Unuka je jutros baki donijela malu ružu.

to be

Breakdown of Unuka je jutros baki donijela malu ružu.

• mali: small
• baka: grandmother
• jutros: this morning

Questions & Answers about Unuka je jutros baki donijela malu ružu.

Why is unuka the subject, and what case is it in?

Unuka is in the nominative singular, which is the case normally used for the subject of the sentence.

Here, unuka means granddaughter, and she is the one performing the action of bringing the rose.

A native English speaker may want to compare:

• unuka = the granddaughter did it
• baki = to the grandmother
• malu ružu = the rose that was brought

So Croatian shows who is doing what mainly through case endings, not just word order.

Why is it baki and not baka?

Because baki is the dative singular form of baka.

The dative case is commonly used for the indirect object, especially with the meaning to someone or for someone.

So:

• baka = grandmother, dictionary form, nominative
• baki = to the grandmother

In this sentence, the rose was brought to the grandmother, so the dative is required.

Why is it malu ružu and not mala ruža?