Na sastanku je tema bila ozbiljna, ali je netko ispričao smiješnu priču.

to be

Breakdown of Na sastanku je tema bila ozbiljna, ali je netko ispričao smiješnu priču.

• ali: but
• na: at
• sastanak: meeting

Questions & Answers about Na sastanku je tema bila ozbiljna, ali je netko ispričao smiješnu priču.

What does je mean here, and why is it used twice?

Je is the 3rd‑person singular present of biti (to be), used as an auxiliary verb to form the past tense (perfect) in Croatian.

• je bila = (she/it) was
  
  • tema je bila ozbiljna – the topic was serious
• je ispričao = (he) told / has told
  
  • netko je ispričao priču – someone told a story

Each clause in the past tense needs its own auxiliary:

• Na sastanku je tema bila ozbiljna,
• ali je netko ispričao smiješnu priču.

So you cannot normally drop je in standard Croatian here. Both je’s are required because there are two separate clauses, each in the past tense.

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Why is the word order “ali je netko ispričao” and not “ali netko je ispričao”?