Breakdown of Mlada građanka kaže da želi razumjeti politiku bolje.
željeti
to want
razumjeti
to understand
da
that
kazati
to say
Questions & Answers about Mlada građanka kaže da želi razumjeti politiku bolje.
What is the difference between mlada građanka and mlad građanin? Why is građanka used here?
Građanka is the feminine form of građanin (citizen).
- građanin = male citizen
- građanka = female citizen
The adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number and case:
- mlad građanin – young (male) citizen
- mlada građanka – young (female) citizen
In the sentence, the speaker is presented as a woman, so mlada građanka is used.
Why is it kaže da želi and not just kaže želi, like English “she says she wants”?
In Croatian, when you report what someone says, thinks, or feels, you usually need the conjunction da (that) before the subordinate clause.
- Mlada građanka kaže da želi…
= The young citizen says that she wants…
Kaže želi… without da is ungrammatical in standard Croatian.
So:
- reći / kazati da… – to say that…
- misliti da… – to think that…
- nadati se da… – to hope that…
What is the role of da in kaže da želi? Is it always translated as that?