Opis posla odgovara radnom mjestu.

Here odgovara means matches, corresponds to, or fits.

The verb odgovarati can mean different things depending on context. A learner often first meets it as to answer/reply, but in this sentence it means to be suitable for or to correspond to something.

So Opis posla odgovara radnom mjestu means that the job description fits or corresponds to the position.

Because opis normally requires the genitive case for the thing being described.

• opis = description
• posao = job
• genitive singular of posao = posla

So:

• opis posla = description of the job / job description

This is very common in Croatian. Many nouns are followed by a second noun in the genitive to express an of relationship.

Examples:

• kraj dana = end of the day
• boja auta = color of the car
• naziv tvrtke = name of the company

Because the verb odgovarati takes the dative case when it means to suit, to fit, or to correspond to.

The basic form is:

• radno mjesto = workplace / job position

But after odgovarati, it changes to dative singular:

• radnom mjestu

So the structure is:

• Opis posla = subject
• odgovara = corresponds
• radnom mjestu = to the position

This is one of the most important things to remember with this verb:
odgovarati + dative

It is dative singular.

Breakdown:

• radno mjesto = nominative singular
• radnom mjestu = dative singular

Both words change because Croatian adjectives agree with the noun they describe:

• radno → radnom
• mjesto → mjestu

Since mjesto is a neuter singular noun, the adjective must match it in gender, number, and case.

In theory, odgovarati can mean to answer, but not in this sentence.

Why not?

Because the structure here points to the meaning to correspond to / fit:

• Opis posla odgovara radnom mjestu.

With radnom mjestu in the dative, the sentence naturally means that the job description matches the position.

If you wanted answer in the sense of replying, the context would be very different, for example:

• On odgovara na pitanje. = He is answering the question.

So:

• odgovarati na + accusative often means to answer
• odgovarati + dative often means to suit / correspond to

Because Croatian does not have articles like a, an, and the.

So:

• opis posla can mean a job description or the job description
• radnom mjestu can mean a position or the position

The exact meaning depends on context.

This is normal in Croatian, and learners have to get used to understanding definiteness from the situation rather than from articles.

The dictionary forms are:

• opis = description
• posao = job
• odgovarati = to correspond to / suit / answer
• radni = work-related
• mjesto = place, position

In the sentence, some words are changed because of grammar:

• posao → posla because of the genitive after opis
• radni → radnom and mjesto → mjestu because of the dative after odgovara

No, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, although this version is the most neutral and natural.

This sentence starts with the subject:

• Opis posla = the job description

Then the verb:

• odgovara

Then the dative complement:

• radnom mjestu

You could change the order for emphasis, for example:

• Radnom mjestu odgovara opis posla.

This still means essentially the same thing, but it sounds more marked or emphatic, as if you are focusing on the position.

So the original order is a good standard version, but it is not the only possible one.

Because it is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• from the verb odgovarati

The subject is opis posla, which is singular, so the verb must also be singular.

Conjugation of odgovarati in the present tense:

• ja odgovaram
• ti odgovaraš
• on/ona/ono odgovara
• mi odgovaramo
• vi odgovarate
• oni/one/ona odgovaraju

So opis posla odgovara = the job description corresponds

Yes, literally it is something like work place, but in Croatian it often means job position or post, not just a physical workplace.

So in this sentence, radnom mjestu is best understood as:

• the position
• the job post
• the role

depending on context.

That is why the sentence is about whether the job description fits the position, rather than whether it fits a physical location.

The three key grammar points are:

1. opis + genitive

   • opis posla = description of the job

2. odgovarati + dative

   • odgovara radnom mjestu = corresponds to the position

3. Croatian has no articles

   • so nouns appear without words like the or a

If you remember those three things, the structure of the sentence becomes much clearer.