Learn Hardcore Croatian: Već je kasno.

Već = “already”; adverb.
je = “is”; 3rd person singular present of biti (“to be”); an unstressed clitic.
kasno = “late”; mostly used as an adverb; it also looks like the neuter singular form of an adjective used in impersonal statements.

Why is the word order Već je kasno and not Je već kasno or Već kasno je?

Because je is a clitic that must sit in “second position” in its clause. In practice, it follows the first stressed word:

Correct: Već je kasno.
Correct (with a different emphasis): Kasno je već.
Incorrect: Je već kasno. (clitic can’t start a sentence)
Incorrect: Već kasno je. (clitic is not in second position)

Can I drop je and just say Već kasno?

Not in a normal sentence. You might hear short, elliptical utterances like Kasno! or Već kasno! in headlines or casual exclamations, but the standard full sentence needs je: Već je kasno.

How do I ask “Is it already late?” in Croatian?

Standard: Je li već kasno?
Very common colloquial: Jel’ već kasno?
Regional/colloquial (wider BCMS): Da li je već kasno? (understood, but in Croatian the first two are preferred)

How do I negate it? What’s “It’s not late yet” and “It’s too late”?

“It’s not late yet”: Još nije kasno.
“It’s too late”: Prekasno je. Using već with negation is uncommon here; prefer još for “yet/still” in negatives.

What’s the difference between već and još?

već = “already”
- Već je kasno. = “It’s already late.”
još = “still/yet”
- Još nije kasno. = “It’s not late yet.” In negatives, English “yet” maps to još, not već.

Why is there no subject “it”? Is this an impersonal sentence?

Yes. Croatian often uses impersonal constructions for weather, time, and states:

Kasno je. = “It is late.” There’s no dummy subject like English “it.” The predicative word (kasno) plus je is enough.

Can I move the words around? What variations are acceptable and what do they imply?

Već je kasno. Neutral, default.
Kasno je već. Also correct; puts a bit of afterthought/emphasis on već. Avoid: Je već kasno., Već kasno je., Kasno već je. (clitic placement problem)

Pronunciation tips—how do I say ć in već, and where is the stress?

ć in već is a soft “ch,” similar to the “t” in “nature” (AmE): [tɕ]. It’s not the harder č [tʃ].
već ≈ “vech” (soft).
je ≈ “ye” (unstressed).
kasno is stressed on the first syllable: “KAS-no.”

Spelling gotchas: ć vs č?

već uses ć.
Don’t write več. Note related words: večer (“evening,” with č) in Croatian; Serbian often has veče. Meaning changes with the diacritic.

What are common mistakes English speakers make with this sentence?

Putting je first: ✗ Je već kasno.
Burying the clitic: ✗ Već kasno je.
Mixing već (“already”) with još (“still/yet”) in negatives.
Spelling već with č.
Overusing omission of je outside headlines/exclamations.

Does već ever mean something other than “already”?

Yes. It can mean “but rather” in contrasts:

Ne ovo, već ono. = “Not this, but rather that.” In Već je kasno, it means “already.”

How would I expand this to be more natural in context?

Već je kasno, trebamo ići. = “It’s already late; we should go.”
Već je kasno, idem kući. = “It’s already late; I’m going home.”
Već je kasno za to. = “It’s already late for that.”

Is there a way to say “very late” vs “too late”?

“very late”: Vrlo je kasno. / Jako je kasno.
“too late” (cannot be helped): Prekasno je. Use prekasno when you mean “too late to do anything about it.”

What are the comparative forms (late, later, at the latest)?

kasno = late
kasnije = later
najkasnije = at the latest Examples: Dođi najkasnije u deset. = “Come at the latest by ten.”

Is there an emphatic form of je?

Yes, jest (emphatic “is indeed”):

Već jest kasno. = “It is indeed already late.” (formal/emphatic) Everyday speech usually just uses je.

What’s the difference between već and sad/sada?

već = “already” (focus on priorness/earliness)
- Već je kasno. = “It’s already late.”
sad/sada = “now” (focus on current time)
- Sad je kasno. = “Now it’s late.” (slightly different nuance)

How do I say it in other tenses: “It was already late” / “It will already be late”?

Past: Već je bilo kasno.
Future: Već će biti kasno.
With a clause: Kad stignemo, već će biti kasno. = “When we arrive, it will already be late.”

Where does je go in subordinate clauses?

Still second position within its clause:

Znam da je već kasno. (Correct) Avoid: ✗ Znam da već je kasno.

Can I say “It’s no longer late”?

Yes: Više nije kasno. Be careful with već in negatives; for “no longer,” use više rather than već.