Breakdown of Bez povećala, sitna kazaljka ne da se vidjeti.
ne
no, not
vidjeti
to see
bez
without
dati se
to be feasible / can be
sitan
tiny
povećalo
magnifying glass (n)
kazaljka
clock hand (f)
Questions & Answers about Bez povećala, sitna kazaljka ne da se vidjeti.
How does ne da se vidjeti translate to "cannot be seen" instead of something about "giving"?
The verb dati usually means "to give", but the reflexive construction dati se plus an infinitive expresses that something can or cannot be done. Literally, ne da se vidjeti means "it does not give itself to be seen", which is a very natural Croatian way to say "it cannot be seen" or "it is impossible to see".
In the phrase ne da se vidjeti, what is the grammatical subject?
The subject is sitna kazaljka (the tiny clock hand), which is in the nominative case. The phrase ne da se acts like a modal verb here, agreeing with the subject in the third-person singular, while the main action vidjeti remains in the infinitive.
Why does the word for magnifying glass (povećalo) end in an -a here?
The preposition bez (without) always requires the genitive case. Since povećalo is a neuter noun, its genitive singular form takes the -a ending, resulting in bez povećala.
Does kazaljka only refer to the hand of a clock?
While kazaljka is the standard word for a clock or watch hand, it is also used for pointers, needles, or indicators on other measuring instruments, such as a speedometer, a compass, or a scale.
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