Questions & Answers about On odgovara na pitanje polako.
Odgovara means “(he) answers / (he) is answering / (he) responds”.
- The dictionary form (infinitive) is odgovarati – an imperfective verb.
- On odgovara = “He answers / He is answering.” Croatian does not distinguish between simple present and present continuous like English does; context decides.
In Croatian, the verb odgovarati normally takes the preposition na plus object in the accusative when it means “to answer something”:
- odgovarati na pitanje = “to answer a question”
- odgovarati na e‑mail = “to answer an email”
You cannot say ✗ odgovarati pitanje in this meaning. The preposition na is required in this construction.
In On odgovara na pitanje polako, the word pitanje is in the accusative singular.
- The preposition na with a motion or target meaning normally governs the accusative (here: “answer to what?” → target = pitanje).
- pitanje is a neuter noun whose nominative and accusative singular look the same:
- Nominative sg.: pitanje – “question” (subject)
- Accusative sg.: pitanje – “question” (direct object / object of na)
You know it’s accusative here because it follows na in the expression odgovarati na + accusative.
Yes. Subject pronouns are often omitted in Croatian because the verb ending already shows the person.
- On odgovara na pitanje polako.
- Odgovara na pitanje polako.
Both mean “He answers the question slowly.” You only keep On if you want to emphasize that it is he (and not someone else).
The basic meaning stays the same, but word order can slightly change emphasis. All of these are grammatical:
- On odgovara na pitanje polako.
- On polako odgovara na pitanje.
- Polako odgovara na pitanje.
- Na pitanje odgovara polako.
Nuances:
- On polako odgovara na pitanje. – light emphasis on how he answers (slowly).
- Polako odgovara na pitanje. – puts polako in a more prominent, sentence-opening position.
- Na pitanje odgovara polako. – starts by highlighting “as for the question,” then stresses that the manner is slow.
All are acceptable in normal speech. The original order is probably the most neutral.
Both can mean “slowly,” but there are nuances:
polako
- Literally “slowly,” but often also “gently, calmly, take it easy.”
- It can sound more neutral or softer.
- On odgovara na pitanje polako. – “He answers the question slowly / calmly.”
sporo
- More directly “slowly” in the sense of low speed; can sound more negative or critical of the slowness.
- On odgovara na pitanje sporo. – suggests he is too slow, maybe frustratingly so.
In many contexts you can swap them, but sporo is more likely when you want to criticize someone for being slow.
Odgovara is 3rd person singular of odgovarati in the present tense. Full present conjugation:
- ja odgovaram – I answer
- ti odgovaraš – you (sg., informal) answer
- on/ona/ono odgovara – he/she/it answers
- mi odgovaramo – we answer
- vi odgovarate – you (pl. or polite) answer
- oni/one/ona odgovaraju – they answer
So in On odgovara na pitanje polako, odgovara agrees with on (he).
This is about aspect (imperfective vs perfective):
odgovarati na pitanje (imperfective)
- Focus on the process / repeated action:
- On odgovara na pitanje. – He is in the process of answering / he typically answers questions.
odgovoriti na pitanje (perfective)
- Focus on the completed act of answering:
- On je odgovorio na pitanje. – He answered the question (the answer is complete).
Use odgovarati in the present for an ongoing or habitual action. To say “He answered the question” about a completed event, use odgovoriti (past: je odgovorio).
Yes, odgovarati can be used in two common patterns:
odgovarati na + accusative = to answer something
- On odgovara na pitanje. – He answers the question.
odgovarati + dative = to suit / be suitable / be convenient to someone
- Ovaj termin mi odgovara. – This time suits me.
- Ta hrana mu ne odgovara. – That food doesn’t agree with him / doesn’t suit him.
So On odgovara na pitanje polako is clearly the first pattern (“answering”), not the “suit” meaning.
Croatian word order is more flexible than English because case endings show grammatical roles. The neutral pattern is often Subject – Verb – Object – (other elements), but you can rearrange for emphasis, topic, or style.
For this sentence, all of these could be used depending on what you want to highlight:
- On odgovara na pitanje polako. – neutral.
- On polako odgovara na pitanje. – mild emphasis on “slowly.”
- Na pitanje on odgovara polako. – first focus on the question, then how he answers it.
- Polako on odgovara na pitanje. – quite strong emphasis on polako, stylistically marked.
Unlike English, changing word order often changes focus, not basic meaning.
Use the perfective verb odgovoriti for a completed answer:
- He answered the question.
- On je odgovorio na pitanje.
Use odgovoriti in the future as well:
- He will answer the question.
- On će odgovoriti na pitanje.
If you want a habitual or ongoing meaning in the future, you might still use odgovarati with a future auxiliary, but for a single, complete act, odgovoriti is preferred.
Pronunciation (approximate English-like breakdown):
- On – like “awn” but shorter; o as in “off.”
- odgovara – od-go-VA-ra
- dg in odg is pronounced together, like d followed quickly by g.
- Stress is on va: od-go-VA-ra.
- na – like “nah”; short.
- pitanje – PEE-ta-nye
- pi like “pee”
- ta like “tah”
- nje is a single sound ɲe, like ny in “canyon.”
- polako – po-LA-ko
- Stress on la: po-LA-ko.
Croatian has clear, short vowels and is generally pronounced as it’s written, one sound per letter (with nj = one palatal sound).