Learn Hardcore Croatian: Film je gotov.

Film: noun, masculine singular nominative (subject), “film/movie.”
je: clitic form of biti (to be), 3rd person singular present, “is.”
gotov: adjective meaning “finished/done/ready,” masculine singular nominative agreeing with film.

Why is je in the middle?

Because je is a clitic (an unstressed short word) and Croatian clitics normally go in “second position” in the clause—after the first stressed word or phrase. Here, the first stressed word is Film, so we get Film je gotov.

Could I say Gotov je film instead?

Yes, and it’s grammatical. Fronting gotov puts focus/emphasis on the state “finished,” roughly like saying “Finished is the film” or “The film is indeed finished.” It’s used for contrast, surprise, or emphasis.

Can I omit je and say Film gotov?

Not in standard speech. You may see omission in headlines or note-style writing (e.g., Film gotov in a title). In normal sentences, include je. In the negative, je fuses into nije: Film nije gotov.

How do I make the yes/no question “Is the film finished?”

Standard: Je li film gotov?
Colloquial contraction: Je l’ film gotov?
You’ll also hear Da li je film gotov? in the region, but it’s not preferred in standard Croatian. Avoid Je film gotov? in standard language; you can say Film je gotov? as an echo/surprised question.

How do I negate it, and where do adverbs go?

Negation: Film nije gotov.
With “still/not yet”: Film još nije gotov.
With “already”: Film je već gotov. Keep the clitic in second position: Još is stressed, so Još nije gotov.; Već is stressed, so Već je gotov.

What changes with gender and number?

Adjectives agree with the noun:

Masculine singular: Film je gotov.
Feminine singular: Serija je gotova.
Neuter singular: Pivo je gotovo.
Plural: Filmovi su gotovi. / Serije su gotove. / Piva su gotova. Note that the verb also changes to plural su in the plural.

Why is it gotov and not gotovo here?

Because film is masculine singular, so the adjective must be gotov. Gotovo is the neuter form used with neuter nouns (e.g., Pivo je gotovo). Be aware that gotovo can also be an adverb meaning “almost”: Gotovo sam zaspao = “I almost fell asleep.”

Does Film je gotov mean “The movie is over,” or “The movie is finished (made/edited)”?

Context decides:

For “The movie is over (it ended),” the most natural sentence is Film je završio.
Film je gotov is often used for “The movie is finished” in the sense of production/post-production being completed. It can also be used after watching, but završio is more idiomatic for “over.”

What’s the difference between gotov, završen, and dovršen?

gotov: general “done/finished/ready.” Very common and neutral.
završen: “completed/finished” (past participle used adjectivally), often more formal/precise; great for projects or tasks.
dovršen: “finished to completion,” “brought to a polished end,” more literary/nuanced. All three can work in many contexts; nuance and style decide.

How is this different from Film je završio?

Film je gotov: describes a state (“the film is in a finished state”).
Film je završio: an event (“the film ended/has finished”). Use završio for the end of a screening; gotov for a completed product or state.

How do I pronounce it?

Film: [film], one syllable.
je: [je], clitic and usually unstressed.
gotov: roughly [ɡo-tov], stress on the first syllable; the final v is a labiodental approximant [ʋ], not an English “v” or “f.”

Can gotov go before the noun, like “the finished film”?

Yes. Attributive use is possible and then it inflects for case:

gotov film = “a finished film”
Genitive: bez gotovog filma (“without the finished film”)
Accusative: gledam gotov film (“I’m watching the finished film”) You’ll also often see završen film in this attributive meaning.

What about the form jest?

jest is a more emphatic or formal variant of je. You might see:

Film jest gotov, ali… (“The film is indeed finished, but…”)
In questions: Jest li film gotov? (formal/archaic-flavored) In everyday speech, stick with je / je li.

How do I talk about other tenses, like “was finished” or “will be finished”?

Past state: Film je bio gotov. (“The film was finished.”)
Future state: Film će biti gotov. (“The film will be finished.”)
“will be finished by (time)”: Film će biti gotov do ponedjeljka.

Which case is film in here?

Nominative singular, because it’s the subject. Croatian doesn’t use articles, so Film can mean either “a film” or “the film” depending on context.