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Questions & Answers about Zategni vijak odvijačem.
Why is zategni used here, and what form is it?
Zategni is the singular informal imperative of the verb zategnuti. It is the form you use when telling one person to do something: Tighten ...
The base verb zategnuti is perfective, so the command suggests completing the action: tighten it up / make it tight.
A few related forms:
- zategnuti = to tighten (perfective)
- zatezati = to tighten, be tightening (imperfective)
- zategni! = tighten! (to one person)
- zategnite! = tighten! (to more than one person, or politely to one person)
Why isn’t there a word for you in the sentence?
In Serbian, the subject is often omitted when it is already clear from the verb form. The imperative zategni already tells you that the command is aimed at you (singular, informal).
So:
- Zategni vijak odvijačem. = Tighten the screw with a screwdriver.
- Adding ti would usually be unnecessary.
This is very normal in Serbian.
Why is vijak in that form? Shouldn’t the object change?