Word
Imaš li kruha za vrapce?
Meaning
Do you have bread for the sparrows?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Imaš li kruha za vrapce?
Why is it kruha (genitive) instead of kruh (accusative)?
This is the partitive genitive. After verbs like imati (to have) or when talking about food and drink, using the genitive implies an unspecified quantity. Asking Imaš li kruha specifically means 'Do you have some bread' rather than asking if you have a specific, whole loaf.
What is the dictionary form of vrapce, and why does the spelling change so drastically?
The nominative singular is vrabac. When the accusative plural ending -e is added, the fleeting 'a' in the final syllable drops out. This puts the voiced 'b' right next to the voiceless 'c'. To make pronunciation easier, the 'b' shifts to its voiceless equivalent 'p', resulting in vrapce.
Which case is used for vrapce here?
It is in the accusative plural. The preposition za almost always takes the accusative case when it means 'for' a recipient or purpose. For masculine nouns, the accusative plural ending is -e.