Ukoliko kartica ostane u bankomatu, pozovite banku.

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Breakdown of Ukoliko kartica ostane u bankomatu, pozovite banku.

• banka: bank
• pozvati: to call
• ostati: to stay

Questions & Answers about Ukoliko kartica ostane u bankomatu, pozovite banku.

What does ukoliko mean, and is it the same as ako?

Ukoliko means if. In this sentence, it introduces a condition.

It is very close in meaning to ako, but ukoliko usually sounds a bit more formal, official, or written. So in everyday speech, many people would simply say:

Ako kartica ostane u bankomatu, pozovite banku.

Both are correct here.

Why is it kartica and not some other form like karticu?

Because kartica is the subject of the clause kartica ostane u bankomatu. The subject is in the nominative case, and kartica is the nominative singular form.

So here:

• kartica = the card, as the thing doing the “remaining/staying”
• banku = the bank, as the direct object of pozovite

Why is the verb ostane used here?

Ostane is a form of the verb ostati, meaning to remain, to stay, or in this context something like to be left in.

Here it is used in a conditional clause: if the card remains/is left in the ATM.

A key point is that ostati is a perfective verb. In Serbian, after words like or , perfective present forms are often used for a . So does not mean a present ongoing action like . It means something more like: