Breakdown of Ne mogu se naviknuti na ovaj novi posao.
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
nov
new
ne
no, not
posao
job / work
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
moći
can
naviknuti se
to get used to
Questions & Answers about Ne mogu se naviknuti na ovaj novi posao.
Why do we use the preposition na here instead of translating the English word 'to'?
The reflexive verb naviknuti se (to get used to) always pairs with the preposition na. In Croatian, abstract goals or targets for certain verbs often use na. You simply have to memorize that you get used 'on' something in Croatian.
What case is ovaj novi posao in, and why?
It is in the accusative case. When verbs use na to point to an abstract object (like getting used to a job, or thinking about a person), the noun phrase that follows must be in the accusative case. Because posao is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form is identical to its nominative dictionary form.
Why is the reflexive pronoun se placed between mogu and naviknuti?
The word se is an enclitic, meaning it wants to take the second position in a sentence. Since the negated verb Ne mogu acts as the first logical unit here, se naturally jumps into the second position right after it, separating the helper verb from the infinitive naviknuti.
Naviknuti se is perfective. Could I use the imperfective form navikavati se here instead?
Yes, but it changes the focus. Using the perfective naviknuti se focuses on the final result: 'I cannot achieve the state of being used to it.' If you used the imperfective navikavati se, it would focus on the ongoing process, sounding more like 'I am unable to go through the process of getting used to it.'
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