Questions & Answers about Mi smo dobri prijatelji.
Why is the subject pronoun mi used here? It seems redundant in English.
Croatian is a pro-drop language: the person and number are indicated by the verb ending. The pronoun mi can be omitted unless you want to add emphasis or clarity.
What does smo mean in this sentence?
smo is the first-person plural present-tense form of the verb biti (to be). It corresponds to English “are” in “we are.”
Why is the adjective dobri used here instead of dobro or dobrih?
Adjectives in Croatian agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. prijatelji is masculine-animate plural in the nominative case, so the adjective dobar changes to dobri.
What is the grammatical case of prijatelji and why?
prijatelji is in the nominative plural masculine-animate case because it is the subject of the sentence (“Who are we? Friends.”).
Why are there no words for “the” or “a” before dobri prijatelji?
Croatian has no articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context, so you don’t use “a” or “the.”