Držanje tijela je uspravno.

The posture is upright.

Breakdown of Držanje tijela je uspravno.

• biti: to be
• držanje tijela: posture
• uspravan: upright; erect

Questions & Answers about Držanje tijela je uspravno.

What does držanje tijela literally mean?

Literally, držanje tijela means holding of the body.

In natural English, that becomes posture. So the Croatian phrase is a very normal way to talk about someone’s posture.

• držanje = holding, keeping, bearing, posture
• tijela = of the body

So the whole sentence is structured like:

Posture of the body is upright.

In smoother English, that is simply The posture is upright or The body posture is upright.

Is držanje related to the verb držati?

Yes. Držanje comes from držati, which means to hold, to keep, or sometimes to maintain.

The ending -nje often makes a verbal noun in Croatian, similar to how English can make nouns like holding or keeping.

So:

• držati = to hold
• držanje = holding / posture / bearing

In this sentence, držanje does not mean a literal act of holding something in your hands. It refers to the way the body is held, so posture.

Why is it tijela and not tijelo?