Osvjetljenje je dobro.

The lighting is good.

Breakdown of Osvjetljenje je dobro.

• biti: to be
• dobro: well
• osvjetljenje: lighting; illumination

Questions & Answers about Osvjetljenje je dobro.

Why is it dobro and not dobar or dobra?

Because osvjetljenje is a neuter singular noun, and adjectives in Croatian must agree with the noun in gender and number.

• dobar = masculine singular
• dobra = feminine singular
• dobro = neuter singular

So:

• dobar stol = a good table
• dobra knjiga = a good book
• dobro osvjetljenje = good lighting

In Osvjetljenje je dobro, the adjective comes after je, but it still agrees with osvjetljenje, so it must be dobro.

How do I know that osvjetljenje is neuter?

A very common clue is the ending -e. In Croatian, many nouns ending in -e or -o are neuter.

So osvjetljenje behaves as a neuter noun, which is why it takes:

• je for is
• dobro for good

This is a useful pattern, although, as always, it is best to learn each noun together with its gender.

What exactly is je here?