Breakdown of Majstori su znali prenositi taj zanat na mlađe naraštaje.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
taj
that (masculine)
majstor
repairman / master craftsman
mlađi
younger
znati
used to (habitual)
zanat
trade
prenositi
to pass down
naraštaj
generation
Questions & Answers about Majstori su znali prenositi taj zanat na mlađe naraštaje.
Wait, doesn't znati usually mean "to know"? Why is it translated as "used to" here?
You are right that znati means "to know". However, a very common way to express a habitual action in the past in Croatian is to use the past tense of znati followed by an infinitive. In this context, su znali translates perfectly to "used to" or "would" (as in, "Masters would pass down...").
Since this is about a completed transfer of knowledge, could we use the perfective verb prenijeti instead of prenositi?
No, you have to use the imperfective verb prenositi here. When you use the znati + infinitive construction to describe a recurring past habit, the infinitive must almost always be imperfective, because the action happened repeatedly over time rather than just once.
Why do we use the preposition na + accusative (na mlađe naraštaje) instead of just using the dative case for "to younger generations"?
The verb prenositi (to transfer / pass down) specifically pairs with the preposition na plus the accusative case to show the recipient or target of the transfer. It helps to think of the literal translation as transferring the trade "onto" the younger generations, which triggers the accusative for direction/destination.
Is naraštaj the standard word for "generation"? Could I just use generacija?
You can absolutely use generacija (which would make it na mlađe generacije), and it is very common in everyday speech. Naraštaj is a native Slavic equivalent built from the root for "to grow" (rasti). At a B2 level, it is highly useful to recognize and understand both words, as you will see naraštaj often in literature, news, and slightly more formal contexts.
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