Learn Hardcore Croatian: Kuća je velika.

Croatian does not use articles (definite or indefinite) the way English does. A bare noun like kuća can mean “a house,” “the house,” or simply “house,” depending on context.

What part of speech is je, and how does it function here?

je is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti (“to be”). It acts as the copula linking the subject kuća with the adjective velika.

Why does velika end in –a?

Adjectives in Croatian must agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case. Kuća is feminine, singular, and in the nominative case, so the adjective takes the feminine singular nominative ending –a, yielding velika (“big”).

What case is kuća in this sentence?

It’s in the nominative singular because kuća is the subject of the verb je.

How do adjectives agree with nouns in Croatian?

Adjectives match their noun in three ways:
• Gender (masculine/feminine/neuter)
• Number (singular/plural)
• Case (nominative, genitive, dative, etc.)
Examples for “big” in nominative singular:
• Masculine: velik (npr. auto je velik)
• Feminine: velika (npr. kuća je velika)
• Neuter: veliko (npr. dječje igralište je veliko)

How would I make the sentence negative?

Attach the negative particle ni- to the verb:
Kuća nije velika.
Literally, “House not-is big.”

How do you form the yes/no question “Is the house big?”

Option 1: Insert the interrogative particle li after the verb:
Je li kuća velika?
Option 2 (colloquial): Keep the same word order and use rising intonation:
Kuća je velika?

Can I drop je as some languages drop “to be”?

No, in standard Croatian the copula in the present tense is required. Omitting je (e.g. Kuća velika) works only in headlines, bullet points, or very informal notes, but not in normal speech or writing.

What is the neutral word order in this kind of sentence?

Subject–Verb–Predicate (SVO) is the neutral order here: Kuća (S) je (V) velika (P). Note that je is a clitic and always occupies the second position in a clause.

How would I say “Our house is big”?

Use a possessive adjective that agrees with kuća:
Naša kuća je velika.
Here naša (“our”) is feminine singular nominative to match kuća.