Auto je već opran.

The car is already washed.

Breakdown of Auto je već opran.

• biti: to be
• auto: car
• već: already
• opran: washed

Questions & Answers about Auto je već opran.

What does the word je do here, and why is it in that position?

je is the 3rd‑person singular of biti (to be) used to build the passive/stative: je opran = “is washed/has been washed.” It’s a clitic and must appear in the second position of the clause. So:

• Neutral: Auto je već opran.
• Emphasis on “already”: Već je auto opran.
• Don’t say: Auto već je opran. (clitic in the wrong place)

Why is it opran and not oprao?

opran is the passive past participle of oprati and is used with biti to form a passive/stative result: Auto je opran = “The car is/has been washed.”
oprao is the active past participle and needs an agent: Marko je oprao auto = “Marko washed the car.”

But auto ends in -o; shouldn’t it be neuter oprano?

In standard Croatian, auto is masculine (like automobil), despite the -o ending. Agreement follows the noun’s gender:

• masculine sg: opran auto
• feminine sg: oprana kuća
• neuter sg: oprano vozilo
• plural masc: oprani auti/automobili

Hence: Auto je već opran, not oprano.

Could I ever say Auto je već oprano?

Not with auto in standard Croatian. Use a neuter noun instead: Vozilo je već oprano.

What exactly does već mean, and where can I put it?

već means “already.” Default position is before the participle/adjective:

• Auto je već opran. (neutral)
• Već je auto opran. (fronted for emphasis) You might hear Auto je opran već in speech, but it’s less neutral. Avoid Auto već je opran (clitic misplaced).

How do I say “not yet”?

Use još with negation: Auto još nije opran.
Avoid Auto nije već opran for the temporal meaning; it sounds odd.

How do I ask a yes/no question with this sentence?

Standard: Je li auto već opran?
Informal: Je l’ auto već opran?
Answers: Da, auto je već opran. / Ne, auto još nije opran.

What’s the difference between prati and oprati, and between pran and opran?

• prati = imperfective “to wash” (process/habit).
• oprati = perfective “to wash to completion.” Participles:
• opran (from oprati) signals a completed result: Auto je opran.
• pran (from prati) exists but is less common predicatively; it appears more as an adjective: ručno pran automobil (“hand-washed car”). Auto je pran is possible but uncommon and lacks the clear “finished” nuance of opran.

How do I say “The car is being washed (right now)”?

Use the reflexive/passive with se and the imperfective: Auto se pere.
Add već if needed: Auto se već pere.
Compare:

• Result/state: Auto je (već) opran.
• Ongoing process: Auto se (već) pere.

How do I say “Someone already washed the car”?

Active voice with an explicit subject and a perfective verb: Netko je već oprao auto.
Or name the person: Marko je već oprao auto.

How do I add the agent in the passive (“washed by Marko”)?

Use the instrumental for the agent: Auto je već opran Markom.
A more formal alternative is Auto je već opran od strane Marka, but the instrumental alone is natural and concise.

Is već required? What changes if I drop it?

No. Auto je opran simply states the result/state. već adds the “already/sooner than expected” nuance.

How do I make it plural: “The cars are already washed”?

• Auti su već oprani. (standard Croatian plural of auto)
• Automobili su već oprani.
  Note the plural auxiliary su and the plural participle oprani.

Any tip to avoid the oprano mistake?

Test with a known adjective:

• If you’d say moj lijep auto (masc), then say auto je opran (masc).
• If you’d say moje lijepo vozilo (neuter), then say vozilo je oprano (neuter).

Pronunciation tips for već and opran?

• već: final ć is a soft “ch”; think “vyech,” shorter/softer than č.
• opran: stress the first syllable; lightly roll r: “OH-pran.”
• auto: “OW-to.”