Question 1

Why do we use the accusative case after na in this sentence instead of the locative?

Accepted Answer

In Croatian, the verb računati (to calculate or count) pairs with the preposition na plus the accusative case when it means "to count on" or "to rely on" someone or something. Since this is an abstract target of your action rather than a physical location, na requires the accusative.

Question 2

If tvoju pomoć is in the accusative case, why doesn't pomoć get an -u ending like most feminine nouns?

Accepted Answer

pomoć is a special type of feminine noun that ends in a consonant (often called an "i-declension" noun). For these nouns, the accusative singular form is exactly the same as the dictionary (nominative) form. That is why pomoć doesn't change its ending here.

Question 3

Since pomoć ends in a consonant and doesn't change, how can we tell its gender and case?

Accepted Answer

You can spot it by looking at the possessive pronoun tvoju! It takes the standard feminine accusative -u ending. Pronouns and adjectives always match the noun's true gender and case, which is a very helpful trick for recognizing nouns with irregular or invisible endings.

Question 4

Could we change the word order to emphasize your help?

Accepted Answer

Yes! If you want to emphasize that it was your help (and not someone else's) that we counted on, you can move that phrase to the front. Just remember that the verb smo is an enclitic (a weak word) that insists on being in the second position, right after the first block of information. It would look like this: Na tvoju pomoć smo računali.

Računali smo na tvoju pomoć.

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