Dobio je otkaz.

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.

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.

Je is the 3rd person singular present form of biti (to be), and it is used as an auxiliary verb to form the Croatian past tense, often called the perfect.

So:

• dobio = past participle
• je = auxiliary is/has in function, not in literal meaning

Together, dobio je means he got / he has got in past-tense structure.

This is because je is a clitic, and clitics in Croatian usually come in the second position in the sentence.

So in Dobio je otkaz:

• first element: Dobio
• second-position clitic: je

That is the normal word order.

Other word orders are possible in some contexts, but Dobio je otkaz is the most natural neutral version.

Otkaz literally means something like notice, cancellation, or termination, depending on context.

In employment language, it refers to dismissal notice or termination of employment.

That is why:

• dobiti otkaz = to get fired
• dati otkaz = to resign / give notice

So although the literal sense may not be obvious, this is a very common idiomatic expression.

It is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of dobiti.

The tricky part is that otkaz is a masculine inanimate noun, and for many masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: otkaz
• accusative: otkaz

That is normal.

No. Dobio je otkaz means he was fired or he got fired.

This is an important distinction:

• dobiti otkaz = to be fired
• dati otkaz = to resign, literally to give notice

So if you switch the verb, the meaning changes a lot.

Yes, in this form it refers to a masculine subject.

The form dobio is masculine singular. If the subject were feminine, you would say:

• Dobila je otkaz. = She got fired.

If you are talking about a mixed group or masculine plural:

• Dobili su otkaz. = They got fired.

Croatian often expresses this idea with the idiom dobiti otkaz rather than with a direct passive equivalent of to fire.

So instead of saying something exactly like He was fired, Croatian very naturally says He got notice/termination.

This is one of those expressions that is best learned as a whole phrase:

• dobiti otkaz = to get fired

Yes. The verb dobiti is perfective, so it presents the event as a completed whole.

That fits the meaning well: the firing happened as a single completed event.

If you are just learning aspect, the important practical point is:

• dobiti = completed get/receive
• dobivao or similar forms would express repeated or ongoing receiving, which would not fit this sentence

So Dobio je otkaz refers to the completed event of being fired.

Yes, absolutely.

• Dobio je otkaz. = neutral, natural
• On je dobio otkaz. = He got fired, with extra emphasis on he

Croatian often drops pronouns unless there is a reason to stress them, contrast them, or clarify who is being talked about.

A rough pronunciation for an English speaker is:

DOH-bee-oh yeh OT-kaz

More approximately:

• Dobio = doh-BEE-oh
• je = yeh
• otkaz = OT-kaz

The j in Croatian is pronounced like English y in yes.