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Ova utičnica iza kauča ne radi; možeš li je provjeriti?

Ova utičnica iza kauča ne radi; možeš li je provjeriti?
This socket behind the couch doesn’t work; can you check it?

Breakdown of Ova utičnica iza kauča ne radi; možeš li je provjeriti?

ne
not
raditi
to work
moći
to be able to
ovaj
this
provjeriti
to check
je
it
iza
behind
utičnica
socket
kauč
couch
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Questions & Answers about Ova utičnica iza kauča ne radi; možeš li je provjeriti?

Why is it ova utičnica and not ovaj utičnica?

Because utičnica (socket/outlet) is feminine in Croatian. Demonstratives agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case:

  • masculine: ovaj (e.g., ovaj kauč)
  • feminine: ova (e.g., ova utičnica)
  • neuter: ovo (e.g., ovo mjesto)

Here it’s nominative singular feminine → ova utičnica.

What case is utičnica in here, and why?
It’s in the nominative singular because it’s the subject of the verb ne radi (doesn’t work). Croatian typically uses nominative for the subject: Ova utičnica … ne radi.
Why does iza take kauča (and what case is that)?

Iza usually governs the genitive case when it means a static location (behind):

  • iza kauča = behind the couch (location)

The noun kauč (masculine) changes in genitive singular to kauča.

Could iza ever take a different case?

Yes. With some prepositions, case can change depending on whether you mean location or movement. For iza, you’ll commonly see:

  • genitive for location: iza kuće = behind the house
  • accusative for movement to behind (usage exists, but genitive is the most typical in everyday standard Croatian for “behind”; many learners mainly meet genitive first)

If you want a clear “movement” alternative, learners often encounter other prepositions more predictably (e.g., u + accusative for “into”).

What does ne radi literally mean, and why is it used for things?

Raditi literally means to work, and Croatian uses it for both people and devices:

  • Utičnica ne radi. = The outlet doesn’t work.

It’s just the normal everyday way to say something is broken/not functioning.

Is ne always placed directly before the verb like ne radi?

In standard Croatian, ne is placed immediately before the finite verb:

  • ne radi, ne mogu, ne znam

With some verbs/forms it can fuse or behave a bit differently historically, but as a learner rule: put ne + verb.

Why is there a semicolon (;) instead of a comma or a period?

It’s stylistic punctuation showing two closely related clauses: 1) Ova utičnica iza kauča ne radi (statement) 2) možeš li je provjeriti? (request/question)

In normal texting/speech you could also write:

  • Ova utičnica iza kauča ne radi. Možeš li je provjeriti? or even with a comma in informal contexts.
How does the question možeš li work? What is li?

Li is a question particle used to form yes/no questions. A very common pattern is:

  • Verb + li
    • rest

So:

  • Možeš li …? = Can you …?

It’s roughly like using do/does in English, but Croatian does it with li rather than an auxiliary.

Why is the pronoun je placed after li? Why not možeš je li provjeriti?

Because Croatian has clitic pronouns (short unstressed forms) that follow a strict placement rule: they tend to go in the second position of the clause, after the first “chunk” (often the verb, conjunction, or question particle cluster).

Here the opening is Možeš li (treated as the first unit), so the clitic je (it/her) comes right after:

  • Možeš li je provjeriti?

Možeš je li provjeriti is ungrammatical because li must come right after the verb in this structure, and clitics have their own order.

What exactly does je refer to, and why is it je (not ju or ga)?

Je here is the accusative clitic pronoun referring to utičnica (feminine singular), meaning it.

In Croatian, feminine accusative clitics can vary by standard/region and phonological context:

  • je is widely used and accepted in many standard contexts for “her/it” (feminine)
  • you may also encounter ju in many varieties/teaching materials

So depending on the standard you’re learning, you might also see:

  • Možeš li ju provjeriti? (same meaning)
Why is provjeriti in the infinitive?

After the modal verb moći (can/to be able to), Croatian normally uses the infinitive:

  • Možeš li provjeriti…? = Can you check…?

You can also form alternatives with da + present in some contexts, but with moći the infinitive is the most straightforward/common.

Is provjeriti perfective or imperfective, and does that matter?

Provjeriti is generally perfective: it focuses on completing the check (a single, bounded action). The imperfective counterpart is provjeravati (checking repeatedly/ongoing).

In a practical request like this, perfective is very natural:

  • Možeš li je provjeriti? = Can you check it (once, to resolve the issue)?
How would I make this sentence more polite/formal?

Use the polite 2nd person plural:

  • Ova utičnica iza kauča ne radi; možete li je provjeriti?

That’s the standard polite you in Croatian (to one person formally, or to multiple people).