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Questions & Answers about Danas je posao lakši.
What are the parts of speech and grammatical forms in this sentence?
- Danas — adverb meaning today.
- je — clitic, 3rd person singular present of the verb biti (to be) = is.
- posao — noun, masculine, nominative singular; the subject.
- lakši — comparative adjective of lak (easy/light), nominative masculine singular; predicate adjective agreeing with posao.
Why is there no article like the or a before posao?
Croatian has no articles. Definiteness is inferred from context, word order, or modifiers. Danas je posao lakši can correspond to English The work is easier today or Work is easier today. If you specifically mean today’s work, you can also say Današnji posao je lakši (Today’s work is easier).
What case are posao and lakši in, and why?
Both are in the nominative singular masculine. In Croatian, with the copula biti (to be), the subject (posao) and the predicate noun/adjective (lakši) are in the nominative and must agree in gender and number.
Why lakši and not lakše?
- lakši is the masculine adjective form (agreeing with posao).
- lakše can be either the neuter adjective or an adverb meaning more easily. You need an adjective to describe a noun: Danas je posao lakši. If you want an adverb, use a verb: Danas je lakše raditi (It’s easier to work today).
How is the comparative lakši formed? Can I say više lak?
The base adjective is lak (easy/light). Its comparative is irregular: lak → lakši (not laki or lakiji). Don’t form comparatives with više + adjective; say lakši, not više lak. The opposite is težak → teži (hard → harder).
Can I change the word order?
Yes, word order is flexible, with differences in focus:
- Danas je posao lakši. (neutral; focuses on lakši/easier)
- Posao je danas lakši. (slight focus on today)
- Danas je lakši posao. (can sound like Today, an easier job [is the one we have], i.e., contrast between jobs) All must respect clitic placement for je (see next question).
Where does je have to go?
je is a clitic and must appear in “second position” in the clause, after the first stressed unit:
- Danas je posao lakši. (correct)
- Posao je danas lakši. (correct)
- Danas posao je lakši. (sounds wrong; je is too late) With more clitics: Danas mi je posao lakši (Today the work is easier for me). je cannot start the sentence.
How do I negate this sentence?
Use nije (the negative of je):
- Danas posao nije lakši. (The work is not easier today.) To contrastively negate the subject: Danas nije posao lakši (nego jučer) (It’s not the work that’s easier [than yesterday]…).
How do I ask “Is the work easier today?”
- Standard: Je li danas posao lakši?
- Common in speech: Da li je danas posao lakši?
- Very colloquial: Jel danas posao lakši? Avoid starting with plain Je danas…? in the standard language; use je li.
How do I say “than yesterday” or compare with something?
- With clauses/adverbs: Danas je posao lakši nego jučer. (…than yesterday)
- With nouns (genitive after od): Danas je posao lakši od jučerašnjeg posla; lakši od onog posla; lakši od prije. nego is usual with adjectives/adverbs; od + genitive is usual before nouns/pronouns.
Could lakši here mean “lighter” (not so heavy), not just “easier”?
Yes. lak means both easy and light (in weight). In practice:
- For tasks/difficulty: lak/lakši is common (Zadatak je lakši).
- For weight: lagan/laganiji is also frequent, but lak/lakši is possible. Context normally makes the meaning clear.
Is posao really masculine even though it ends in -o?
Yes. posao is a masculine noun with a slightly irregular pattern:
- N sg: posao
- G sg: posla (also used as a mass: puno posla = a lot of work)
- D/L sg: poslu
- I sg: poslom
- N pl: poslovi So Danas je posao lakši uses the nominative singular.
Do adjectives always agree with the noun?
Yes, in gender, number, and case. Examples:
- Feminine: Danas je zadaća lakša. (Homework is easier today.)
- Neuter: Danas je pitanje lakše. (The question is easier today.)
- Plural: Danas su poslovi lakši. (Jobs/tasks are easier today.)
How do I pronounce Danas je posao lakši?
- Danas: DA-nahs
- je: yeh (j = English y)
- posao: POH-sah-oh (the a and o are separate: a‑o)
- lakši: LAHK-shee (š = English sh) Keep all vowels clear and short; stress typically falls early in Croatian words.