Breakdown of Ovi problemi su mali.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
ovaj
this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)
mali
small
problem
problem
Questions & Answers about Ovi problemi su mali.
Why does the word problem change to problemi in this sentence?
Problem is a regular masculine noun. In Croatian, to make a regular masculine noun plural when it is the subject of the sentence (the nominative case), you add -i to the end. So, you have one problem, but multiple problemi.
Notice how ovi, problemi, and mali all end in -i. Is that a coincidence?
Not at all! This is a great example of agreement. In Croatian, adjectives like mali (small) and pronouns like ovi (these) must match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case. Because problemi is masculine and plural, the describing words also take the matching masculine plural ending -i.
Is the verb su following the second position rule here?
Yes, it is! su (are) is an enclitic, which is a "weak" word that always wants to be in the second position of a sentence. Here, the entire phrase Ovi problemi (These problems) acts as a single block of meaning, counting as the first position. su sits naturally in the second position right after it.
Since problem is a loanword, does it have any special or irregular grammar rules?
No, it behaves perfectly normally! Even though it is an internationally recognized word, its base form ends in a consonant. In Croatian, nouns ending in a consonant are almost always masculine, so problem acts exactly like any native regular masculine noun.
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