Otkaz radionice bio je problem.

The cancellation of the workshop was a problem.

Breakdown of Otkaz radionice bio je problem.

• biti: to be
• problem: problem
• radionica: workshop
• otkaz: dismissal; cancellation

Questions & Answers about Otkaz radionice bio je problem.

Which word is the subject of the sentence?

The subject is otkaz.

You can tell because:

• otkaz is in the nominative singular
• the past form bio is masculine singular, and it agrees with otkaz
• radionice is not the subject; it is dependent on otkaz

So the basic structure is:

• otkaz radionice = the cancellation of the workshop
• bio je problem = was a problem

Why is radionice used here, and not radionica or radionicu?

Because after the noun otkaz, Croatian uses the genitive to mean of something.

So:

• radionica = workshop, workshop session
• radionice = of the workshop

That means:

• otkaz radionice = cancellation of the workshop

This is a very common Croatian pattern:

• noun + genitive noun
• for example, kraj sastanka = end of the meeting

So radionice is not a direct object here. It is a genitive modifier.

What exactly does otkaz mean here?