Breakdown of Teže je brusiti ovaj kristal nego što izgleda.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
težak
difficult / severe, serious
nego
than
izgledati
to look, to appear
što
that (subordinating conjunction)
brusiti
to cut (gems, glass)
kristal
crystal
Questions & Answers about Teže je brusiti ovaj kristal nego što izgleda.
Why do we use nego što in this sentence instead of nego da?
We use nego što because the second part of the sentence (izgleda) states a factual reality: how the crystal actually looks right now. You use nego što with the indicative mood for established facts, whereas nego da is used when comparing an action to a hypothetical or alternative action.
Why is the comparative word teže used here instead of the masculine form teži?
Teže is the neuter or adverbial form of the comparative. It is used with je to create the impersonal phrase teže je (it is harder). Since the difficulty applies to the entire action of cutting the crystal rather than modifying the masculine noun kristal, the neuter form is required.
Is ovaj kristal in the nominative or accusative case here?
It is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb brusiti. Since kristal is an inanimate masculine noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative form.
The English translation says "to cut", but doesn't brusiti normally mean to sand or grind?
Yes, the literal meaning of brusiti is to grind, sharpen, sand, or polish. When working with glass, gems, or crystals, the physical process of shaping them is referred to as grinding or polishing in Croatian, which translates most naturally to "cutting" a gem in English.
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