Breakdown of Bubanj jedva da se kreće.
se
oneself (reflexive, accusative short form)
kretati se
to move
bubanj
the drum
jedva da
hardly; barely (with a clause)
Questions & Answers about Bubanj jedva da se kreće.
What case and gender is bubanj, and what role does it play in the sentence?
Bubanj is nominative singular masculine.
Here it is the subject of the sentence, so it means the drum or a drum, depending on context. Croatian has no articles, so bubanj can mean either the drum or a drum.
So structurally:
What does jedva da mean here?
Jedva da means barely, hardly, or scarcely.
In this sentence, it expresses that the drum is moving only a tiny amount:
- Bubanj jedva da se kreće. = The drum is barely moving.
The combination jedva da often sounds a bit more emphatic than just jedva. It can give a sense like:
- it can hardly be said that it is moving
So the movement is minimal.
Why is da used after jedva?