Breakdown of Moja kći se boji munje, ali se groma više ne boji toliko kao prije.
Questions & Answers about Moja kći se boji munje, ali se groma više ne boji toliko kao prije.
Why is it moja kći and not some other form of moj?
Because kći is a feminine singular noun in the nominative here, and the possessive adjective has to agree with it.
- moj = my
- moja = feminine singular nominative
- kći = daughter
So moja kći means my daughter.
Why do we say se boji? Is bojati se a reflexive verb?
Yes. The verb is bojati se, which means to be afraid or to fear.
It is normally learned as a fixed verb with se:
- bojim se = I am afraid
- boji se = he/she is afraid
So you should think of bojati se as the full dictionary form, not just bojati.
Why are munje and groma in those forms?
Because bojati se takes the genitive case.
So:
- munja → munje
- grom → groma
That is why Croatian says:
- bojati se munje
- bojati se groma
An English speaker often expects a direct object here, but Croatian uses genitive after this verb.
Does munje here mean singular or plural?
What is the difference between munja and grom?
They are related but not the same:
- munja = lightning
- grom = thunder, or sometimes thunderclap
So the sentence contrasts two different things:
- she is afraid of lightning
- she is no longer so afraid of thunder
What does više ne mean here?
Here više ne means no longer or not anymore.
Even though više often means more, when it combines with negation it very often means that something used to be true but is not true now.
So:
- više ne boji se / više se ne boji = she is no longer afraid
- više ne radi ovdje = he no longer works here
In this sentence:
- groma više ne boji = she is no longer afraid of thunder
Why is the second part ali se groma više ne boji instead of a more straightforward order?
Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and this sentence uses that flexibility for emphasis and natural rhythm.
A more neutral version would be something like:
Both are understandable. In your sentence, groma is placed earlier to highlight the contrast with munje from the first clause.
So the effect is roughly:
- afraid of lightning, but of thunder she is no longer so afraid
Why is se so early in the second clause?
Because se is a clitic, and Croatian clitics usually come near the beginning of a clause, often in the second position.
After ali, it is very natural to place se immediately after it:
- ali se ...
That is why you get:
- ali se groma više ne boji ...
This is normal Croatian clitic placement.
Why is ne separated from se?
What does toliko kao prije mean?
It means as much as before or so much as before, depending on how you translate it.
Breakdown:
- toliko = so much / that much
- kao prije = as before / like before
Together:
This is a comparison between the present and the past.
Why is moja kći not repeated in the second clause?
Because Croatian often omits the subject when it is already clear from context.
The first clause gives the subject:
- Moja kći ...
Then the second clause keeps the same subject without repeating it:
The verb form boji is third person singular, and the listener naturally understands that it still refers to my daughter.
Could I also say Moja kći se boji munje, ali se više ne boji groma toliko kao prije?
Yes. That is also a natural sentence.
It has a slightly more neutral word order:
The original version puts groma earlier for contrast:
- munje ... groma
So both are good, but the original sentence sounds a bit more stylistically shaped and contrastive.
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