Breakdown of Preplatit ću ovaj hotel.
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
hotel
hotel
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
preplatiti
to overpay
Questions & Answers about Preplatit ću ovaj hotel.
How does the prefix pre- change the meaning of the base verb here?
The base verb is platiti (to pay). In this lesson's context, adding the prefix pre- gives the action a sense of excess. Therefore, preplatiti means to overpay or pay too much.
Why is the verb written as preplatit instead of its full infinitive preplatiti?
This is a standard spelling rule for the future tense. When an infinitive ending in -ti comes directly before the short form of the auxiliary verb (like ću), it drops the final -i. If you included the subject pronoun, the order would flip and the -i would return: Ja ću preplatiti.
Ovaj hotel is the direct object, so why doesn't it look like it's in the accusative case?
It actually is in the accusative case! Because hotel is a masculine inanimate noun (an object, not a living being), its accusative form is exactly the same as its nominative form. If you were talking about a living thing, the ending would change (for example, ovog psa for this dog).
Is preplatiti a perfective or imperfective verb?
It is perfective, just like the base verb platiti, meaning it describes a single, completed action of overpaying. If you wanted to describe a repeated or habitual action (like saying you always overpay for hotels), you would use the imperfective form, which is preplaćivati.