Breakdown of Ovo je velik problem, nema grijanja.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
velik
big
problem
problem
nema
there is no
grijanje
heating
Questions & Answers about Ovo je velik problem, nema grijanja.
Why is the word for heating spelled grijanja here instead of grijanje?
Because of the word nema. When nema is used to say 'there is no,' the thing that doesn't exist must be put into the genitive case. The dictionary form for heating is the neuter noun grijanje, and its genitive form ends in -a, making it grijanja.
Does nema mean 'he doesn't have' or 'there is no'?
It can be both! The verb nemati means 'to not have,' so nema can mean 'he/she/it does not have.' However, it is also used as a fixed expression meaning 'there is no' or 'there aren't any.' In this sentence, it means 'there is no.'
Why is the adjective velik missing the letter 'i' at the end?
In Croatian, masculine adjectives have a short form (velik) and a long form (veliki). The short form is used when you are describing a noun for the first time, often after the verb 'to be'. Since we are just introducing this as 'a big problem,' we use the short form velik.
Problem is a masculine noun. Why does the sentence start with the neuter word ovo instead of the masculine ovaj?
When you use the structure 'This is a...' to point out a general situation or introduce something new, you always use the neuter pronoun ovo. You would only use the masculine ovaj if 'this' was directly attached to the noun, like in the phrase ovaj problem (this problem).
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