Word
Ako ti muzika smeta, televizor može da radi tiho.
Meaning
If the music bothers you, the television can be on quietly.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Ako ti muzika smeta, televizor može da radi tiho.
Why is it ti and not tebe?
Because the verb smetati takes the person affected in the dative case, not the accusative.
- ti = to you / you in the dative
- tebe would be a different case and would not fit here
So:
- Muzika ti smeta. = The music bothers you.
This is a very common Serbian pattern: the thing causing annoyance is the subject, and the person who feels bothered is in the dative.
Why is muzika in the nominative?
Because muzika is the subject of smeta.
In Serbian, with smetati, the structure is usually:
- something
- smeta
- someone in dative
- smeta
So literally the grammar is like:
- Music bothers you
That is why:
- muzika = nominative subject
- ti = dative indirect object / experiencer
Not:
- muziku — that would be accusative, and it would not work in this sentence
What exactly does smetati mean, and how is it used?