Breakdown of Glazbenici sviraju svaki instrument s lakoćom.
svirati
to play (an instrument)
svaki
every, each
s
with
glazbenik
musician
instrument
instrument
lakoća
ease
Questions & Answers about Glazbenici sviraju svaki instrument s lakoćom.
Why is it s lakoćom and not just the bare instrumental lakoćom?
When expressing the abstract manner in which an action is performed, Croatian uses the preposition s (with) followed by the instrumental case. Using the bare instrumental without s is typically reserved for the physical tools or means used to do an action (like writing with a pen or traveling by train).
Could I use sa lakoćom instead of s lakoćom?
In everyday speech, people sometimes use sa just for rhythm or flow. However, standard grammar dictates using the short form s unless the next word begins with a sibilant sound (s, š, z, ž) or certain heavy consonant clusters. Because lakoća starts with an l, the correct written form here is s.
Why doesn't svaki instrument change its ending if it is the direct object?
It is actually in the accusative case here because it is the direct object of the verb sviraju. However, for masculine nouns, the accusative case only takes a different ending if the noun is alive (animate). Since an instrument is inanimate, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative form.
Why does the plural of glazbenik end in -ci?
This is a sound rule you might remember from earlier lessons: when forming the plural of masculine nouns ending in -k, the -k changes to a -c before the plural ending -i. This change is called sibilarization, which is why glazbenik (musician) becomes glazbenici (musicians).
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