that represent inanimate objects (non-living things) like nektar, the accusative form is always exactly the same as the nominative (dictionary) form.
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