Dobila sam vaučer za obrok.

to be

Breakdown of Dobila sam vaučer za obrok.

• dobiti: to receive
• vaučer za obrok: meal voucher

Questions & Answers about Dobila sam vaučer za obrok.

Why is it dobila, not dobio?

Because dobila agrees with the speaker’s gender.

In Croatian past tense, the main verb changes form depending on the subject:

• dobila sam = I got / I received (said by a woman)
• dobio sam = I got / I received (said by a man)

So if a female speaker says this sentence, dobila sam is correct.

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What does sam mean here?

Sam is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb biti (to be), and it is used to form the past tense.

So:

• dobila = past participle
• sam = am

Together, dobila sam literally works like have got / got in English, though the natural translation is just I got or I received.

This is the normal Croatian past tense pattern:

• dobila sam = I got
• dobio si = you got
• dobio je = he got
• dobili smo = we got

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Why is the order Dobila sam, not Sam dobila?