Breakdown of Nitko neće ući u laboratorij dok ne stavi zaštitnu masku.
ne
no, not
u
in, into
nitko
nobody
ući
to enter
Questions & Answers about Nitko neće ući u laboratorij dok ne stavi zaštitnu masku.
Why does the sentence use the negative ne stavi when the English translation is positive ("until they put on")?
In Croatian, the phrase for "until" is dok ne. It literally translates to "while not." Even though the English action is positive, Croatian requires this formal negation with ne before the verb when setting a condition that must be met before something else can happen.
Does Nitko neće ući literally mean "Nobody will not enter"? Why use a negative verb here?
Yes, literally it means exactly that! Croatian uses double negation. Whenever you use a negative pronoun like Nitko (nobody), the verb in the same clause must also be negative. Therefore, we must use neće ući (will not enter) rather than a positive verb.
The English translation says "until they put on," but isn't stavi a singular verb form?
Yes, stavi is third-person singular. It matches the subject Nitko (nobody), which is always grammatically singular in Croatian. English often uses "they" as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun to refer back to words like "nobody," but Croatian keeps the verb strictly singular.
Why is it u laboratorij and not u laboratoriju?