Breakdown of Ovaj gutljaj je prilično kiselkast.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
prilično
quite, fairly
gutljaj
sip
Questions & Answers about Ovaj gutljaj je prilično kiselkast.
How does the suffix -kast work in the word kiselkast?
The base adjective is kiseo, meaning "sour." The suffix -kast is used to lessen the intensity of an adjective, similar to adding "-ish" in English. Here, it changes "sour" to "sour-ish" or "tart."
Where does the "l" in kiselkast come from if the dictionary form of the base word is kiseo?
In Croatian, many adjectives ending in -eo or -ao have a stem that actually ends in -l. You can see this in the feminine form kisela. When you add suffixes like -kast, you attach them to this stable stem (kisel-) rather than the masculine nominative form.
Isn't using prilično (quite) with an "-ish" adjective like kiselkast contradictory?
It might seem like it, but it is very natural in Croatian. While kiselkast means the flavor is "tart" rather than fully "sour," adding prilično just means that this specific tartness is strongly present. It translates well to "quite tart" or "fairly sour-ish."
I know gutljaj means "sip", but how would I say "a few sips"?
If you use an expression of quantity like nekoliko (a few), it requires the genitive case. Since gutljaj is a regular masculine noun, "a few sips" translates to nekoliko gutljaja.