Breakdown of Žiri će odlučiti tko ide u finale, zar ne?
tko
who
ne
no, not
u
in, into
ići
to go
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
zar
really? (surprise) / right? (tag question)
odlučiti
to decide
žiri
jury (in a competition)
finale
finale
Questions & Answers about Žiri će odlučiti tko ide u finale, zar ne?
Why do we use zar ne at the end of this sentence?
The phrase zar ne acts like a question tag in English, such as "won't they?", "isn't it?", or "right?". You add it to the end of a statement when you assume the statement is true and expect the listener to agree with you.
Why does it say u finale instead of the locative case u finalu?
Because the verb ide (goes) indicates motion toward a destination. When the preposition u is used with verbs of motion, it requires the accusative case. Since finale is a neuter noun, its accusative form is exactly the same as its nominative form: finale. If the sentence described something already happening at the finale, you would use the locative case (u finalu).
Why do we use the present tense ide (goes) when the finale is a future event?
In Croatian, it is very common to use the present tense in a dependent clause if the main clause already establishes a future timeframe. The main clause here (Žiri će odlučiti) is in the future tense, so using the present tense ide for the second action is perfectly natural, much like saying "who goes" or "who is going" in English.
Why is the future tense written as će odlučiti instead of odlučit će?
The future tense helper word će is an enclitic, meaning it naturally wants to be in the second position of a clause. Because the subject Žiri takes the first position, će slots into the second spot, followed by the full infinitive odlučiti. If you dropped the subject to just say "They will decide", the verb would come first and you would use the shortened infinitive: Odlučit će.
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