Breakdown of Radnici moraju rastaviti svoj elektronički otpad na komponente.
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
radnik
worker
morati
must
svoj
one's own
otpad
waste
rastaviti
to dismantle
elektronički
electronic
komponenta
component
Questions & Answers about Radnici moraju rastaviti svoj elektronički otpad na komponente.
Why does the sentence use svoj instead of njihov for "their"?
In Croatian, when the object belongs to the subject of the sentence (here, the workers' own waste), you must use the reflexive possessive pronoun svoj. If you used njihov, it would mean they are dismantling the waste of some other group of people.
The English translation says "into components", so why do we use na instead of u?
The verb rastaviti (to dismantle or take apart) pairs specifically with the preposition na to express what something is broken down into. This is followed by the accusative case. So, "to dismantle into components" translates as rastaviti na komponente.
How does the prefix in rastaviti build the meaning of "dismantle"?
The base verb is staviti, which means "to put" or "to place". The prefix raz- (which changes to ras- before the voiceless consonant t) carries the meaning of separation, scattering, or coming apart. Literally "putting apart", it translates perfectly to taking apart or dismantling.
What case is elektronički otpad here, and why doesn't its ending change?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object receiving the action of being dismantled. However, because otpad (waste) is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative (dictionary) form.
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