Ona je svjetska prvakinja, a ostala je skromna.
She is a world champion, and she has remained modest.
Questions & Answers about Ona je svjetska prvakinja, a ostala je skromna.
Why is the word for 'and' here a instead of i?
In Croatian, a is used to show a slight contrast, often translating to 'but' or 'while', though here it means 'and yet'. Because being a world champion might make someone arrogant, a highlights the mild surprise that she is modest. If you just wanted to link two similar facts without any contrast, you would use i.
What is the masculine form of prvakinja?
The masculine form is prvak (champion). In Croatian, female titles and professions are frequently created by adding a suffix like -inja to the masculine base word.
Why is svjetska an adjective when English uses the noun 'world' in 'world champion'?
English often places two nouns side by side to describe something, but Croatian usually turns the first word into an adjective. Here, the noun svijet (world) becomes the adjective svjetski and takes the feminine form svjetska to agree with prvakinja.
Why is skromna (modest) in the nominative case?
Skromna describes the subject (ona) after the linking verb ostati (to remain). Adjectives that describe the subject in this way stay in the nominative case and must match the subject's gender and number, which is why it is in the feminine singular form.
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