Breakdown of Mali vrabac skakuće po dvorištu.
mali
small
dvorište
yard
po
across, around
skakutati
to hop
vrabac
sparrow
Questions & Answers about Mali vrabac skakuće po dvorištu.
Why use skakuće instead of skače?
Both mean to jump or hop, but skakuće comes from skakutati, which is a diminutive, repetitive verb. It implies taking small, continuous hops, exactly like a little bird does. Skače (from skakati) would imply regular, larger jumps.
What is the infinitive of skakuće and why does it have a ć?
The infinitive is skakutati. To form the present tense, a hidden j is added to the stem (skakut-j-), which causes the t and j to merge into ć. This turns the present tense into skakuće, a very common sound change in Croatian verbs.
Why do we use the preposition po with the locative case (dvorištu) here?
The preposition po with the locative case is used to describe random, scattered motion over an area. It translates well to hopping "around" or "all over" the yard, rather than going in a single straight direction.
What happens to the noun vrabac if there is more than one sparrow?
The noun vrabac has a "fleeting a" that disappears in the plural. When this a drops out, the voiced b ends up right next to the voiceless c. To make it easier to say, the b changes to a voiceless p, making the plural vrapci.
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