Asking Yes/No Questions with "li"
While English uses helper words like "do" or "does" (e.g., "Do you know?"), standard Croatian forms yes/no questions by changing the word order.
Place the conjugated main verb at the very beginning of the sentence, immediately followed by the question particle li.
The word li is an enclitic. It has no accent of its own and must sit in the second position of the sentence, attaching to the first stressed word—which, in these inverted questions, is always the verb.
"Is it...?" using "Je li"
When your question uses the third-person singular of the verb biti (to be), apply the same inversion rule: start with je, followed by li. The phrase je li (is it / is there) is incredibly common in Croatian.
Modal Verbs and Complex Sentences
The inversion rule applies to all verbs. With modal verbs like željeti (to want) or morati (to have to), the modal verb takes the first position, followed by li, and the secondary action stays in the infinitive.
Even in longer sentences, the structure of the main clause remains exactly the same: Verb + li.