Questions & Answers about Ovaj stol je nov.
Why do we use ovaj instead of ova or ovo?
Ovaj is the word for 'this' when talking about masculine nouns. The word for table, stol, ends in a consonant, which tells us it is masculine. If we were talking about a feminine noun, we would use ova, and for a neuter noun, we would use ovo.
Why is the adjective nov without an -i at the end?
In Croatian, masculine adjectives often have two forms: short and long. We use the short form nov because it comes after the verb to describe the subject (This table is new). If we wanted to group it with the noun to say 'this new table', we would use the long form: ovaj novi stol.
Where does the little word je have to go in a sentence like this?
Je means 'is', and it is a special kind of word called a clitic. Clitics are short words that do not carry their own stress, and they usually demand to be in the second position in a sentence. Here, the whole phrase Ovaj stol (This table) acts as the first block of information, so je comfortably takes the second spot.
Can I drop the word stol and just say 'This is new'?
Yes! If you are pointing right at the table and it is obvious what you mean, you can just say Ovaj je nov (This one is new). You must still use the masculine form ovaj because the object you are referring to is masculine in Croatian.