Dobio je otkaz.

to be

Breakdown of Dobio je otkaz.

• dobiti: to get
• otkaz: dismissal; cancellation

Questions & Answers about Dobio je otkaz.

Why is there no word for he in the sentence?

In Croatian, subject pronouns are often omitted when they are clear from context.

Here, dobio is the masculine singular past form, so it already suggests he. Because of that, Dobio je otkaz naturally means He got fired or He was fired.

You could also say On je dobio otkaz, but that sounds more emphatic, like He got fired.

What does dobio mean here?

Dobio is the masculine singular past participle of dobiti, which means to get, to receive, or to obtain.

So literally, dobio je means he got or he received.

In this sentence, though, it is part of the fixed expression dobiti otkaz, which means to get fired.

Why is je there?