Breakdown of Majstor čuva skupu tekućinu u staklenoj boci.
skup
expensive
u
in, into
boca
bottle
čuvati
to keep
Questions & Answers about Majstor čuva skupu tekućinu u staklenoj boci.
How is the material adjective staklenoj formed from the noun for glass?
Could we describe the bottle as "more glass" using a comparative form of staklen?
No. Material adjectives like staklen (glass), drven (wooden), or zlatni (gold) describe an absolute physical state: a bottle is either made of glass or it isn't. Because of this semantic restriction, they do not take comparative or superlative forms.
Why is skupu tekućinu in the accusative case but staklenoj boci in the locative case?
Skupu tekućinu is the direct object receiving the action of the verb čuva (keeps), which requires the accusative case. Meanwhile, u staklenoj boci indicates the static location where the liquid is kept, so the preposition u requires the locative case.
In English, "master" can mean a ruler or a boss. Is that what majstor means here?
Usually not. In Croatian, majstor is most commonly used for a skilled craftsman, repairman, or artisan. In this context, it implies a tradesman keeping a special liquid for his craft, rather than a lord or ruler.