Breakdown of On želi natočiti gorivo na benzinskoj postaji.
on
he
željeti
to want
na
on, at / to, onto (with motion) / about (thinking about)
gorivo
fuel
benzinski
petrol
postaja
station
natočiti
to fill up
Questions & Answers about On želi natočiti gorivo na benzinskoj postaji.
Why do we use natočiti here instead of a general verb like uzeti or dobiti for "to get"?
English uses "to get" in many situations, but Croatian is more specific. Natočiti means "to pour into" or "to fill up." When talking about liquids like fuel or drinks, Croatian speakers literally say they are pouring them, making verbs like uzeti (to take) sound unnatural here.
Could I use the construction da natoči instead of the infinitive natočiti?
You could, and želi da natoči is understood. However, standard Croatian strongly prefers using the infinitive when the subject of both verbs is the same (he wants and he pours). The da + present tense structure for this is much more typical of Serbian or Bosnian.
Why is the preposition na used for "at" the gas station rather than u?
Croatian conventionally uses na for specific public service points, platforms, and open-air locations, such as na kolodvoru (at the train station) or na pošti (at the post office). Because it describes a static location here, it triggers the locative case: benzinskoj postaji.
Does the noun gorivo change its ending in this sentence?
It looks exactly like its dictionary form, but it is actually in the accusative case because it is the direct object of natočiti. Since gorivo is a neuter noun, its accusative form is completely identical to its nominative (subject) form.
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