Word
Ako nam ponestane vode, kupit ćemo još jednu litru u trgovini.
Meaning
If we run out of water, we will buy another liter at the store.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Ako nam ponestane vode, kupit ćemo još jednu litru u trgovini.
voda
water
u
in
nam
us
trgovina
store
Questions & Answers about Ako nam ponestane vode, kupit ćemo još jednu litru u trgovini.
Why is ponestane used here instead of a future form like će ponestati?
Because after ako when you talk about a future possibility, Croatian normally uses the present tense, not the future.
So:
- Ako nam ponestane vode = If we run out of water
- not usually Ako će nam ponestati vode
Also, ponestati is a perfective verb, so its present-tense form often refers to a future completed event in this kind of sentence.
What does ponestati mean exactly?
Ponestati means to run short of or to run out of.
In this sentence, Ako nam ponestane vode means If we run out of water.
It is slightly different from nestati, which usually means to disappear.
So:
- nestati = disappear, vanish
- ponestati = run out, not have enough left
Why is it nam, not mi or nas?