Breakdown of Mnogi se sjećaju ekonomske krize.
sjećati se
to remember (imperfective, + genitive)
kriza
crisis
mnogi
many (adjective)
ekonomski
economic
Questions & Answers about Mnogi se sjećaju ekonomske krize.
Why is ekonomske krize in the genitive case rather than the accusative?
The verb sjećati se (to remember) strictly requires its object to be in the genitive case. This is a common trap for English speakers who expect a standard direct object. Notice how this uses the exact same case you are currently using to express decades like osamdesetih godina.
Can mnogi stand alone as the subject without a noun like ljudi following it?
Yes! When an adjective like mnogi (many) is used on its own in the masculine plural, it acts as a pronoun meaning "many people." You do not need to explicitly add ljudi because the ending makes the human context perfectly clear.
As a quick refresher, why is the reflexive pronoun se placed before the verb instead of after it?
The word se is an enclitic, meaning it is a stressless word that must take the strict second logical position in a sentence. Since mnogi takes up the first slot, se anchors right after it, pushing the main verb sjećaju into the third position.
Why use sjećaju se here instead of the perfective form sjete se?
Sjećati se is imperfective, describing the ongoing state of holding a memory. Sjetiti se is perfective, meaning to suddenly recall or be reminded of something in a single moment. Since this sentence describes a lingering, continuous memory of a past era, the imperfective is the right choice.