Breakdown of Problem je samo djelomično riješen.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
problem
problem
samo
only
riješiti
to solve
djelomično
partly, partially
Questions & Answers about Problem je samo djelomično riješen.
Why do we use riješen here instead of the imperfective form rješavan?
Because the problem is already in a state of being solved, even if only partially. Riješen comes from the perfective verb riješiti (to solve completely). If you used the imperfective passive participle rješavan, it would mean the problem is currently being solved, focusing on the ongoing process rather than the achieved result.
What is the root of the word djelomično?
It comes from the noun dio, which means part. You can see the altered root djel- here, which appears in many related words, such as the adjective djelomičan (partial) or the verb dijeliti (to divide or share).
Why does the participle end in -en (riješen) rather than -eno?
Passive participles act exactly like adjectives and must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Since problem is a masculine noun in the nominative singular, the participle takes the bare masculine singular form riješen. If the subject were a neuter noun, like pitanje (question), the participle would be riješeno.
Could we group the verb parts together and write Problem samo djelomično je riješen?
No, because je is an enclitic, which is a weak word without its own accent. In Croatian, enclitics must take the strict second position in a sentence or clause. Here, the first position is taken by the noun Problem, so je must immediately follow it, naturally separating the auxiliary verb from the participle.
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