Questions & Answers about On je dobro.
Where is the verb in this sentence?
The verb is je, which means "is". It is the short, unstressed form of the verb biti (to be) used for he, she, or it.
Do I always need to use On to mean "he"?
No, Croatian usually drops subject pronouns like ja (I) or on (he) because the context and the verb already make it clear who you are talking about. Including On in this sentence adds emphasis, making it mean He is well (perhaps in contrast to someone else who is not).
If I drop the word On, can I just say Je dobro?
No, you would have to say Dobro je. The word je is a "clitic" (a short, unstressed word). There is a strict rule in Croatian that clitics cannot start a sentence; they strongly prefer to sit in the second position. If On isn't there to take the first spot, dobro has to go first to give the clitic a word to lean on.
Since "he" is masculine, why use dobro instead of the masculine adjective dobar?
When talking about how someone is feeling or doing, Croatian uses the adverb dobro (well), which never changes its ending to match gender. If you were to say On je dobar, you would be using the adjective form, which means "He is a good person" (a permanent character trait) rather than "He is feeling well" (a current state of being).
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