Ove cipele su udobne, ali jakna nije udobna.

These shoes are comfortable, but the jacket is not comfortable.

Breakdown of Ove cipele su udobne, ali jakna nije udobna.

• biti: to be
• ne: not
• ali: but
• jakna: jacket
• cipela: shoe
• ove: these
• udoban: comfortable

Questions & Answers about Ove cipele su udobne, ali jakna nije udobna.

Why is it ove cipele and not ovi cipele or ova cipele?

Ove is the correct demonstrative form because cipele is feminine plural in the nominative case.

The demonstrative “this/these” near the speaker is:

• Singular:
  
  • masculine: ovaj
  • feminine: ova
  • neuter: ovo
• Plural:
  
  • masculine: ovi
  • feminine: ove
  • neuter: ova

Since cipele is feminine plural, you must use the feminine plural form ove: ove cipele = these shoes.

Why is cipele plural? Isn’t “shoe” normally singular?

In Croatian:

• cipela = one shoe (singular)
• cipele = shoes / a pair of shoes (plural)

When you talk about footwear as you normally wear it (a pair) you almost always use the plural cipele, just like English often uses plural words for items that are a pair (e.g. shoes, pants, scissors).

So ove cipele literally means these shoes (plural), even if you are thinking of one pair.

What does su mean, and why do we use su with cipele?

Su is the 3rd person plural form of the verb biti (to be) in the present tense:

• (oni/one/ona) su = they are

Because cipele is plural (shoes → they), the verb must also be plural:
Ove cipele su udobne = These shoes are comfortable.

For a singular subject like jakna (the jacket), you would normally have je (is):
Jakna je udobna = The jacket is comfortable.

In the negative, je becomes nije (see next question).

What does nije mean exactly? Why isn’t it just ne je?

Nije is the negative form of je (third person singular of biti, to be).

• je = is
• nije = is not / isn’t

You do not normally say ne je in standard Croatian; the correct form is the single word nije.

So:

• Jakna je udobna. = The jacket is comfortable.
• Jakna nije udobna. = The jacket is not comfortable.

Why is it udobne with cipele, but udobna with jakna?

Adjectives in Croatian agree with the gender and number of the noun.

• jakna → feminine singular

  • adjective: udobna (feminine singular nominative)

• cipele → feminine plural

  • adjective: udobne (feminine plural nominative)

So:

• Jakna je udobna. (fem. sg.)
• Ove cipele su udobne. (fem. pl.)

Same adjective udoban / udobna / udobno, but different endings to match the noun.

Do I really have to repeat udobna at the end? Can I just say ali jakna nije?

You don’t have to repeat it. Both are correct:

• Ove cipele su udobne, ali jakna nije.
• Ove cipele su udobne, ali jakna nije udobna.

Leaving out the last udobna is very natural, because it is understood from context.
Repeating udobna can sound a bit more explicit or emphatic, but it’s not wrong.

How flexible is the word order here? Could I say Udobne su ove cipele?

Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but there is still a neutral or most common order.

Neutral:

• Ove cipele su udobne. (subject – verb – complement)

Other possible orders (all grammatically correct, with slight emphasis differences):

• Udobne su ove cipele. – Emphasis on udobne (It’s these shoes that are comfortable / They ARE comfortable).
• Ove su cipele udobne. – Also possible; slight stress on ove (these shoes in contrast to others).

However, something like Cipele ove su udobne sounds marked or odd in everyday speech. Stick to Ove cipele su udobne or Udobne su ove cipele as natural versions.

What case are ove cipele and jakna in?

Both are in the nominative case, because they are the subjects of the sentence.

• Ove cipele (feminine plural nominative)
• jakna (feminine singular nominative)

Adjectives and demonstratives (ove, udobne, udobna) are also in the nominative to agree with the nouns.

How do I know that cipele and jakna are feminine?

There are some patterns:

• jakna ends in -a in the singular → very often feminine.

  • Singular: jakna
  • Plural: jakne
    Adjective: udobna jakna (feminine singular), udobne jakne (feminine plural)

• cipele is plural, but its singular is cipela, which also ends in -a → feminine.

  • Singular: cipela
  • Plural: cipele
    Adjective: udobna cipela (fem. sg.), udobne cipele (fem. pl.)

Over time you memorise noun genders and see the adjective endings (-a, -e) confirming the femininity.

What is the difference between ove cipele, te cipele, and one cipele?

These are all demonstratives, but they show distance (physical or mental):

• ove cipele = these shoes (near the speaker)
• te cipele = those shoes (near the listener or not very far)
• one cipele = those shoes over there (farther away, more distant or separate)

The rest of the sentence stays the same:

• Ove cipele su udobne.
• Te cipele su udobne.
• One cipele su udobne.

Why is the conjunction ali used here? Could I use a or nego instead?

Ali, a, and nego all translate to “but” in some contexts, but they are not interchangeable.

• ali = “but / however”, general contrast, very common.

  • Ove cipele su udobne, ali jakna nije udobna.

• a = weak contrast or simple “and/but”, often just linking two statements, sometimes with a mild contrast:

  • Ove cipele su udobne, a jakna nije udobna. (also correct; sounds a bit more neutral / narrative)

• nego = “but rather / but instead” and is used after a negative when you correct or replace something:

  • Jakna nije udobna, nego tijesna. = The jacket is not comfortable, but rather tight.

In your sentence, ali (or a) is appropriate; nego would be wrong.

Can I replace ove cipele with a pronoun to avoid repeating the noun?

Yes. You can use the feminine plural pronoun one:

• One su udobne, ali jakna nije udobna.
  
  • one = they (referring to cipele)

This is natural if the shoes have already been mentioned and it’s clear what one refers to. The adjectives still agree:

• One su udobne. (fem. pl.)
• Jakna je / nije udobna. (fem. sg.)