Breakdown of Pretpostavlja se da će direktor sve demantirati ugleda radi.
direktor
director, manager (of a company)
htjeti
to want (intent, will)
sav
all (of a whole) / everyone, all (people) / everything
sebe
oneself (stressed reflexive)
da
that (conjunction)
radi
for the sake of
pretpostavljati
to assume, to suppose (imperfective)
ugled
reputation
demantirati
to deny (publicly, an allegation)
Questions & Answers about Pretpostavlja se da će direktor sve demantirati ugleda radi.
Why is radi placed after ugleda instead of before it?
In standard Croatian, the preposition radi (meaning "for the sake of" or "due to") usually comes before the noun, just like in English. However, for stylistic emphasis, it can be placed immediately after a bare noun. Doing this with ugleda radi emphasizes that he's doing it specifically for the sake of his reputation. You will also see this in fixed expressions like primjera radi (for example's sake) or reda radi (for form's sake).
What case is ugleda in, and does putting radi after it change the grammar rules?
Ugleda is in the Genitive case, coming from the nominative noun ugled (reputation, prestige). The preposition radi always requires the Genitive case. Moving radi to the end of the phrase is purely a stylistic choice and does not change the fact that it still forces the noun into the Genitive.
Why use the construction Pretpostavlja se here?
This uses the reflexive pronoun se to create an impersonal or passive meaning, translating smoothly to "It is assumed." Using this reflexive construction sounds much more natural and professional in Croatian than trying to literally translate "It is" or using a generic subject like "ljudi" (people).
Why are će and demantirati split up by the words direktor sve?
This is due to Croatian's strict word order rules for clitics (short, unstressed words). In a da clause, the clitic—here, the future auxiliary će—wants to sit in the second position of that clause. The first position is the conjunction da, so će locks in right after it. The main verb, demantirati, naturally falls to the end of the clause, wrapping around the subject (direktor) and object (sve).
Is demantirati the most common word for "to deny", or is there a native Slavic alternative?
Demantirati is a borrowed word, but it is extremely common in journalism, politics, and corporate contexts when talking about issuing a formal denial. You could use native verbs like poreći or zanijekati (to deny), but demantirati perfectly fits the formal register of a company director protecting their reputation.
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