Word
Majka me je molila da naribam sir.
Meaning
Mother asked me to grate the cheese.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Majka me je molila da naribam sir.
Why do we use da naribam here instead of the infinitive for 'to grate'?
In English, we use the infinitive structure 'asked me to grate'. In Croatian, because the subject of the main verb (majka) is different from the subject doing the second action (the implied ja), you cannot use the infinitive. You must use da connected to the conjugated present tense.
Why is the enclitic order me je instead of je me?
Usually, verbal enclitics come before pronoun enclitics (for example, sam ga). However, the third-person singular auxiliary je is the one major exception to this rule: it always comes after the pronoun enclitic. This is why it must be me je.
Why is molila imperfective but naribam perfective?
The mother's asking is expressed with the imperfective moliti to focus on the process of her making the request. In contrast, naribam comes from the perfective naribati, because she wants the specific task of grating the cheese to be fully completed.
Doesn't the verb moliti mean 'to pray'?
Yes, but in everyday language it also means 'to ask', 'to request', or 'to beg'. When someone asks you to do a favor or requests an action from you, moliti is the standard verb to use.