This song is performed by Natali Dizdar, a Croatian pop singer, who performs it here with Croatian singer-songwriter Darko Rundek, who wrote the song.
These verses have medium compexity grammar, with a lot of ‘experiencers’ in DL (using the DL case to express personal feelings and experiences is described in 23 Basic Impressions):
|
Predugotoo long
spavašyou're sleeping you sleep | You sleep too long |
| i čekaš sreću [da te nađe] | And wait for happiness [to find you] |
The last two verses include a kind of purpose clause which is sometimes used with the verb čekati wait. You wait for happiness to do something. In such a construction, Croatian grammar is similar to English. Purpose clauses are described in 50 Because, In Order To, Why: Reasons.
In the clause, the perfective verb naći (nađe, našao, našla) find is used in the present tense, but it doesn’t stand for the present moment, of course.
Also, note that the stress is at the ‘western’ place, e.g. predugo is stressed on the 2nd syllable.
The following verse contains a ‘personal opinion’ clause, where a statement about to that is turned into someone’s feeling or opinion, by adding that person in DL (ti², DL of the 2nd pers. sg. pronoun ti).
| Tothat ti je slađe | You find it sweeter |
| nego [da se davaš] | than [giving yourself] |
The word slađe is the comparative of sladak (slatk-) sweet in neuter. You can find more in 63 Bigger and Better: Comparatives.
After that, there’s a comparison (nego). While English prefers comparison against nouns or adjectives, Croatian can compare against an event or action expressed by a da-clause. In the clause above, the verb davati (daje) give is used, but not in its standard pres-2 form (daješ), rather in an alternative, non-standard form davaš. Both forms are used in speech.
The particle se² is here true reflexive, i.e. it could be replaced with the stressed form sebe, as it really stands for yourself.
| U tvom životu | In your life |
| prečesto tonule su lađe | ships sank too often |
| i sad si zgađen | And you’re disgusted now |
| ljubavi te strah | you’re afraid of love |
The second verse has the noun lađa (in plural) as the subject of the verb tonuti (tone) sink. This is a bit archaic/poetic word for ship.
The last verse contains a fear construction with the noun strah fear: one who is afraid is in A (ti you → te²), and what he or she is afraid of is in G (ljubav f love → ljubavi). There should be also a form of the verb biti (je² +) be, but je² is left occasionally out in poetry and headlines. More about fear constructions in 69 Memories, Expectations and Fear.
| Zar ne razumiješ | Don’t you understand |
| svakom trebaneed netko [da ga | everybody needs someone [to |
|
dodirom
budi
izfrom
sna dream (G) ]
| wake him by touch from a dream] |
Starting questions with zar is emphasis, like really. The verb trebati need/should is here used in the ‘inverse’ mode: who needs something is in DL (svatko everybody → svakom), while what or who is needed is the subject (in N): netko. Then, another purpose clause follows. The instrumental dodirom is here the ‘tool’ to wake up someone.
| Moje noći su besane | My nights are sleepless |
| otkad si daleko, jaI sam | since you’re far away, I’m |
| jedina [koja to zna] | the only one [who knows that] |
The last verse contains a relative clause: check 62 The Friend I Saw: Relative Clauses.
Then, the following verse contains another feeling expressed by DL:
|
Mjesecu Moon (DL)
jeis
dosadnoboring (n)
| The moon is bored |
| pred mojim vratima | in front of my door |
|
sm | laughter is heard |
The last verse above contains a mediopassive construction se čuje is heard. More about mediopassive in 64 The Door Opens: Fun with se².
The following verses contain imperatives of two perf. verbs: they refer to single events in future: take and throw once, don’t start taking or throwing without an end.
| Uzmitake [štowhat je ostalo] | Take [what has remained] |
| sve drugo baci u zrakair | throw everything else into the air |
The clause što je ostalo is a noun clause: check 59 Knowing and Telling: Content and Noun Clauses. The verb baciti perf. throw uses destinations: we’re throwing to somewhere: therefore u + A.
The first following verse repeats the verse we’ve already seen, and next verses contain again the verb trebati need/should in the ‘inverse’ mode, so it’s in plural, since the subject is smijeh i suze:
|
Mjesecu Moon (DL)
jeis
dosadnoboring (n)
| The moon is bored |
| njemu trebaju | it needs (lit. ‘he needs’) |
|
sm | laughter and tears |
The following verse contain a stressed pronoun in A (mene), a recipient in DL (ti²), and a purpose clause:
| Mene ti je poslao | He sent me to you (he = the moon) |
| [da skupa grabimo danday] | [so that we seize the day together] |
The purpose clause contains an impf. verb: the moon and the person addressed will be seizing the day.
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