Breakdown of Otkad imamo košnice, prodajemo trideset staklenki meda.
imati
to have
prodavati
to sell
trideset
thirty
med
honey
Questions & Answers about Otkad imamo košnice, prodajemo trideset staklenki meda.
Why does this sentence use the present tense (imamo, prodajemo) instead of a past tense?
In Croatian, when you use otkad (since) for an action or situation that started in the past and is still happening right now, you use the present tense. English usually requires the present perfect here (Since we have had... we have been selling...), but Croatian keeps it simple with the present tense.
Can I use otkad to mean 'since' as in 'because'?
No, otkad (or otkada) is strictly related to time, meaning 'since the time when'. If you want to say 'since' as a reason or cause (like 'Since it is raining...'), you need to use conjunctions like budući da or pošto.
Why is the word for jars (staklenka) in the form staklenki?
Because of the number! In Croatian, numbers five and above (like trideset) require the noun that follows to be in the genitive plural. The genitive plural of staklenka is staklenki.
Why is med (honey) written as meda here?
Meda is the genitive singular form. Just like we say 'jars of honey' in English, Croatian uses the genitive case to express 'of' or to show what a container is filled with.