Breakdown of Oprosti, odakle si ti?
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ti
you (sg. informal)
odakle
from where
oprosti
excuse me (informal)
Questions & Answers about Oprosti, odakle si ti?
How would I ask this same question formally?
To be polite to a stranger or someone older, you use the formal 'you' (Vi). The verb si (are) changes to the formal ste. The question becomes: Odakle ste Vi?
The translation says Oprosti means 'Excuse me'. Does this word change if I am speaking formally?
Yes! Oprosti is the informal way to say 'Excuse me' or 'Sorry'. If you are talking to someone formally, you must use Oprostite instead. The full formal sentence is: Oprostite, odakle ste Vi?
Can I leave out the word ti and just say Oprosti, odakle si?
Absolutely. In Croatian, the verb form si already tells us you mean 'you' (informal). Adding ti at the end just adds a bit of emphasis, like asking 'Where are you from?'
Why do we use odakle instead of gdje for 'where'?
Gdje simply means 'where' (as in 'Where are you right now?'). Odakle specifically means 'from where'. Since you are asking about a person's origin, you need odakle.
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