Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ta serija je stvarno dobra.

ova serija – this series (close to the speaker)
ta serija – that series (neutral / not very close to either speaker or listener, often just “that show we’re talking about”)
ona serija – that series (over there) / more distant, or sometimes emotionally distant

In everyday speech, ta serija is often the default way to say that show (we both know which one), without focusing much on physical distance. It sounds natural in conversation when referring to a show already mentioned or known in context.

What exactly does serija mean here? Is it specifically a TV series?

Yes, in this context serija most commonly means a TV series / TV show (a series of episodes).

In general, serija can mean:

a TV series or web series:
- Ta serija je stvarno dobra. – That TV show is really good.
a series in math or technical language
a series as in a sequence of things (less common in everyday speech)

But if someone just says serija in casual conversation, they usually mean a TV show or drama series.

Why is it ta serija je stvarno dobra and not je ta serija stvarno dobra?

The normal neutral word order for a statement in Croatian is:

[Subject] + [verb] + [other elements]
Ta serija (subject) je (verb) stvarno dobra (predicate/adjectival phrase).

Putting je first (Je ta serija stvarno dobra) would sound like:

a yes/no question, or
a marked / unusual emphasis,

and is not the usual way to make a simple statement.

So for a neutral, declarative sentence, Ta serija je stvarno dobra is the natural order.

What does stvarno mean exactly? Is it like “really” or “actually”?

stvarno literally relates to stvar = thing / reality, so it’s like “in reality, really”.

In this sentence, stvarno means really / truly / genuinely, used for emphasis, similar to:

That show is really good.
That show is genuinely good.

Common near-synonyms in this usage:

jako – strongly, very
zaista – truly, indeed
stvarno – really, genuinely

Examples:

Ta serija je stvarno dobra. – That series is really good.
Ta serija je jako dobra. – That series is very good.
Ta serija je zaista dobra. – That series is truly good.

It is not usually “actually” in the sense of correcting someone (actually, you’re wrong). For that, Croatians more often use zapravo.

Why is it dobra and not dobar or dobro?

The adjective dobar (good) changes its ending to agree with the gender, number and case of the noun.

serija is feminine, singular, nominative (dictionary form).

So the adjective must also be feminine singular nominative:

dobar – masculine singular: dobar film (a good movie – masculine)
dobra – feminine singular: dobra serija (a good series – feminine)
dobro – neuter singular: dobro vino (good wine – neuter)

Because serija is feminine, the correct form is dobra:
Ta serija je stvarno dobra.

Why isn’t there a word for “is” and “that” like in English “That series is really good”? Where is “is” and where is “that”?

Both ideas are present, just in different words:

ta = that (feminine singular demonstrative)
serija = series
je = is (3rd person singular of biti = “to be”)
stvarno dobra = really good

So a word-by-word mapping is roughly:

Ta – That
serija – series
je – is
stvarno dobra – really good

Croatian just doesn’t use a separate word for a/the (no articles), but ta works like that here.

Why don’t we say Ona serija je stvarno dobra if ona also means “she/that”?

ona can mean:

she (personal pronoun), or
that (feminine demonstrative, more distant or emphatic).

Ona serija je stvarno dobra is grammatically correct, but it usually feels more:

distant, as in “that show over there / that other show”
or emphatic, as in “that particular show” (maybe in contrast to another one).

In many everyday contexts, ta serija sounds more neutral and natural when you simply mean that show (we’re talking about), without extra distance or special emphasis.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before serija?

Croatian has no articles like “a” or “the”.

Definiteness and specificity are shown through:

context,
word order,
demonstratives like ta / ova / ona,
sometimes possessives (moja serija – my series).

So:

serija alone can mean a series or the series, depending on context.
ta serija clearly means that series / that show.

You never add a separate equivalent of English “a” or “the”.

Could I say Ta serija je jako dobra or Ta serija je vrlo dobra instead of stvarno dobra?

Yes. All are correct but slightly different in nuance and frequency:

stvarno dobra – really good (colloquial, very common, “for real”)
jako dobra – very good (colloquial and standard, very common)
vrlo dobra – very good (more formal or careful speech, less casual)

All three would be understood as strong positive evaluations of the show:

Ta serija je stvarno dobra.
Ta serija je jako dobra.
Ta serija je vrlo dobra.

In everyday conversation, stvarno and jako are most natural.

Can je ever be left out, like in some languages that drop “to be”?

In standard Croatian, the present tense of “biti” (to be) is normally not omitted in sentences like this. You say:

Ta serija je stvarno dobra. – correct.
Ta serija stvarno dobra. – sounds wrong / ungrammatical in standard language.

There are a few special constructions where the verb biti is omitted (mostly in headlines, slogans, or fixed expressions), but for normal spoken or written sentences, you should keep “je” here.

How would this sentence change if I wanted to say “Those series are really good” (plural)?

You need to make both the noun and the adjective plural, and the demonstrative too:

Ta serija je stvarno dobra. – That series is really good. (singular)
Te serije su stvarno dobre. – Those series are really good. (plural)

Changes:

ta → te (feminine plural demonstrative)
serija → serije (feminine plural noun, nominative)
je → su (3rd person plural of biti)
dobra → dobre (feminine plural adjective)

So the full plural sentence is:
Te serije su stvarno dobre.

Is serija always feminine? How can I tell?

Yes, serija is a feminine noun.

A quick rule of thumb:

Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine in Croatian:
- serija, knjiga, kuća, pjesma → all feminine.

There are exceptions, but -a is a strong indicator of the feminine gender. That’s why the demonstrative and adjective are also feminine:

ta serija (not taj serija)
stvarno dobra (not dobar or dobro)