Learn Hardcore Croatian: Moj kaput je mokar poslije kiše.

Form / ending: many masculine nouns end in a consonant (like kaput, stol, grad).
Adjective agreement: the adjective mokar is in its masculine form (feminine would be mokra, neuter mokro).
Dictionary: Croatian dictionaries usually mark gender (m., f., n.). You’ll see kaput m.

So: kaput = masculine singular noun.

Why is the adjective mokar and not mokra or mokro?

Adjectives in Croatian must agree with the noun in:

Gender
Number
Case

Here:

kaput is masculine singular nominative (it’s the subject).
The matching adjective form is mokar (masc. sg. nom.).

Compare:

Moj kaput je mokar. – My coat is wet. (masculine)
Moja jakna je mokra. – My jacket is wet. (feminine)
Moje odijelo je mokro. – My suit is wet. (neuter)
Moji kaputi su mokri. – My coats are wet. (masc. plural)

So mokar is chosen because it matches kaput.

Why do we need je here? Could I say Moj kaput mokar poslije kiše?

You need je because it’s the verb “to be” in the present tense:

je = “is” (3rd person singular of biti – to be)

The basic structure is:

[subject] + je + [adjective]
Moj kaput je mokar. – My coat is wet.

Unlike some Slavic languages (e.g. Russian), Croatian normally keeps the verb “to be” in the present tense in full sentences.

You might see je dropped only:

in headlines, notes, or very telegraphic speech, e.g. Kaput mokar poslije kiše as a label or note,
but that’s not a normal full sentence in standard speech.

What cases are used in Moj kaput je mokar poslije kiše?

There are two cases here:

Nominative:
- Moj kaput – subject of the sentence
- mokar – predicate adjective agreeing with the subject
Genitive:
- kiše – genitive singular, because the preposition poslije (“after”) always takes the genitive.

So the structure is:

Moj kaput (Nom.) je mokar
poslije kiše (Gen.)

Why is it kiše and not kiša after poslije?

The preposition poslije (“after”) always requires the genitive case.

The noun kiša (“rain”) is a regular feminine noun:

Nominative singular: kiša
Genitive singular: kiše

Because poslije needs the genitive:

poslije kiše – after the rain
poslije ručka – after lunch (ručak → ručka, gen. sg.)
poslije škole – after school (škola → škole, gen. sg.)

So kiše is genitive singular here, not just a random variation.

How do I know that kiše here is genitive singular and not plural?

The form kiše can mean:

Genitive singular: (od) kiše – of the rain
Nominative plural: kiše – (the) rains

You know it’s genitive singular because:

Preposition: poslije always takes genitive, never nominative.
Meaning: “after the rain” (a single rainy event), not “after rains.”

So in poslije kiše, the grammar (preposition) and the context both clearly point to genitive singular.

What is the difference between poslije and nakon?

Both poslije and nakon mean “after” and both take the genitive:

poslije kiše – after the rain
nakon kiše – after the rain

Differences:

In everyday Croatian, both are common and correct.
nakon can sound just a bit more formal or “bookish” in some contexts, but the difference is small.
In most sentences you can freely switch them:
- Moj kaput je mokar poslije kiše.
- Moj kaput je mokar nakon kiše.

Meaning and grammar stay the same.

Can I move poslije kiše to a different place in the sentence?

Yes. Croatian word order is fairly flexible, especially for time expressions. All of these are grammatically correct:

Moj kaput je mokar poslije kiše.
Moj kaput je poslije kiše mokar. (slight emphasis on mokar)
Poslije kiše moj kaput je mokar. (emphasis on after the rain)

The basic information doesn’t change; you only slightly change what you highlight. The original word order is the most neutral and common.

How would the sentence change with a feminine or plural noun instead of kaput?

The possessive pronoun and the adjective would change to match the new noun.

Feminine singular – jakna (jacket)
- Moja jakna je mokra poslije kiše.
  - moja (fem. sg.)
  - jakna (fem. sg.)
  - mokra (fem. sg. adjective)
Masculine plural – kaputi (coats)
- Moji kaputi su mokri poslije kiše.
  - moji (masc. pl.)
  - kaputi (masc. pl.)
  - su (3rd person plural of “to be”)
  - mokri (masc. pl. adjective)
Neuter singular – odijelo (suit)
- Moje odijelo je mokro poslije kiše.

The prepositional phrase poslije kiše stays the same; only the part around the subject changes.

Can I say Moj kaput je mokar od kiše instead of poslije kiše? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say both, but the nuance is a bit different:

Moj kaput je mokar poslije kiše.
- Focus on time: “My coat is wet after the rain.”
Moj kaput je mokar od kiše.
- Focus on cause/source: “My coat is wet from the rain / because of the rain.”
- Here od = “from, due to”, and kiše is again genitive singular.

In practice, both are very natural, and both clearly relate the wet coat to the rain. The second one tells you more directly that the rain is what made it wet.

Why doesn’t Croatian use a word for “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Croatian has no articles like English “the” or “a/an”.

Moj kaput can mean “my coat” or “my the-coat” (there is only one specific coat implied).
The possessive moj already makes the noun specific enough; you don’t need an extra word like “the”.

So:

Moj kaput je mokar poslije kiše.
can translate as “My coat is wet after the rain.”

Croatian uses context, word order, and pronouns to express definiteness, not articles.

How do you pronounce Moj kaput je mokar poslije kiše?

Approximate pronunciation (with English-like spelling help):

Moj – like moy in boy (but with an m)
kaput – KA-put (stress on the first syllable; u as in put)
je – ye (as in yes, but shorter)
mokar – MO-kar (both vowels like in more and car, but shorter)
poslije – POS-lye (the ije is often pronounced like ye)
kiše – KEE-she (š like sh in she)

In IPA (approx.):
[mɔj ˈkaput jɛ ˈmɔkar ˈpɔsljɛ ˈkiʃɛ]

The main word stresses are on the first syllable of each content word: MOJ, KA-put, MO-kar, POS-lje, KI-še.