Breakdown of Što je žaba veća, to je krastača opasnija.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
velik
big
opasan
dangerous
što
the (correlative: the more...)
Questions & Answers about Što je žaba veća, to je krastača opasnija.
How do you form the "The [more]..., the [more]..." structure in Croatian?
You use the structure Što + [comparative], to + [comparative]. In this sentence, Što introduces the first part ("The bigger...") and to introduces the second part ("...the more dangerous...").
Why is the verb je placed immediately after Što and to?
The verb je is a clitic, which means it naturally wants to sit in the second position of its clause. Because Što and to each act as the first word in their respective clauses, the clitic je tucks in right behind them.
What is the grammar behind the words veća and opasnija?
They are the comparative forms of the adjectives velik (big) and opasan (dangerous). Here, they both take the feminine singular ending -a so that they agree with their subjects, žaba and krastača.
What is the difference between žaba and krastača?
Žaba is the general word for frog, while krastača specifically means toad. Interestingly, krastača comes from the word krasta (scab), which is a vivid way to describe a toad's bumpy skin.