Tvrdi isto.

He claims the same thing.

Breakdown of Tvrdi isto.

• isti: same
• tvrditi: to claim; assert

Questions & Answers about Tvrdi isto.

What does tvrdi mean here, grammatically?

Tvrdi is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb tvrditi, which means to claim, to assert, or to maintain.

So tvrdi can mean:

• he claims
• she claims
• it claims (less common, depending on context)

Croatian usually does not need an explicit subject pronoun, so the subject is understood from context.

Why is there no word for he, she, or it?

Croatian often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed. The verb ending already tells you the person and number.

Since tvrdi is 3rd person singular, the sentence can mean:

• He claims the same thing
• She claims the same thing

You would only add on or ona if you wanted to emphasize the subject:

• On tvrdi isto. = He claims the same.
• Ona tvrdi isto. = She claims the same.

What is isto doing in this sentence?