Learn Hardcore Croatian: Juha je topla, a salata je hladna. - The soup is warm, and the salad is cold.

a means “and/whereas” and highlights a contrast between the two clauses. It’s milder than ali (but), and more contrastive than simple i (and). Here it contrasts the soup’s warmth with the salad’s coldness. You could say Juha je topla, i salata je hladna, but it sounds less contrastive. For a stronger “but,” use ali: Juha je topla, ali je salata hladna.

Why are there no articles like “the” or “a”?

Croatian has no articles. Juha je topla can mean “The soup is warm” or “Soup is warm,” depending on context. To be explicit, use demonstratives:

Ova juha je topla = This soup is warm.
Ta juha je topla = That soup is warm.

Why do the adjectives end in -a (topla, hladna)?

They agree with feminine singular nouns juha and salata. In the predicate, feminine singular adjectives take -a:

Masculine: topao, hladan
Feminine: topla, hladna
Neuter: toplo, hladno

What is je?

It’s the 3rd person singular present of biti (to be), used as the copula: “is.” Present forms: sam, si, je, smo, ste, su. For plural subjects you use su: Juhe su tople.

What case are the nouns and adjectives in?

Nominative. Juha and salata are the subjects, and after biti (to be) the predicate adjective also stands in the nominative: juha (NOM) je topla (NOM). This differs from languages that use an instrumental in such sentences.

Can I omit the second je?

Yes. Coordination allows ellipsis of a repeated verb: Juha je topla, a salata hladna. This is natural in writing and speech. In negative sentences you keep nije where needed: Juha nije topla, a salata nije hladna.

Can I change the word order, like Topla je juha?

Yes. Croatian allows flexible word order for emphasis. Juha je topla is neutral. Topla je juha foregrounds “warm” (the warmth is what we’re stressing). The clitic je tends to appear after the first stressed word or phrase.

Can I say topla juha and hladna salata instead?

Yes, but that’s an attributive use (adjective + noun), forming a noun phrase: topla juha i hladna salata = “(a/the) warm soup and (a/the) cold salad.” Your original sentence is predicative (X is Y): Juha je topla, a salata je hladna.

How does this look in the plural?

Juhe su tople, a salate su hladne. Feminine plural nouns in -a usually take -e (juhe, salate), and the adjectives take -e (tople, hladne). The verb is plural su.

What about masculine and neuter nouns?

Masculine: Čaj je topao. / Sendvič je hladan.
Neuter: Pivo je toplo/hladno. Adjectives agree in gender with the noun.

How do I say it in the past or future?

Past: Juha je bila topla, a salata je bila hladna.
Future: Juha će biti topla, a salata će biti hladna. Note bila (feminine singular) agrees with juha/salata.

Is the comma before a necessary?

Yes, when a links two independent clauses: Juha je topla, a salata je hladna. Without full clauses (just phrases), no comma: topla juha i hladna salata.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts (like ju and hl)?

j = y in “yes” (so ju ≈ “you”).
h is always pronounced (a clear h); even in hl you say the h: hladna ≈ “HLA-dna.”
a is always “ah.” Roughly: JU-ha je TOP-la, a sa-LA-ta je HLAD-na.

What’s the nuance between topla and vruća, and between hladna, mlaka, ledena/rashlađena?

topla = warm; vruća = hot.
hladna = cold; mlaka = lukewarm; ledena = icy; rashlađena/ohlađena = chilled/cooled. So “The soup is hot” is Juha je vruća.

Is je ever a pronoun (“her/them”)? How do I tell?

Yes, je can also be the unstressed pronoun “her/them.” In your sentence it’s the verb “is.” Compare:

Verb: Juha je topla. (“je” = is)
Pronoun: Vidim je. (“I see her/them”) Function and position in the clause disambiguate it.

Would Serbian/Bosnian/Montenegrin speakers say the same?

Structure and grammar are the same. The main lexical difference is “soup”: in Serbian/Bosnian you’ll often hear supa (or čorba for certain soups). So: Supa je topla, a salata je hladna. In standard Croatian, juha is preferred.