Breakdown of Jesi li bolestan, prijatelju?
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
prijatelj
friend
li
question particle
bolestan
sick
Questions & Answers about Jesi li bolestan, prijatelju?
Why do we use jesi here instead of the short form si?
To ask a yes/no question using the word li, you must use the full (emphatic) form of the verb 'to be' at the start of the sentence. Since si is the short form for 'you are', we use its full form jesi to build the question Jesi li...? (Are you...?).
Does the word li have a direct translation in English?
Not exactly. li is a question particle. It doesn't mean anything on its own, but placing it immediately after the verb (like jesi) signals that you are asking a yes/no question.
If I were asking a female friend if she is sick, would the sentence change?
Yes, the adjective would change. bolestan is the masculine form, used here because we are talking to a male friend. If you were asking a female, you would use the feminine form bolesna.
Why is it prijatelju instead of the dictionary word prijatelj?
In Croatian, when you are calling out to someone or addressing them directly, you use a special form called the vocative case. For many masculine nouns, this means adding an -u or -e to the end. So, prijatelj becomes prijatelju when you are speaking directly to him.
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