Breakdown of Čim krene vlak smrti, ljudi počinju vrištati.
ljudi
people
početi
to begin
čim
as soon as
krenuti
to set off
vlak smrti
rollercoaster
vrištati
to scream
Questions & Answers about Čim krene vlak smrti, ljudi počinju vrištati.
Wait, does vlak smrti literally mean "train of death"?
Yes! While it sounds quite dramatic, vlak smrti is the standard Croatian term for a rollercoaster. The word vlak means "train" and smrti is the genitive form of smrt (death).
Why is the perfective verb krene used in the present tense here? I thought perfective verbs couldn't normally be used in the present.
You are right that perfective verbs generally cannot be used in the present tense for independent main clauses. However, they are perfectly natural in the present tense in subordinate clauses after time conjunctions like čim (as soon as), kad (when), or ako (if). Here, it sets the condition that triggers the screaming.
Why use the imperfective verb počinju in the main clause instead of the perfective počnu?
The sentence describes a general, recurring truth: every time a rollercoaster sets off, people start screaming. Because this describes a repeated, habitual action rather than a single specific event, the imperfective present form počinju is used.
Is it natural to say počinju da vrište instead of počinju vrištati?
Standard Croatian strongly prefers using the infinitive vrištati after verbs that express the beginning, duration, or end of an action. The structure using da plus the present tense is understood but is characteristic of Serbian or Bosnian, whereas in Croatian, sticking to the infinitive is the standard rule.
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