Breakdown of Kako je usvajanje jezika kognitivan proces, tako je i pamćenje važno.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
i
and (additive)
važan
important
jezik
language
tako
so, that way
proces
process
kako
just as (correlative with tako)
pamćenje
memory (ability to remember)
usvajanje
acquisition
kognitivan
cognitive
Questions & Answers about Kako je usvajanje jezika kognitivan proces, tako je i pamćenje važno.
How does the kako ..., tako i ... structure work in this sentence?
This is a correlative conjunction that translates to "Just as ..., so too ...". It draws a parallel between the two clauses. The word i adds emphasis ("too" or "also") to the second part, showing that because the first statement is true, the second naturally follows.
Why does the verb je appear immediately after Kako and tako?
The verb je is an enclitic, meaning it is an unstressed word that must take the second position in its clause. The comma separates the sentence into two clauses, so the position counter restarts. Therefore, je takes the second spot right after the first word of each clause (Kako and tako).
Why is jezika in the genitive case here?
The phrase usvajanje jezika literally translates to "the acquisition of language". When one noun modifies another in this way (usually expressed with "of" in English), Croatian uses the genitive case for the second noun.
Could I just use učenje instead of usvajanje here?
You could, but they carry slightly different nuances. Učenje refers to the active, conscious act of "learning" or "studying". Usvajanje specifically means "acquisition" or "adopting" (from the verb usvojiti), making it the exact linguistic term for picking up a language.
Why does the sentence end with važno instead of važan or važna?
The adjective važno (important) must match the gender of the noun it is describing. Here, it describes pamćenje (memory), which is a neuter noun. Therefore, the adjective takes the neuter singular nominative ending -o.
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