Breakdown of Želim ga nadmudriti pomoću smicalice.
on
he
željeti
to want
pomoću
by means of
nadmudriti
to outsmart
smicalica
prank
Questions & Answers about Želim ga nadmudriti pomoću smicalice.
How does the prefix nad- change the meaning to create nadmudriti?
The prefix nad- indicates surpassing or being superior to someone in an action. Here, it is attached to a verb stem derived from the adjective mudar (smart or wise). Combined, they form nadmudriti, meaning 'to outsmart' or 'to outwit'.
Why does the pronoun ga come before the verb it actually belongs to (nadmudriti)?
The word ga (him) is an enclitic, which is a short, unstressed word that must take the strict second position in a Croatian sentence. Because Želim takes the first position, ga locks in immediately after it, regardless of where its main verb nadmudriti is located.
Why does the word for prank end in -e (smicalice)?
It is in the genitive case. The word pomoću translates to 'by means of' or 'with the help of', and it acts as a preposition that always requires the following noun to be in the genitive case. The dictionary form (nominative) is smicalica.
Could I express 'using a prank' by just putting the word in the instrumental case?
Yes, you could drop pomoću and just say smicalicom (using the bare instrumental case for a tool or method). Using pomoću with the genitive case is just another common way to explicitly say 'by means of', which adds good variety to your B2 vocabulary.
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