Breakdown of Ljudi su kralježnjaci, odnosno mi imamo kralježnicu.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
mi
we
ljudi
people
imati
to have
kralježnica
spine
odnosno
that is to say / or rather
kralježnjak
vertebrate
Questions & Answers about Ljudi su kralježnjaci, odnosno mi imamo kralježnicu.
How does odnosno function in this sentence compared to just using ili (or)?
While ili presents a choice between two different things, odnosno is used here for clarification. It translates to "that is to say" or "in other words." It tells us that the second clause (mi imamo kralježnicu) is simply explaining the first clause (Ljudi su kralježnjaci).
What is the connection between kralježnjaci and kralježnicu?
They share the same root, coming from kralježak (vertebra). Kralježnjaci is the nominative plural noun meaning "vertebrates," while kralježnicu is the accusative singular of kralježnica (spine/backbone), acting as the direct object of imamo.
Why is the pronoun mi used here? Couldn't we just say odnosno imamo kralježnicu?
Yes, you can drop the mi, and odnosno imamo kralježnicu is perfectly correct since the verb ending already tells us the subject is "we." Including mi here just adds a slight stylistic emphasis, bringing a general scientific fact down to a personal level ("we have a spine").
Do we always need a comma before odnosno?
Yes, when odnosno is used as a conjunction to introduce an explanation, an afterthought, or an alternative name for the exact same concept (meaning "that is to say" or "or rather"), you must place a comma before it.
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