Note
Mačka is feminine, therefore mali becomes mala.
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Questions & Answers about Mačka je mala.
Why is there no word for the article the or a in Mačka je mala?
Croatian does not use definite or indefinite articles like the or a. Definiteness and indefiniteness are inferred from context. So Mačka je mala can mean “The cat is small” or “A cat is small,” depending on the situation.
What case and number is mačka in, and why?
Mačka is in the nominative singular case because it’s the subject of the sentence. In Croatian, the subject of a clause typically appears in the nominative.
Why does the adjective mala end with -a?
Adjectives in Croatian agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case. Since mačka is feminine singular nominative, the adjective takes the feminine singular nominative ending -a, producing mala.
What is je, and why is it used here?
Je is the third-person singular present tense of the verb biti (“to be”). It links the subject mačka (“cat”) with the adjective mala (“small”), so Mačka je mala literally means “Cat is small.”
How would I say “Cats are small” instead?
You put both noun and adjective into the nominative plural and use the plural of biti. That gives:
• Mačke (feminine nominative plural of mačka)
• su (third-person plural present of biti)
• male (feminine nominative plural of mali)
So: Mačke su male.
How do I say “This cat is small”?
Add the demonstrative ova (feminine nominative singular): • Ova mačka je mala.
If I really want to say “A cat is small,” can I add something?
Yes. Although context usually does the job, you can emphasize “one” by saying Jedna mačka je mala. Here jedna means “one” and acts like an indefinite article.
Could I swap the word order to Mala je mačka or Je mačka mala?
Croatian word order is flexible.
- Mala je mačka. is grammatical and shifts emphasis onto mala (“It’s small—the cat is”).
- Je mačka mala? turns it into a question (“Is the cat small?”).
- Simply Je mala mačka also works for “Is it a small cat?” with a nuance difference.
What if the cat is male—does anything change?
The noun for a male cat is mačak, which is masculine, and the adjective must match:
• Mačak je mali.
Here mali is the masculine singular nominative form of mali (“small”).