Breakdown of Kad je riječ o novcu, on je vrlo oprezan.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
on
he
novac
money
oprezan
cautious
vrlo
very (formal)
kad je riječ o
when it comes to (+ locative)
Questions & Answers about Kad je riječ o novcu, on je vrlo oprezan.
The phrase translates to "when it comes to," but what is the literal meaning of kad je riječ o?
It literally translates to "when the word is about." This is the standard, everyday Croatian idiom for "when it comes to," "speaking of," or "regarding." You will see it constantly in both formal writing and casual speech to introduce a topic.
Why does novac (money) change to novcu here?
It is in the locative case because it follows the preposition o (about). The noun novac has a "fleeting a", meaning the a in the last syllable disappears when a case ending is added. Therefore, the stem novac drops the a, becoming novc-, and takes the locative ending -u.
Could I use the definite adjective form and say on je vrlo oprezni?
No, you must use the indefinite form oprezan because it acts as a predicate here (it follows the verb "to be" to describe the subject). The definite form oprezni is generally used right before a noun, as in oprezni vozač (the careful driver).
Does the enclitic je have to go immediately after kad and on?
Yes, because je is an enclitic, meaning it strictly belongs in the second position of its clause. This sentence has two clauses separated by a comma. In the first clause, je takes the second spot right after the conjunction kad. In the main clause, it takes the second spot right after the pronoun on.
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