Breakdown of Ova stvar je skupa.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
skup
expensive
stvar
thing
Questions & Answers about Ova stvar je skupa.
Why do we use the feminine words ova and skupa when stvar ends in a consonant?
In Croatian, most nouns that end in a consonant are masculine. However, there is a special group of feminine nouns that also end in a consonant. The word stvar (thing) is one of the most common exceptions. Because it is feminine, words describing it must take their feminine forms: ova (this) and skupa (expensive).
I've seen the word skupa used to mean "together". Why does it mean "expensive" here?
You are right! The word skupa has two completely different meanings. As an adverb, it means "together" (like in "idemo skupa" - let's go together). But here, it is the feminine form of the adjective skup, which means "expensive". You can tell it means "expensive" here because it is being used to describe the noun stvar.
Why is the word je in the middle of the sentence? Could I say "Je ova stvar skupa"?
No, you cannot start a standard sentence with je. In Croatian, je (meaning "is") is an enclitic, which is a "weak" word. These words have a strict rule: they usually go in the second position of the sentence (after the first word or the first phrase) and can never be the very first word. Placing it after the subject phrase ova stvar follows this rule perfectly.
How would this sentence change if I was talking about a masculine object, like a car ()?