Breakdown of Prvi put tiskamo ovaj roman.
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
prvi
first (masculine)
roman
novel (m)
put
time (occurrence, as in three times)
tiskati
to print
Questions & Answers about Prvi put tiskamo ovaj roman.
Why do we use put here instead of puta?
The word put (meaning "time" or "occurrence") stays as put when it follows the number 1 (jedan) or ordinal numbers like prvi (first) and drugi (second). You only use the crystallized genitive form puta after other numbers (like dva, tri, pet) and quantifiers (like više or koliko).
Is prvi put in the nominative case in this sentence?
It looks like it, but it is actually in the accusative case. Time and frequency expressions in Croatian often use the accusative without a preposition. Because put is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative form happens to look exactly identical to its nominative form.
I often hear people say po prvi put. Is it okay to leave out po like in this sentence?
Yes, it's actually better! Standard Croatian grammar prefers just prvi put without the preposition. Adding po (as in po prvi put) is very common in everyday speech and heavily influenced by phrases like "for the first time", but both mean exactly the same thing.
Why does the direct object ovaj roman look exactly like its dictionary form?
It is in the accusative case because it's the direct object of tiskamo (we print). For masculine nouns that are inanimate (non-living things like a novel), the accusative case is identical to the nominative case. If it were a living thing, it would take the animate endings (e.g., ovog pisca - this writer).
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