Breakdown of Djed uzgaja stoku, a mi ju ponekad vidimo pored šume.
a
and / but
mi
we
ponekad
sometimes
vidjeti
to see
ju
her (accusative clitic)
djed
grandfather
šuma
forest
pored
next to
uzgajati
to raise
stoka
livestock
Questions & Answers about Djed uzgaja stoku, a mi ju ponekad vidimo pored šume.
Why is the clitic ju placed after mi, rather than directly after the conjunction a?
This is a key exception to the second-position rule. Coordinating conjunctions like a, ali, nego, and ili do not count as the first position in a clause. Therefore, the clitic ju skips a and takes the second position after the first actual word of the second clause, which is mi.
Why use the feminine pronoun ju to mean 'it' here?
In Croatian, pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace. 'Livestock' is stoka, which is a feminine noun. Therefore, you must use a feminine accusative clitic (ju or je) to say 'it', even though the English translation uses a gender-neutral pronoun.
Could I use je instead of ju in this sentence?
Yes! Both ju and je are accusative clitics for 'her' or 'it' (feminine). The word je is the standard form, but ju is frequently used as a stylistic choice, or specifically to avoid sounding repetitive if the verb je (meaning 'is') is also in the sentence. Here, both are perfectly fine.
Why translate 'and' as a instead of i in this sentence?
While both can mean 'and', a is used when there is a shift in topic or a slight contrast. Here, the first part is about what the grandfather does, and the second part shifts the focus to what 'we' do. If you used i, it would sound like a simple list of connected events rather than a shift in perspective.
Why does the word for forest, šuma, become šume at the end?
The preposition pored (next to, beside) always requires the genitive case. Since šuma is a feminine noun ending in -a, its genitive form takes an -e ending, making it šume.
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