Breakdown of Sama je otplivala na drugi otok.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
otok
island
drugi
other, different
Questions & Answers about Sama je otplivala na drugi otok.
Why does the verb start with ot- here when the lesson is about the prefix od-?
When the prefix od- (meaning separation or departure) attaches to a verb starting with an unvoiced consonant like p, the d changes to t to make pronunciation easier. This is called voicing assimilation. So od- + plivati becomes otplivala (she swam away).
Why do we use na here instead of u to mean 'to another island'?
In Croatian, islands (along with open spaces, squares, and mountains) almost always take the preposition na instead of u. Because this sentence shows motion towards a destination, na is followed by the accusative case (drugi otok).
Does sama mean 'alone' or 'by herself' in this context?
It translates well to both. While sama literally means 'alone', when used with an action verb like otplivati, it strongly emphasizes that the subject performed the action unassisted, which we naturally express as 'by herself' in English.
Why is the auxiliary verb je placed right after Sama?
Because je is an enclitic, it strictly requires the second position in the clause. By placing Sama in the first position, the speaker puts special emphasis on the fact that she did it unassisted. If the emphasis were on the action itself, the sentence would start with Otplivala je...