Questions & Answers about Naš stari susjed je ćelav.
Why do we use the definite adjective stari here instead of the indefinite star?
In Croatian, adjectives that follow a possessive pronoun like naš (our) almost always take the definite form. You are talking about a specific neighbor that is yours, which triggers the definite stari.
Since stari is definite, why is ćelav indefinite (not ćelavi)?
ćelav is used here as a predicate adjective, meaning it comes after the verb je (is) to describe the subject. In Croatian, adjectives used in this position to describe 'how someone is' must always take the indefinite form.
Why is the clitic je placed after the third word instead of right after Naš?
While clitics like je typically go in the 'second position' of a sentence, that position can be counted by phrases rather than individual words. Naš stari susjed (Our old neighbor) acts as one unbreakable subject block, so je goes immediately after the entire phrase.
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