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Ako si pogriješio, uzmi korektor i gumicu, a ne selotejp.

Ako si pogriješio, uzmi korektor i gumicu, a ne selotejp.
If you made a mistake, take the correction fluid and the eraser, not the tape.
From Lesson 416:Office Supplies·Croatian

Questions & Answers about Ako si pogriješio, uzmi korektor i gumicu, a ne selotejp.

Why do korektor and selotejp look like they are in the nominative case here, while gumica changes to gumicu?
They are all in the accusative case because they are the direct objects of the verb uzmi (take). Because korektor and selotejp are masculine inanimate nouns (objects, not living beings), their accusative form is identical to their nominative form. Gumica is a feminine noun, so its ending changes from -a to -u in the accusative.
Is selotejp just the English brand name 'Sellotape'?
Yes! In Croatian, foreign brand names or words are often spelled phonetically and then treated as regular native nouns. Here, it acts as a standard masculine noun meaning adhesive tape. You will also see this with words like flomaster for a felt-tip marker.
Could I say ali ne selotejp instead of a ne selotejp?
A ne is much more natural here. While ali translates to 'but', the conjunction a is specifically used to show a direct contrast or substitution between two things in the same sentence—in this case, taking the correction fluid instead of the tape.
Why is the perfective verb pogriješio used here instead of the imperfective griješio?
The speaker is referring to a single, completed mistake that has already happened, rather than a continuous or repeated habit of making mistakes, which would require the imperfective griješiti.

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