Taj film je glup i dosadan.

That movie is stupid and boring.

Breakdown of Taj film je glup i dosadan.

• biti: to be
• i: and
• film: movie
• taj: that
• dosadan: boring
• glup: silly

Questions & Answers about Taj film je glup i dosadan.

What does Taj mean exactly, and how is it different from ovaj and onaj?

Taj means that (referring to something relatively close to the listener, or already known in the conversation).

Croatian has three basic demonstratives:

• ovaj film – this film (close to the speaker)
• taj film – that film (close to the listener, or just contextually “that one we’re talking about”)
• onaj film – that film over there / that one (more distant or more “removed”)

In practice, taj is often just “that (one we mentioned)” without a strong sense of physical distance, especially in conversation about movies, books, etc.

Why do we say Taj film and not just Film?

Croatian can say both, but the meaning changes slightly:

• Taj film je glup i dosadan.
  = That film (you know which one I mean) is stupid and boring.
  You are pointing to a specific, already identified film.

• Film je glup i dosadan.
  = The film is stupid and boring.
  This could be about a film that is already understood from context, but it’s a bit more neutral/less pointed than taj film.

Using taj makes it clear you mean that particular movie, often with a slightly more emotional or judgmental tone.

What gender is film, and how can I tell?

Film is masculine singular.

Clues:

• Many masculine nouns end in a consonant (no vowel at the end): film, stol, grad, pas.
• The adjectives that agree with film are glup and dosadan, both in masculine singular nominative form.

You’d see different endings if the noun were feminine or neuter:

• feminine: glupa knjiga, dosadna knjiga (book)
• neuter: glupo pismo, dosadno pismo (letter)

What does je mean here?

Je is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti (to be).

• biti – to be
• (on/ona/ono) je – (he/she/it) is

So:

• Taj film je glup i dosadan.
  = That film is stupid and boring.

Without je, the sentence would be wrong in standard Croatian here. The verb biti is usually required in such simple present-tense sentences with adjectives.

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” in this sentence?

Croatian has no articles like a, an, the.

• Taj film can mean that film, that movie, or even feel like that specific movie in English.
• Definiteness (which one you mean) is shown with:
  • demonstratives (taj, ovaj, onaj)
  • context and word order
  • sometimes other pronouns or possessives (moj, tvoj)

So you don’t add a separate word like the. The phrase taj film already captures the idea of that (particular) film.

Why are the adjectives glup and dosadan in those forms?

They are in masculine singular nominative, agreeing with film, which is:

• masculine
• singular
• in the nominative case (because it’s the subject)

Agreement:

• Taj film (masc. sg. nom.)
• je
• glup (masc. sg. nom.)
• i
• dosadan (masc. sg. nom.)

If the noun changed, the adjectives would change:

• Ta knjiga je glupa i dosadna. (feminine)
• To pismo je glupo i dosadno. (neuter)

How strong or rude are the words glup and dosadan?

• glup = stupid, dumb
  This is quite direct and can be rude if used about a person. About a film, it’s a strong negative opinion but not an insult to anyone directly.

• dosadan = boring
  Much milder socially; it just means it’s not interesting.

So Taj film je glup i dosadan is like saying:

• That movie is dumb and boring.
  It’s quite harsh criticism of the film, but not offensive in the way calling a person glup would be.

Can I change the word order, like Film je glup i dosadan or Glup i dosadan je taj film?

Yes, Croatian allows some flexibility, with small changes in emphasis:

1. Taj film je glup i dosadan.
   Neutral, straightforward: That film is stupid and boring.

2. Film je glup i dosadan.
   Also fine; a bit more neutral, slightly less “pointing” than taj film, unless film is already clear from context.

3. Taj je film glup i dosadan.
   Also common; sometimes feels slightly more contrastive (e.g. That film is stupid and boring (unlike the others)).

4. Glup i dosadan je taj film.
   More stylistic and emphatic, focusing on the adjectives:
   Stupid and boring – that’s that film.
   This word order is more likely in expressive speech or writing, not as a default.

Can I drop je and say Taj film glup i dosadan?

In standard Croatian, no. You should keep je:

• Taj film je glup i dosadan. ✔️

In some colloquial speech, especially in quick or dialectal talk, people might drop je in certain contexts, but for learners you should always include it in sentences like this.

What case is film in here?

Film is in the nominative singular case.

Reasons:

• It’s the subject of the sentence (the thing being described).
• In basic “X is Y” sentences, both the subject (film) and the predicate adjectives (glup, dosadan) are in the nominative.

So the structure is:

• [Nominative subject] + je + [nominative predicate adjective(s)]
  → Taj film je glup i dosadan.

How would I say “That movie was stupid and boring” in the past tense?

Use the past tense of biti (bio) plus the same adjectives:

• Taj je film bio glup i dosadan.
  = That film was stupid and boring.

Notes:

• bio is past tense (masculine singular) of biti.
• You can also say: Taj film je bio glup i dosadan. (also correct; very commonly used word order).

How can I say “really stupid and boring”?

Common intensifiers:

• jako glup i dosadan – very/really stupid and boring
• baš glup i dosadan – really/so stupid and boring (more colloquial, emotional)
• strašno dosadan – literally terribly boring, like extremely boring

Examples:

• Taj film je jako glup i dosadan.
• Taj film je baš glup i strašno dosadan.

What’s the difference between glup and glupav?

Both relate to stupidity, but with a nuance:

• glup – stupid, dumb (strong, straightforward)
• glupav – can feel like silly / a bit stupid / kind of dumb, often slightly softer or with a shade of “foolish”.

For a film:

• Taj film je glup. – harsh: That film is stupid.
• Taj film je glupav. – more like: That film is kind of dumb / silly.

Both can be negative, but glup is the more direct, stronger insult.

How would the sentence change with a feminine or neuter noun instead of film?

The demonstrative and adjectives must agree in gender with the noun.

Examples:

1. Feminine noun – knjiga (book):

   • Ta knjiga je glupa i dosadna.
     (That book is stupid and boring.)
   • ta (fem.) + knjiga (fem.) + glupa (fem.) + dosadna (fem.)

2. Neuter noun – pismo (letter):

   • To pismo je glupo i dosadno.
     (That letter is stupid and boring.)
   • to (neut.) + pismo (neut.) + glupo (neut.) + dosadno (neut.)

Compare with the original:

• Taj film je glup i dosadan. (masculine)