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Možda znaju odgovor.

Možda znaju odgovor.
Maybe they know the answer.
FromLesson 5inHardcore Croatian

Breakdown of Možda znaju odgovor.

znati
to know
odgovor
answer
možda
maybe

Questions & Answers about Možda znaju odgovor.

What does the verb form znaju tell us about the subject, and why is there no pronoun?

Znaju is the 3rd person plural present of znati (to know), so the subject is understood as they. Croatian drops subject pronouns unless you want to emphasize or clarify. You can add them for contrast or clarity:

  • Možda oni znaju odgovor. (Maybe they know the answer — emphasis on they.) The verb form doesn’t distinguish gender; it could be oni/one/ona (masc./fem./neut. they).
What tense and conjugation is znaju? How is znati conjugated in the present?

It’s present tense, 3rd person plural. Present of znati:

  • ja znam
  • ti znaš
  • on/ona/ono zna
  • mi znamo
  • vi znate
  • oni/one/ona znaju
Why is there no article before odgovor? How do I say “the” answer vs “an” answer?

Croatian has no articles, so odgovor can mean “the answer” or “an answer,” depending on context. If you need to specify, use demonstratives or possessives:

  • taj odgovor (that/the answer)
  • ovaj odgovor (this answer)
  • njihov odgovor (their answer)
What case is odgovor in, and why doesn’t it change form?
Odgovor is the direct object, so it’s in the accusative singular. For masculine inanimate nouns, accusative singular looks the same as nominative: odgovor. (With masculine animate nouns, the accusative equals the genitive: e.g., vidim čovjeka.)
Could it be odgovora instead of odgovor?

Odgovora is genitive singular. Under negation, Croatian often uses the genitive (partitive) for the object:

  • Ne znaju odgovor. (common in speech)
  • Ne znaju odgovora. (more formal/standard; emphasizes “not any answer”) With možda
    • negation: Možda ne znaju odgovor/odgovora. Both occur; genitive sounds a bit more formal.
How do I say “the answer to the question”? Do I need a preposition after znati?

Use odgovor na + accusative for “answer to”:

  • Možda znaju odgovor na pitanje. The verb znati takes a direct object by itself; don’t say znati na odgovor.
Can I replace odgovor with a pronoun? Where does it go?

Yes. Replace with the clitic ga (masc. sing. object pronoun):

  • Možda ga znaju. (Maybe they know it.) Clitics go in second position in the clause. Examples:
  • Možda ga znaju.
  • Oni ga možda znaju. You can’t start a sentence with ga.
Do I need a comma after Možda?

No. Možda is just an adverb here; no comma is needed:

  • Možda znaju odgovor. You’d only use commas if možda is part of a larger parenthetical structure.
Can I move možda elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes, with slight changes in emphasis:

  • Možda oni znaju odgovor. (emphasizes they)
  • Oni možda znaju odgovor. (they, perhaps they know)
  • Možda odgovor znaju. (focus on “the answer” in contrastive contexts)
  • Znaju možda odgovor. (possible but less neutral; sounds contrastive or hesitant)
What’s the difference between možda, valjda, and može biti (da)?
  • možda = maybe, perhaps (neutral, most common)
  • valjda = I guess/probably (often implies assumption or mild resignation)
  • može biti (da) = it may be that… (a bit more formal/literary) All can express uncertainty, but možda is your safe default.
How do I express future uncertainty (“They might know the answer (later)”)?

Use the future auxiliary će:

  • Možda će znati odgovor. Note clitic placement: Možda će znati… / Oni će možda znati…
How do I express a hypothetical (“They might know the answer (if…)”)?

Use the conditional bi:

How would I turn this into a yes/no question?
  • Neutral/formal: Znaju li odgovor?
  • Colloquial/regional: Da li znaju odgovor?
  • Very casual (intonation only): Znaju odgovor? Adding možda makes it speculative rather than a true yes/no query: Možda znaju odgovor?
Any pronunciation tips for the sentence?
  • Možda: ž like the s in “measure” (MOHZ-da).
  • znaju: z
    • n pronounced together; j = y in “yes” (ZNA-yoo).
  • odgovor: pronounce both d and g; rolled r (OD-go-vor). Stress usually falls early; the above approximations will be understood.
Why not use a modal like moći (“can”) here? Is mogu znati okay?
Croatian typically expresses epistemic “might/maybe” with možda, not with moći. Mogu znati sounds odd (ability to know). For “could know,” use the conditional: mogli bi znati, or simply stick with Možda znaju/Možda će znati.
Can I use poznati/poznavati instead of znati?

No. Znati is for facts/answers: znati odgovor.
Poznavati means “to be acquainted with” (people/places/things): poznavati nekoga (to know someone).
Poznati is the perfective “to recognize/identify” in some contexts. For answers, use znati.

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