Vino je u čaši.

to be

Breakdown of Vino je u čaši.

• u: in
• čaša: glass
• vino: wine

Questions & Answers about Vino je u čaši.

What is the role of each word in Vino je u čaši?

• vino = wine
• je = is
• u = in
• čaši = glass in the form used after u to show location

So the structure is very close to English: Wine is in the glass.

Why is je used here?

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

So:

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

Since vino is a singular noun, Croatian uses je: Vino je...

Why is it čaši and not čaša?

The basic dictionary form is čaša (glass). But after the preposition u when it means in, Croatian normally uses the locative case.

So:

• nominative: čaša
• locative: u čaši

This is why the ending changes from -a to -i.