Word
U pravilu djeca ne smiju vikati u dvorani, ali mala beba je iznimka.
Meaning
As a rule children may not shout in the hall, but a small baby is an exception.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of U pravilu djeca ne smiju vikati u dvorani, ali mala beba je iznimka.
biti
to be
mali
small
ne
not
u
in
Questions & Answers about U pravilu djeca ne smiju vikati u dvorani, ali mala beba je iznimka.
In the phrase U pravilu, what does it literally mean, and how is it different from obično or uglavnom?
U pravilu literally means “in (the) rule”, but idiomatically it corresponds to “as a rule / generally speaking / in principle”.
- U pravilu djeca ne smiju vikati…
≈ As a rule, children are not allowed to shout…
Compared to other common adverbs:
- obično = usually (what normally happens in practice)
- Obično djeca ne viču u dvorani. – Children usually don’t shout in the hall.
- uglavnom = mostly / for the most part
- Djeca uglavnom ne viču u dvorani. – For the most part, children don’t shout in the hall.
- u pravilu = as a rule / according to the rule, with possible exceptions
- Slightly more formal; emphasizes a rule or norm, not just a habit.
In this sentence u pravilu prepares us for the contrast: ali mala beba je iznimka (“but the little baby is an exception”).
Why is it ne smiju and not something like ne mogu? What does the verb smjeti mean exactly?