Hrvatski jezik je težak.

The Croatian language is hard.

Breakdown of Hrvatski jezik je težak.

• biti: to be
• hrvatski: Croatian
• težak: hard
• jezik: language

Questions & Answers about Hrvatski jezik je težak.

What does each word in Hrvatski jezik je težak correspond to in English?

Word by word:

• Hrvatski – Croatian (adjective: Croatian)
• jezik – language
• je – is (3rd person singular of biti = to be)
• težak – difficult / hard (literally also heavy)

So the structure is literally: Croatian language is difficult.

Why is there no word for the in this sentence?

Croatian has no articles (no the, a, an).

Context tells you whether something is definite or indefinite.
Hrvatski jezik je težak can mean:

• The Croatian language is difficult.
• Croatian (as a language) is difficult.

You do not add anything in Croatian to mark the; you simply say Hrvatski jezik.

Why is it težak and not something like težko or teška?

Težak is an adjective and must agree with the noun jezik in:

• Gender – jezik is masculine
• Number – jezik is singular
• Case – here, nominative (the subject of the sentence)

The nominative masculine singular form of the adjective is težak.

If the noun were a different gender, the adjective would change:

• Hrvatski jezik je težak. – Croatian language (m.sg.) is difficult.
• Hrvatska gramatika je teška. – Croatian grammar (f.sg.) is difficult.
• Hrvatsko pismo je teško. – Croatian script (n.sg.) is difficult.

So you say težak precisely because jezik is a masculine singular noun.

Why is Hrvatski capitalized but jezik and težak are not?

In Croatian:

• Names of languages, nationalities, and peoples used as adjectives are capitalized:
  Hrvatski, Engleski, Njemački.
• Common nouns and regular adjectives are not capitalized: jezik, težak.

So:

• Hrvatski jezik – Croatian language
• engleski jezik – English language (engleski is usually lowercase unless at the start of the sentence)

When Hrvatski stands at the beginning of a sentence, it’s capitalized anyway, but it should be capitalized even in the middle when referring to the language or nationality.

Can I just say Hrvatski je težak without jezik?

Yes, and this is very common and natural.

• Hrvatski je težak. – Croatian is difficult.

Here Hrvatski stands on its own and is understood to mean the Croatian language from context.
Use Hrvatski jezik je težak if you want to be very explicit or formal, but everyday speech often prefers the shorter Hrvatski je težak.

Can I change the word order, like Težak je hrvatski jezik?

Yes. Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and different orders can change emphasis:

• Hrvatski jezik je težak. – neutral statement.
• Hrvatski jezik je težak. (stress on težak) – you might emphasize that it is difficult.
• Težak je hrvatski jezik. – emphasizes težak even more, like Difficult – that’s what Croatian is.
• Težak je hrvatski. – also possible when Hrvatski means Croatian (the language); it sounds more stylistic/poetic.

All these are grammatically correct; the difference is in nuance and emphasis, not correctness.

How do I say Croatian is not difficult?

You negate the verb je (is) with nije (is not):

• Hrvatski jezik nije težak. – Croatian language is not difficult.
• Hrvatski nije težak. – Croatian is not difficult.

Note: you don’t negate the adjective; you negate the verb biti (to be):

• je → nije
  (is → is not)

How would the sentence look in the plural, like Slavic languages are difficult?

You must mark plural on the noun, verb, and adjective:

• Slavenski jezici su teški. – Slavic languages are difficult.

Breakdown:

• Slavenski – Slavic (masculine plural here, agreeing with jezici)
• jezici – languages (plural of jezik)
• su – are (3rd person plural of biti)
• teški – difficult (masculine plural nominative)

For multiple Croatian things:

• Hrvatski jezici su teški. – Croatian languages are difficult. (e.g., dialects grouped as languages)

Does težak mean both heavy and difficult?

Yes.

• težak kofer – a heavy suitcase
• težak ispit – a difficult exam
• Hrvatski jezik je težak. – Croatian language is difficult.

Context tells you whether težak means heavy (physical weight) or difficult/hard (abstract difficulty).

How do you pronounce Hrvatski jezik je težak?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA):

• Hrvatski – /xř̩ʋatski/
  
  • hr: r is a trilled r; the h is like the German ch in Bach or a strong English h.
  • The r can act as a syllable peak, so it can sound like it carries a small vowel.
• jezik – /jɛzik/
  
  • j = English y in yes
  • stress typically on je: JE-zik
• je – /jɛ/
• težak – /tɛʒak/
  
  • ž is like s in measure, vision.

Very rough English-like approximation: HR-vats-kee YEH-zik yeh TEH-zhak.

Why is the verb je used here, and what is its base form?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of biti (to be):

• infinitive: biti – to be
• ja sam – I am
• ti si – you are (sg.)
• on/ona/ono je – he/she/it is
• mi smo – we are
• vi ste – you are (pl./formal)
• oni/one/ona su – they are

So Hrvatski jezik je težak literally includes is: The Croatian language is difficult.

How would I say Croatian is more difficult than English?

You use the comparative of težak (teži) and the conjunction nego (than):

• Hrvatski je teži nego engleski. – Croatian is more difficult than English.

Details:

• težak → teži (more difficult)
• engleski – English (language), understood from context

Is hrvatski jezik always masculine, and how would I know its gender?

Yes, jezik is a masculine noun.

You typically learn gender with the noun in Croatian dictionaries:

• jezik, -a, m. – the m. stands for muški rod (masculine gender).

Gender patterns (not 100% reliable, but helpful):

• Many nouns ending in -k, -g, -n, -r, -j are masculine:
  jezik, grad (city), jezik, muzej.
• Many ending in -a are feminine: gramatika, škola.
• Many ending in -o, -e are neuter: pismo, more.

Because jezik is masculine, the adjective must be težak (masc.sg.), not teška or teško here.