Breakdown of Gledaš kroz prozor, ali vani se vozi traktor.
prozor
window
ali
but (strong contrast)
vani
outside
gledati
to watch
voziti se
to ride
kroz
through
traktor
tractor
Questions & Answers about Gledaš kroz prozor, ali vani se vozi traktor.
Why is the clitic se placed after vani instead of right after ali?
This is because ali (but) is a coordinating conjunction. Unlike subordinating words (like da or ako), coordinating conjunctions such as a, ali, nego, and ili do not count as the first position for clitics. The clitic se ignores ali and attaches to the first actual word of the second clause, which is vani.
How does se vozi traktor translate to "a tractor is being driven"?
The word se here creates a reflexive passive construction. Literally, it says "a tractor drives itself," but Croatian uses this structure frequently to express that an action is happening without mentioning who is actually performing it.
Why does prozor look like it is in the nominative case after kroz?
The preposition kroz (through) always requires the accusative case. Because prozor (window) is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative form is identical to its nominative form, so it doesn't change its ending here.
Why use vani instead of izvan for "outside"?
Vani is an adverb used to describe a location standing on its own, which fits perfectly here because we are just saying where the action happens. Izvan is a preposition meaning "outside of" and always requires a noun in the genitive case right after it, such as izvan kuće (outside the house).
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