Breakdown of Izvještava se da je dao ostavku.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
dati
to give
sebe
oneself (stressed reflexive)
da
that (conjunction)
izvještavati
to report
ostavka
resignation
Questions & Answers about Izvještava se da je dao ostavku.
How does izvještava se work here to mean 'it is reported'?
This uses the impersonal reporting structure you are currently learning. By combining the 3rd person singular verb izvještava (reports) with the reflexive pronoun se, it creates a passive meaning similar to the English 'it is reported' or 'people are reporting.' This is standard for news where the exact source isn't named.
Why is the imperfective verb izvještava used here instead of the perfective izvijesti?
Impersonal reporting structures almost always use the imperfective aspect because they describe an ongoing state of information circulating in the present. If you used the perfective izvijesti se, it would sound like a sudden, single event rather than a general piece of current news.
The translation says 'has resigned', but what is the literal translation of dao ostavku?
It literally means 'gave resignation.' In Croatian, there isn't a single common verb for 'to resign.' Instead, you must use the phrase dati ostavku, with the noun ostavka (resignation) taking the accusative case form ostavku.
How do we know it means 'he' has resigned if there is no pronoun like on in the sentence?
Croatian often drops subject pronouns because the verb gives enough information. Here, dao is the masculine singular form of the past participle. If it were a woman resigning, it would be da je dala ostavku. You would only add on (da je on dao ostavku) if you needed to emphasize that he, and not someone else, resigned.
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