Breakdown of Koliko se trudiš, toliko ćeš ostvariti.
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
koliko
how much, how many
truditi se
to try (make an effort)
toliko
so much, so many
ostvariti
to achieve
Questions & Answers about Koliko se trudiš, toliko ćeš ostvariti.
How exactly does the koliko ..., toliko ... structure work in this sentence to mean "However much"?
This is a correlative proportional clause. When you pair koliko (how much) with toliko (that much), it sets up a direct proportion. While the literal translation is "How much you try, that much you will achieve", in English we usually say "However much..." or "The more you try, the more...".
Why is the reflexive pronoun se placed immediately after koliko instead of after the verb trudiš?
Because se is an enclitic, which means it strictly belongs in the second position of its clause. The word koliko takes up the first position, forcing se to come right before the verb.
Can I reverse the order of the clauses and say Toliko ćeš ostvariti, koliko se trudiš?
Grammatically, yes. However, putting the koliko condition first is the most natural and common way to express this kind of proportional cause-and-effect relationship in Croatian.
Why use the perfective verb ostvariti here rather than its imperfective pair ostvarivati?
The perfective ostvariti focuses on the completed result of the achievement. If you used the imperfective ostvarivati, it would change the meaning slightly to focus on the ongoing process, like "that is how much you will be achieving along the way".
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