Breakdown of Trenutno je teže naći posao nego nekada.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
težak
difficult / severe, serious
posao
job / work
naći
to find
nego
than
trenutno
currently
nekada
formerly
Questions & Answers about Trenutno je teže naći posao nego nekada.
Why do we use nego here instead of od for the comparison?
In this sentence, we are comparing two time periods: trenutno (currently) and nekada (before). The word od (than) can only be used when the thing being compared to is a noun or pronoun in the genitive case. Because nekada is an adverb, we cannot use od, so we must use nego.
Is teže an adjective or an adverb in this sentence?
It is the neuter singular form of the comparative adjective teži (harder). In Croatian, when the subject of a sentence is an action expressed by an infinitive verb, like naći posao (to find a job), any adjective describing that action must take the neuter singular form.
Why does posao look like it is in the nominative case if it is the object of the verb?
It is actually in the accusative case because it is the direct object of naći (to find). However, posao is an inanimate masculine noun, and for those nouns, the accusative case form is exactly the same as the nominative case form.
Does nekada always mean 'before' or 'in the past'?
Not always. Nekada can also mean 'sometimes' depending on the context. Here, because it is directly contrasted with trenutno (currently) in a comparison, it clearly means 'in the past' or 'before'.
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