Breakdown of U zadatku piše da treba ispraviti zamjenicu i podcrtati veznik.
u
in
i
and
trebati
to need
pisati
to write
Questions & Answers about U zadatku piše da treba ispraviti zamjenicu i podcrtati veznik.
Why is it u zadatku and not u zadatak?
Because the preposition u takes the locative case when it means in or inside a place.
- zadatak = nominative singular
- u zadatku = locative singular, meaning in the exercise
If u expressed movement into something, then Croatian would use the accusative:
- Staviti nešto u zadatak = to put something into the exercise
But here the meaning is location, so locative is required.
What exactly is piše doing here? Who is writing?
In this sentence, piše is used impersonally. It does not mean that some specific person is writing right now. Instead, it means something like:
- it says
- it is written
- the instructions say
So U zadatku piše... is a very common Croatian way to say In the exercise, it says...
There is no need to name a subject such as the book or the exercise. Croatian often leaves this kind of subject unexpressed when the meaning is obvious.
Why is there da treba? Why not just use an infinitive directly?