Breakdown of Nemam zamjerki, osim što je konobar bio spor.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
nemati
to not have
spor
slow
konobar
waiter
osim što
except that / aside from the fact that
zamjerka
objection / complaint
Questions & Answers about Nemam zamjerki, osim što je konobar bio spor.
Why do we use osim što here instead of just osim?
Osim što translates to 'except that' and is used to introduce a full clause with its own verb (here, the clause is je konobar bio spor). If you only use osim ('except'), it must be followed by a noun or pronoun in the genitive case, rather than a full sentence.
Why is the noun zamjerki in the genitive case when it is the direct object?
This is a great example of the negative genitive. When a transitive verb is negated, especially the verb imati (like nemam here), its direct object frequently takes the genitive case instead of the accusative. The word zamjerki is the genitive plural of the feminine noun zamjerka.
Why does the auxiliary verb je come right after što instead of after konobar?
Remember the golden rule of clitics: they must go in the second position of their clause. The conjunction što counts as the first position of the exceptive clause, so the enclitic je immediately attaches to it, coming before the subject konobar.
What is the difference between zamjerka and prigovor?
Both can translate to 'complaint', but zamjerka (from zamjeriti, meaning to find fault with) implies a personal objection or pointing out a flaw. Prigovor can feel slightly more formal, like an official or vocalized complaint, though both are completely natural to use in a restaurant context.
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