Breakdown of Ne razumijem taj žargon, drugim riječima, moraš preformulirati rečenicu.
ne
no, not
razumjeti
to understand
morati
must
rečenica
sentence
taj
that (masculine)
žargon
jargon
drugim riječima
in other words
preformulirati
to rephrase
Questions & Answers about Ne razumijem taj žargon, drugim riječima, moraš preformulirati rečenicu.
Why is the phrase drugim riječima in the instrumental case here?
The phrase literally translates to "with other words." In Croatian, the instrumental case is often used without a preposition to express the means or manner of an action. Here, it functions as a fixed discourse marker to introduce a clarification.
Razumijem requires the accusative case. Why does taj žargon look like it is in the nominative?
Žargon is a masculine inanimate noun (a non-living thing). For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative case is identical to the nominative. If it were an animate noun, you would see the typical -og(a) and -a endings.
Why did we use the perfective verb preformulirati instead of an imperfective equivalent?
You are asking the person to perform a single, complete action—rephrasing this specific sentence right now so you can understand it. Because you want a finished result rather than an ongoing or repeated process, the perfective aspect is required.
Do I always need commas around drugim riječima?
Yes. Because drugim riječima acts as a reformulation marker that interrupts the standard flow of the sentence to clarify a point, Croatian punctuation rules require it to be set off by commas, just like "in other words" in English.
Learn Ne razumijem taj žargon, drugim riječima, moraš preformulirati rečenicu and more in Croatian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free