Breakdown of Perilica i sušilica su u kupaonici.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
i
and (additive)
u
in, into
kupaonica
bathroom
perilica
washing machine
sušilica
dryer
Questions & Answers about Perilica i sušilica su u kupaonici.
Is -ilica a common ending for machines, and how is it added to the verbs here?
Yes, it is a very common suffix for household appliances and tools. It attaches to the present tense stem of the verb. For washing, the verb is prati (present stem per-), giving us perilica. For drying, the verb is sušiti (present stem suš-), which gives us sušilica.
Why is the verb clitic su placed after the third word in the sentence? I thought clitics had to go in the second position.
Clitics typically take the second position, but they usually avoid interrupting a tightly linked phrase. Here, Perilica i sušilica acts as a single logical subject block. Splitting it up to say Perilica su i sušilica... is technically allowed by strict grammar but sounds extremely unnatural to native speakers, so the clitic comfortably follows the entire subject phrase instead.
Since perilica simply comes from the verb for 'to wash', could it also mean 'dishwasher'?
It can, but you usually need to specify. A dishwasher is perilica posuđa (or perilica suđa), while a clothes washing machine is officially perilica rublja. However, if you just say perilica on its own, especially when paired with a sušilica (dryer) as in this sentence, native speakers will always assume you mean the washing machine.
Are there other common words for 'bathroom' besides kupaonica?
Yes. While kupaonica is the standard word (taking the locative form u kupaonici here), in everyday spoken Croatian you will very often hear the shortened version kupaona (locative: u kupaoni) or the regional synonym kupatilo (locative: u kupatilu).
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