Question 1

How does the phrase za jedan kilogram work grammatically to mean 'one kilogram heavier'?

Accepted Answer

To specify exactly how much things differ when comparing them, Croatian uses the preposition za followed by the accusative case. Here, za translates closely to the English 'by'. Jedan kilogram is in the accusative case, making the literal structure 'heavier by one kilogram'.

Question 2

Why is the comparative adjective teža used here instead of teži?

Accepted Answer

The adjective must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun it describes. Since beba (baby) is a feminine noun in the nominative case, the comparative adjective must be in the feminine nominative form teža. The base adjective is težak (heavy).

Question 3

Is kilogram in the nominative or accusative case here? It looks exactly the same.

Accepted Answer

It is in the accusative case, which is required by the preposition za when expressing a difference in amount. Because kilogram is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form is identical to its nominative form. The number jedan also takes the inanimate masculine accusative form.

Question 4

In English we say 'one kilogram heavier', putting the amount first. Can we switch the word order in Croatian to za jedan kilogram teža?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely! Both teža za jedan kilogram and za jedan kilogram teža are grammatically correct and widely used. Putting teža first places slightly more emphasis on the fact that the baby is heavier, while putting the amount first emphasizes exactly how much weight was gained.

Pedijatar kaže da je beba teža za jedan kilogram.

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