Breakdown of Zapravo, ova šala je prilično duhovita.
duhovit
witty, funny
prilično
quite, fairly
šala
joke
zapravo
actually, in fact
Questions & Answers about Zapravo, ova šala je prilično duhovita.
I always want to use "aktualno" for "actually". Is zapravo the better choice here?
Yes! Aktualno is a "false friend" that really means "current" or "up-to-date". When you want to say "actually", "in fact", or "as a matter of fact" to correct a misconception or add a surprising detail like in this sentence, you must use zapravo.
What exactly does prilično mean in this sentence?
Prilično translates to "quite", "fairly", or "rather". It is an adverb used here to modify the adjective duhovita (witty). It tells you that the joke is pretty funny, though not necessarily the absolute funniest joke ever told.
The word duhovita looks like it has the word for "ghost" or "spirit" inside it. Is that right?
Yes, good catch! The root is duh, which means "spirit" or "ghost". In Croatian, if something or someone is full of good "spirit" in a conversational sense, they are witty or humorous. Because šala (joke) is a feminine noun, the adjective takes the feminine ending -a.
Why is the little word je placed after ova šala? Couldn't it go earlier in the sentence?
It could go earlier if the punctuation was different. Je is a clitic, which is a "weak" word that normally must sit in the second position of a sentence. However, the comma after zapravo creates a pause that resets this placement rule. Because of the comma, ova šala counts as the first block of the new clause, and je drops into the second spot right after it. If you removed the comma, it would be Zapravo je ova šala prilično duhovita.
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