Learn Hardcore Croatian: Stol je čist.

Stol: noun, masculine singular, nominative; the subject (“table”).
je: 3rd person singular present of biti (“to be”), an enclitic; the copula “is.”
čist: adjective “clean,” masculine singular nominative; a predicate adjective agreeing with the subject in gender and number (and in nominative case).

Why is there no article like “the” or “a” in Croatian?

Croatian has no articles. Context supplies definiteness or indefiniteness. Stol je čist. can mean either “The table is clean” (most common reading in context) or “A table is clean,” depending on what you’re talking about.

What case is stol in here, and when would it change?

It’s nominative because it’s the subject. Other common forms:

Genitive: stola (e.g., “nema stola” – “there is no table”)
Dative/Locative: stolu (e.g., “pri stolu,” “na stolu” – “at/on the table”)
Accusative: stol (e.g., “vidim stol” – “I see the table”)
Instrumental: stolom (e.g., “sa stolom” – “with the table”)

Why is the adjective čist masculine singular?

Predicate adjectives in Croatian agree with the subject’s gender and number (and appear in nominative). Stol is masculine singular, so you use čist (masc.sg.nom.). For other genders/numbers, the adjective changes accordingly.

How would this sentence look with a feminine or neuter subject?

Feminine: Stolica je čista. (“The chair is clean.”)
Neuter: Mlijeko je čisto. (“The milk is pure/clean.”)

How do I say it in the plural?

Plural subject: Stolovi su čisti. (“The tables are clean.”)
Note the changes:
- Noun: stol → stolovi (nom.pl.)
- Verb: je (is) → su (are)
- Adjective: čist → čisti (masc.pl.)
Present of “to be” (common short forms): sam, si, je, smo, ste, su

Where does je go, and can I move it around?

Je is an enclitic and normally occupies second position in the clause (after the first stressed element).

Neutral: Stol je čist.
With a fronted adverb: Danas je stol čist.
With a fronted prepositional phrase: U kuhinji je stol čist. Do not put je at the end: “Stol čist je.” is incorrect in standard usage.

Can I omit je?

Not in standard full sentences. You might see Stol čist in headlines, notes, or very telegraphic style, but in normal speech and writing you use je.

How do I ask a yes/no question?

Standard: Je li stol čist?
Colloquial contraction: Je l’ stol čist?
In casual speech, rising intonation on the statement can also indicate a question: Stol je čist?

How do I negate it?

Stol nije čist. (“The table isn’t clean.”)
nije = ne
- je, written as one word. You cannot split it.

Does čist mean “clear” (free of items) as well as “clean”?

Often yes, context decides:

After wiping: Stol je čist. = clean.
After removing dishes/clutter: Stol je čist. can be understood as “The table is clear.” If you mean “empty,” you can also say Stol je prazan. For “cleared,” verbs like (ra)ščistiti are used.

What’s the difference between čist and čisti?

čist: adjective, masc.sg. (“clean”).
čisti can be:
- adjective, masc.pl. (“clean” in plural): Stolovi su čisti.
- 3rd person singular of the verb čistiti (“to clean”): On čisti stol. (“He cleans the table.”) Context tells you which it is.

Is je ever the pronoun “her”?

Yes, je can be an unstressed pronoun meaning “her” (accusative) or “them” (feminine pl.) in some contexts: Vidim je. (“I see her.”) In Stol je čist., however, je is the verb “is.”

How do you pronounce it?

Stol: “stohl” (o like in “story,” short)
je: “yeh” (j = English y)
čist: “cheest” (č = ch in “church,” i = ee, final st as in “st”) Altogether: “Stohl yeh cheest.”

Can I front the adjective: Čist je stol.? What about Stol čist je.?

Čist je stol. is grammatical but marked; it emphasizes “clean” or contrasts with something else. Everyday neutral word order is Stol je čist.
Stol čist je. is ungrammatical because the enclitic je cannot be placed at the end.

Is stol always used, and how does this compare with other standards?

Standard Croatian prefers stol for “table.”
In Serbian, the usual word is sto.
In Bosnian, both sto and stol occur. Note the potential confusions: sto also means “one hundred,” and što (with š) means “what/that.”

How do I say “cleaner” and “cleanest”?

Comparative: čišći (“cleaner”) — Ovaj stol je čišći.
Superlative: najčišći (“cleanest”) — Ovaj stol je najčišći.