Breakdown of To su teška pitanja.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
to
that
težak
difficult / severe, serious
pitanje
question
Questions & Answers about To su teška pitanja.
Why do pitanja and teška both end in -a if they are plural? Isn't -a for singular feminine words?
This is a common trap! While most feminine singular words end in -a, this sentence uses a neuter noun. The singular neuter noun is pitanje (question). In the plural, regular neuter nouns change their ending to -a. The adjective teška (difficult) must match the noun, so it also takes the neuter plural -a ending.
Why does the sentence start with to (that) instead of a plural word for 'those'?
When you are pointing things out or introducing them with phrases like 'These are' or 'Those are', Croatian simply uses the fixed phrase to su followed by the plural noun. You do not change the word to to match the gender or number of the things you are pointing at.
Can teška mean anything else besides 'difficult'?
Yes! The base adjective is težak, which physically means 'heavy' (like a heavy box). Just like in English, it is also used metaphorically to mean 'difficult' or 'hard', which is why it describes pitanja (questions) here.
How would I say 'That is a difficult question' in the singular?