Breakdown of Svađaju li se tužitelj i branitelj, sud gubi vrijeme.
i
and (additive)
li
question particle
svađati se
to argue
vrijeme
time
sud
court
gubiti
to waste / to lose
tužitelj
prosecutor
branitelj
defense attorney
Questions & Answers about Svađaju li se tužitelj i branitelj, sud gubi vrijeme.
Where is the word for "if" in this sentence?
There isn't one! This sentence uses a structure called conditional inversion. By putting the verb first (Svađaju) and immediately following it with the interrogative particle li, the sentence implies a condition. This is a slightly more formal alternative to starting the sentence with the standard word for "if" (ako).
Why is the word order Svađaju li se instead of Svađaju se li?
In Croatian, enclitics (unstressed words) must follow a strict sequence. The question particle li is at the very top of the hierarchy and always takes the first spot in any enclitic chain. Therefore, it must sit between the verb and the reflexive pronoun se.
If I wanted to rewrite this using ako (if), how would the word order change?
You would write: Ako se tužitelj i branitelj svađaju... When you use the conjunction ako, it takes the first position in the clause, so the enclitic se must immediately follow it. The particle li is dropped entirely because it is only needed for the inverted conditional structure.
Does gubi vrijeme mean "loses time" or "wastes time"?
It translates to both. In Croatian, the phrase gubiti vrijeme (literally "to lose time") is the standard everyday way to express the concept of wasting time.
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