Breakdown of Umjesto da igra igrice, on se mora koncentrirati na zadatak.
on
he
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
igrati
to play (sports)
morati
must
zadatak
task (m)
umjesto da
instead of
igrica
video game
koncentrirati se
to concentrate
Questions & Answers about Umjesto da igra igrice, on se mora koncentrirati na zadatak.
Why does this sentence use da igra instead of an infinitive or an '-ing' word like in English?
In Croatian, the phrase umjesto da (instead of) must be followed by a conjugated verb in the present tense. It literally translates to 'instead that he plays'. English uses 'instead of' plus an '-ing' word (playing), but Croatian uses this da clause structure instead.
Why use igrice instead of just igre for games?
Igrice is the diminutive form of igre (games). In everyday Croatian, people specifically use the word igrice when talking about video games, computer games, or mobile games. The standard word igre is usually kept for physical games, sports, or board games.
Why is there a se here, and why is it placed right after on?
The verb to concentrate is reflexive in Croatian: koncentrirati se. You must include the reflexive pronoun se even though English just says 'concentrate'. Because se is an enclitic (a short 'clinging' word), it needs to sit in the second position of its clause, which places it right after the subject pronoun on.
Which case is used for na zadatak?
It is in the accusative case. The preposition na takes the accusative when indicating the target or direction of an action, like focusing your attention onto a task. Because zadatak is a masculine noun that is not alive, its accusative form is exactly the same as its dictionary (nominative) form.
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