Danas je vjetar hladan u parku.

Today the wind is cold in the park.

Breakdown of Danas je vjetar hladan u parku.

• biti: to be
• hladan: cold
• u: in
• danas: today
• park: park
• vjetar: wind

Questions & Answers about Danas je vjetar hladan u parku.

Why is there no word for the in Danas je vjetar hladan u parku? How do you say the wind in Croatian?

Croatian simply does not use articles (a, an, the) at all.

The noun vjetar can mean:

• wind
• the wind

The exact meaning (definite or indefinite) is understood from context, not from a separate word like the. So:

• vjetar = wind / the wind
• park = park / the park
• u parku = in (the) park

There is no special form for the wind; you just use vjetar.

What cases are vjetar and parku in, and why are they different?

• vjetar is in the nominative singular.

  • Nominative is used for the subject of the sentence: vjetar = the thing that is cold.

• parku is in the locative singular.

  • Locative is used mainly after certain prepositions (like u, na) to show location: u parku = in the park.

So the pattern here is:

• subject: vjetar (nominative)
• location: u parku (preposition u
  • locative)

Why is it u parku and not u park? When do I use park vs parku?

The preposition u can take two different cases, depending on meaning:

1. Location (where?) → locative

   • u parku = in the park (static location)
   • Question you’re answering: Gdje je vjetar hladan? (Where is the wind cold?)
   • Answer: U parku.

2. Direction (into where?) → accusative

   • u park = into the park (movement)
   • Example: Idem u park. = I am going into the park.

In your sentence you’re talking about where the wind is cold, not movement, so you need locative:

• u parku (not u park).

Why is it hladan and not hladno?

Croatian makes adjectives agree with the noun they describe in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• vjetar is masculine, singular, nominative.
• So the adjective must match: hladan (masc. sg. nom.)

That’s why we say:

• vjetar je hladan = the wind is cold.

Hladno is the neuter form. You use hladno when there is no specific noun, in impersonal sentences like:

• Hladno je danas. = It is cold today.

Compare:

• Vjetar je hladan. = The wind is cold. (adjective agrees with vjetar)
• Hladno je. = It is cold. (general statement, no specific noun)

Can the word order be different? For example, can I say Vjetar je danas hladan u parku or Danas je u parku vjetar hladan?

Yes. Croatian word order is quite flexible. All of these are grammatically correct:

• Danas je vjetar hladan u parku.
• Vjetar je danas hladan u parku.
• Danas je u parku vjetar hladan.
• U parku je danas vjetar hladan.

They all roughly mean Today the wind is cold in the park, but the emphasis shifts:

• Starting with Danas highlights today.
• Starting with Vjetar highlights the wind.
• Starting with U parku highlights the location.

In everyday speech, something like Danas je u parku hladan vjetar or Danas je vjetar u parku hladan might sound a bit more natural, but your original sentence is still fine.

Where does je go in the sentence, and can it ever be omitted?

Je is the 3rd person singular of biti (to be). In Croatian, je is a clitic: it normally wants to stand in the second position in the clause.

In your sentence:

• Danas (1st stressed word)
• je (2nd position clitic)
• vjetar hladan u parku

That’s why we say: Danas je vjetar hladan u parku.

About omitting it:

• In careful, standard language, you keep je:
  
  • Vjetar je hladan.
• In very colloquial speech, people sometimes drop it in simple nominal sentences:
  
  • Danas vjetar hladan u parku. (sounds informal, a bit “telegraphic”)

For learners and in writing, it’s best to always include je.

What is the difference between hladan vjetar and vjetar je hladan?

They both involve vjetar and hladan, but they have different functions:

1. hladan vjetar – attributive adjective

   • Used as part of the noun phrase.
   • Means cold wind (a kind/type of wind).
   • Example: Danas puše hladan vjetar. = A cold wind is blowing today.

2. vjetar je hladan – predicative adjective

   • Used after a verb (usually biti = to be).
   • Means the wind is cold (describing the current state of the wind).
   • Example: Danas je vjetar hladan. = Today the wind is cold.

So:

• hladan vjetar = cold wind (like a label or characteristic)
• vjetar je hladan = the wind is (now) cold

Could I say Danas je hladan vjetar u parku? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say Danas je hladan vjetar u parku. It is grammatically correct.

The nuance:

• Danas je vjetar hladan u parku.

  • Slightly more like: Today the wind is cold in the park.
  • Focus on the state of the wind (it happens to be cold).

• Danas je hladan vjetar u parku.

  • Slightly more like: Today there is cold wind in the park.
  • Emphasizes that the wind (there) is of the cold kind, more like a cold wind is present.

In many everyday contexts, the difference is subtle and both will be understood similarly.

How would I make this sentence plural, like Today the winds are cold in the park?

The plural of vjetar is vjetrovi (nominative plural). The adjective and verb must agree in plural too:

• Danas su vjetrovi hladni u parku.
  
  • Danas – today
  • su – are (3rd person plural of biti)
  • vjetrovi – winds (nom. pl.)
  • hladni – cold (masc. nom. plural to match vjetrovi)
  • u parku – in the park (locative singular)

So the pattern in plural is:

• singular: Danas je vjetar hladan u parku.
• plural: Danas su vjetrovi hladni u parku.

How do I make this sentence negative? How do I say Today the wind is not cold in the park?

To negate je, you use nije (is not):

• Danas vjetar nije hladan u parku.
  = Today the wind is not cold in the park.

You can still move the words around for emphasis:

• Danas u parku vjetar nije hladan.
• U parku danas vjetar nije hladan.

Key point:

• je (is) → nije (is not)
• The adjective hladan stays the same; only the verb changes.

Why is there no word for it at the start, like It is cold today in the park? When do you use ono/ono je?

In English, you often need a dummy subject it:

• It is cold.
• It is windy in the park.

Croatian usually does not use a dummy it. You either:

1. Have a real subject:

   • Vjetar je hladan u parku. = The wind is cold in the park.
   • Subject is vjetar.

2. Use an impersonal construction:

   • Hladno je danas. = It is cold today.
   • There is no separate word for it; je just says is.

You only use ono when you really mean that thing / it referring to a specific neuter noun, not as a dummy subject. For example:

• Ono je dijete. = That is a child.

But not for weather sentences like yours.