Breakdown of Dobro jutro! Kava je topla.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
kava
coffee
topao
warm
dobro jutro
good morning
Questions & Answers about Dobro jutro! Kava je topla.
Why do we say dobro here instead of dobar?
In Croatian, adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. The word for morning, jutro, is a neuter noun (which you can often tell because it ends in -o). Therefore, the adjective for good takes the neuter ending -o, becoming dobro.
The English translation says 'The coffee', but where is the word for 'the' in the Croatian sentence?
Croatian does not have words for 'the' or 'a/an' (definite or indefinite articles). The word kava can mean 'coffee', 'a coffee', or 'the coffee' depending on the context.
Why does the word for warm end in -a (topla)?
Just like with dobro jutro, the adjective must match its noun. The noun kava is feminine (ending in -a), so the adjective for warm must also take the feminine ending -a, making it topla.
What role does je play in this sentence?
The word je is the verb meaning 'is'. It is the third-person singular form of the verb to be. In Croatian, it acts as the bridge connecting the subject (kava) to its description (topla).