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Questions & Answers about Moj posao je važan.
What does each word do grammatically in Moj posao je važan?
- Moj: possessive adjective meaning my; agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case (here: masculine nominative singular).
- posao: noun meaning job/work; masculine nominative singular; it’s the subject.
- je: 3rd person singular present of biti (to be); a clitic/copula.
- važan: adjective meaning important; predicate adjective agreeing with posao (masculine nominative singular).
Why is the adjective važan masculine, and how would it change with other nouns?
It must agree with the subject posao, which is masculine singular. Changes:
- Feminine singular: važna (e.g., Moja knjiga je važna).
- Neuter singular: važno (e.g., Moje pitanje je važno).
- Plurals: masculine plural važni (e.g., Moji poslovi su važni), feminine plural važne (e.g., Moje knjige su važne), neuter plural važna (e.g., Moja pitanja su važna). Note that with plural subjects, je becomes su.
Can I omit je, or use jest instead?
- In standard sentences you cannot omit je: Moj posao važan is incorrect (except in headline/telegraphic style).
- You can use jest for emphasis or a formal tone: Moj posao jest važan.
- The negative of je is nije (not nejest): Moj posao nije važan.
Is Moj je posao važan also correct? Why does je move?
Yes. Je is a clitic that tends to sit in second position. It can appear after the first stressed word (Moj je posao važan) or after the first phrase (Moj posao je važan). Both are fine; the meaning is the same. You can also front the adjective for emphasis: Važan je moj posao (puts more focus on important).
How do I turn it into a yes–no question (Is my job important)?
- Standard: Je li moj posao važan?
- Colloquial/regionally common: Da li je moj posao važan? Avoid Li je…; li follows the verb: Je li…
How do I negate it?
Use nije (not… is): Moj posao nije važan. With plural: Moji poslovi nisu važni.
Why are both posao and važan in the nominative?
It’s an equational sentence with the verb biti (to be). The subject (posao) and the predicate adjective (važan) are in the nominative and the adjective agrees with the subject, not with any implied object.
What’s the difference between Moj posao je važan and Posao mi je važan / Meni je posao važan?
- Moj posao je važan states a general fact: my job is important (objectively or generally).
- Posao mi je važan / Meni je posao važan uses the dative mi/meni (to me), meaning my job is important to me. It emphasizes personal importance rather than general importance.
Any quick pronunciation tips for Moj posao je važan?
- j is like English y (so je ≈ yeh; Moj ≈ moy).
- ž is like the zh in measure (važan ≈ VAH-zhahn).
- posao has three syllables: po-sa-o; the ao are two separate vowels, not one diphthong.
- Natural Croatian stress is typically early in words; keep vowels clear and short.
What’s the difference between posao and rad (both often translated as work)?
- posao: job/employment; also a specific task or piece of work. Common in everyday talk. Example: Na poslu = at work (at one’s job).
- rad: work/labor (the activity), or an academic paper. Example: Moj rad je važan means my work (the work I do/the paper) is important, not my job position.
Why is it Moj and not Moja or Moje?
Because posao is masculine singular, the possessive must match:
- Masculine sg: moj posao
- Feminine sg: moja knjiga
- Neuter sg: moje pitanje
- Plurals: masculine moji, feminine moje, neuter moja (e.g., Moji poslovi, Moje knjige, Moja pitanja)
What’s the plural of posao, and how would the sentence look in the plural?
Plural is poslovi. The sentence becomes: Moji poslovi su važni. Related forms you’ll see: genitive singular posla (e.g., imam puno posla = I have a lot of work), locative o poslu (about work), instrumental s poslom (with the job/work).
Can I say My important job by putting the adjective before the noun?
Yes, attributively: važan posao. With a possessive: moj važan posao is grammatically fine but sounds marked; more natural is:
- Imam važan posao (I have an important job), or
- Moj posao je važan (My job is important). Use the predicative form (je važan) when making a statement about the job; use attributive (važan posao) when describing a job you have/mention.
Are there common synonyms for važan?
- bitan (very common, often interchangeable): Moj posao je bitan.
- značajan (more formal/academic): Moj posao je značajan. Nuance: bitan can feel slightly more colloquial; značajan can imply significance/impact in a formal context.