Udomitelj je danas zabrinut, ali je inače miran.

Udomitelj is the subject of the sentence, and it is in the nominative singular.

The adjectives zabrinut and miran show that the subject is treated as masculine singular here. If the subject were feminine, you would normally expect:

Udomiteljica je danas zabrinuta, ali je inače mirna.

Because the sentence contains two linked parts:

• Udomitelj je danas zabrinut
• ali je inače miran

In English, we also repeat is in similar structures: He is worried today, but is otherwise calm.

In Croatian, repeating je is very natural here. You may also hear a shorter version without the second je:

Udomitelj je danas zabrinut, ali inače miran.

That is also possible, but the version with both je sounds clear and standard.

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

So here it means is.

Because je is an unstressed form, it behaves like a clitic, which affects where it tends to appear in the sentence.

They are in the masculine singular nominative form because they agree with udomitelj.

Here they function as predicate adjectives after je:

• zabrinut = worried
• miran = calm

If the subject changed, the adjective forms would change too:

• masculine singular: zabrinut, miran
• feminine singular: zabrinuta, mirna
• neuter singular: zabrinuto, mirno
• plural masculine: zabrinuti, mirni

Because je is a clitic, and Croatian clitics usually appear very early in the clause.

So ali je inače miran is a very natural order.

Croatian word order is flexible, so other arrangements are possible in the right context, but this version is neutral and idiomatic.

Here inače means something like:

• normally
• usually
• as a rule
• under normal circumstances

So the sentence contrasts:

• danas = today, right now
• inače = usually, in general

That gives the idea: today he is worried, but normally he is calm.

Yes.

That contrast is mainly created by the adverbs:

• danas = temporary, for today
• inače = usual, general pattern

Croatian does not use two different verbs like some languages do for temporary vs. more permanent states. The contrast comes from context and time expressions, not from changing the verb to be.

Because Croatian has no articles.

So Croatian does not normally use separate words corresponding to English a/an or the.

Whether udomitelj means a foster parent/caregiver or the foster parent/caregiver depends on context.

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible.

For example, you could also say:

Danas je udomitelj zabrinut, ali je inače miran.

This puts more emphasis on danas.

The original sentence is a neutral, natural way to say it. When word order changes in Croatian, the basic meaning often stays the same, but the focus or emphasis can shift.

Because ali means but, and in Croatian it normally introduces a contrasting clause.

So the comma is standard:

Udomitelj je danas zabrinut, ali je inače miran.

This is similar to English punctuation before but in many sentences.

Yes.

Croatian often leaves things out when they are already understood from context. So if everyone already knows who you are talking about, you could simply say:

Danas je zabrinut, ali je inače miran.

That would mean He is worried today, but otherwise he is calm.

Croatian often avoids repeating the subject when it is already obvious.