Breakdown of Ne možeš zamisliti koliki su temelji ove brane.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
ne
no, not
moći
can
zamisliti
to imagine
koliki
how large
brana
dam
temelj
foundation
Questions & Answers about Ne možeš zamisliti koliki su temelji ove brane.
Why do we use koliki here instead of koliko?
koliko is an adverb used for quantity (how much or how many), but koliki is an exclamatory adjective used specifically for size (how big or what size). Since the speaker is emphasizing the sheer physical size of the foundations, they use koliki.
Why does koliki end in -i in this sentence?
Because it acts as an adjective modifying temelji (foundations). The word temelj is a masculine noun, and here it is the subject of the clause in the nominative plural. Therefore, koliki must also be in the nominative masculine plural form to match it.
Why is su placed right after koliki instead of next to the noun it applies to?
The word su is an enclitic, which means it strictly needs to sit in the second position of its clause. The subordinate clause here begins with the question word koliki, which takes the first position, so the enclitic su naturally anchors right next to it.
What case is ove brane and how does it relate to the rest of the sentence?
It is in the genitive case, translating to 'of this dam.' It acts as a possessive, telling us what the foundations (temelji) belong to.
Why is the perfective verb zamisliti used here instead of the imperfective zamišljati?
zamisliti focuses on successfully forming a complete mental image. Saying ne možeš zamisliti means you cannot grasp that specific final image of the size. If you used the imperfective zamišljati, it would mean 'you cannot be in the process of daydreaming or imagining,' which sounds unnatural for expressing a sudden, mind-blowing fact.
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