Learn Croatian: Ovaj restoran nije blizu. - This restaurant is not near.

Ovaj restoran nije blizu.

This restaurant is not near.

Breakdown of Ovaj restoran nije blizu.

ovaj

this (m) / ova (f), ovo (n)

restoran

restaurant

nisam

am not (nisi, nije, nismo, niste, nisu)

blizu

near

Questions & Answers about Ovaj restoran nije blizu.

Why is the word for 'is not' written as nije?

In Croatian, the verb biti (to be) has a special set of negative forms. Instead of just putting ne (no/not) in front of je (is), the words combine into nije. You will always use nije when saying that he, she, or it 'is not'.

Why do we use Ovaj for 'This'?

Ovaj is the masculine form of the word 'this'. It is used here because restoran is a masculine noun. If you were talking about a feminine noun, like škola (school), you would use ova instead.

Does the word blizu (near) need to match the masculine noun restoran?

No, it doesn't change. In this sentence, blizu acts as an adverb of place, telling us where the restaurant is. Adverbs do not have genders, so blizu always stays exactly the same regardless of what noun you are talking about.

Can I leave out the word restoran if it is already obvious what I am talking about?

Yes! If you and your friend are already looking at a restaurant on a map or talking about it, you can just say Ovaj nije blizu (This one is not near). The word Ovaj works perfectly on its own to mean 'this one'.