Žena je trudna.

Žena is in the nominative singular, which is the form typically used for the subject of the sentence.

In Žena je trudna, žena is the person being talked about, so nominative is the correct case.

A few useful forms of žena are:

• žena = nominative singular
• žene = genitive singular / nominative plural
• ženu = accusative singular
• ženi = dative/locative singular
• ženom = instrumental singular

Here, the basic subject form žena is exactly what you need.

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti (to be).

So:

• ja sam = I am
• ti si = you are
• on/ona/ono je = he/she/it is

In this sentence, je links the subject žena with the description trudna, just like is in English.

So grammatically, the structure is:

• Žena = subject
• je = is
• trudna = predicate adjective

Because Croatian adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

Žena is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective also has to be feminine singular nominative:

• masculine: trudan
• feminine: trudna
• neuter: trudno

That is why Žena je trudna is correct.

Yes. Trudna is an adjective.

In this sentence, it works as a predicate adjective, meaning it comes after the verb to be and describes the subject.

This is similar to English:

• The woman is tired.
• The woman is happy.
• The woman is pregnant.

Croatian works the same way here:

• Žena je umorna.
• Žena je sretna.
• Žena je trudna.

Croatian does not have articles like English a/an and the.

So žena can mean:

• a woman
• the woman
• sometimes just woman, depending on context

The exact meaning depends on the situation, not on a separate article word.

That is very normal in Croatian, so learners need to get used to understanding definiteness from context.

No. In most cases, you do not need to add the pronoun ona.

Croatian usually leaves subject pronouns out unless they are needed for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

So the normal sentence is:

• Žena je trudna.

If you said:

• Ona je trudna.

that would mean She is pregnant, with the subject understood from context.

If you said:

• Ta žena je trudna.

that would mean That woman is pregnant.

So in your sentence, žena already names the subject clearly, and ona would be unnecessary.

Yes, Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral, standard order here is:

• Žena je trudna.

But other orders are possible, depending on emphasis or style, for example:

• Trudna je žena.
• Je li žena trudna? = Is the woman pregnant?

Even though word order can change, the most natural basic sentence for a learner is still:

• Žena je trudna.

So it is best to learn this as the default pattern first.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• žena ≈ ZHEH-na
• je ≈ yeh
• trudna ≈ TROOD-na

A few key points:

• ž sounds like the s in measure or the g in genre
• j in Croatian sounds like English y
• Croatian vowels are usually clear and short, without much reduction

So the full sentence sounds roughly like:

• ZHEH-na yeh TROOD-na

In standard Croatian, je is a short unstressed form called a clitic, and clitics usually appear near the beginning of the sentence, often in the second position.

That is why:

• Žena je trudna. is normal

but:

• Žena trudna je. sounds unnatural in standard usage

This is a very important pattern in Croatian. Short forms like je, sam, si, se, and some pronouns often follow this kind of placement rule.

So for a beginner, the safest choice is:

• put the first full word first
• then place je
• then continue the sentence

In its literal everyday meaning, trudna is the feminine form and is used with a female subject.

You may also see related forms because of grammar:

• trudna žena = a pregnant woman
• trudna je = she is pregnant

If you are talking about grammatical form only, Croatian adjectives change for gender:

• trudan = masculine form
• trudna = feminine form
• trudno = neuter form

But in normal real-world usage with the meaning pregnant, the sentence naturally uses the feminine form when referring to a woman.

The plural would be:

• Žene su trudne.

Here is what changes:

• žena → žene (women)
• je → su (are)
• trudna → trudne (feminine plural adjective)

So this is a good example of agreement:

• singular: Žena je trudna.
• plural: Žene su trudne.

Yes. It is in the present tense.

The present tense is shown by je, the present form of biti (to be).

So the sentence means that the state is true now.

If you wanted other tenses, Croatian would change the verb, for example:

• Žena je bila trudna. = The woman was pregnant.
• Žena će biti trudna. = The woman will be pregnant.

But your original sentence is straightforward present tense.

Yes. Besides Žena je trudna, you may also hear expressions like:

• Ona je trudna. = She is pregnant.
• Ta žena je trudna. = That woman is pregnant.

There are also more indirect or idiomatic ways in some contexts, but trudna is the clear, standard, everyday adjective learners should know first.

So if your goal is normal, correct Croatian, Žena je trudna is an excellent model sentence.