Learn Hardcore Croatian: U receptu piše da je najvažniji sastojak svježe povrće iz doline. - In the recipe it says that the most important ingredient is fresh vegetables from the valley.

piše is the 3rd person singular of pisati = “to write / to be written”.
There is no explicit subject; it’s an impersonal expression, very common in Croatian for written sources:
- U novinama piše da… – “It says in the newspapers that…”
- Na etiketi piše da… – “It says on the label that…”

You can say recept kaže and people will understand, but it sounds less natural and is used far less often. U receptu piše is the standard idiomatic way to say “the recipe says” in Croatian.

Why is it “u receptu” and not just “u recept”?

Because u meaning “in” normally takes the locative case, and receptu is the locative singular of recept (a masculine noun).

Declension of recept (sg.):

Nominative: recept – “a/the recipe” (subject form)
Genitive: recepta
Dative/Locative: receptu
Accusative: recept
Instrumental: receptom

After u:

u + locative = “in” (location): u receptu, u knjizi, u gradu
u + accusative = “into” (movement): u recept, u knjigu, u grad

Here we’re talking about something in the recipe (static location), so u receptu (locative) is required.

What is the role of “da” in “piše da je…”? Is it like English “that”?

Yes. In this sentence, da is a subordinating conjunction meaning “that”:

U receptu piše da je…
= “In the recipe it says that …”

The structure is:

main clause: U receptu piše
subordinate clause: da je najvažniji sastojak svježe povrće iz doline

This use of da + a finite verb is very common in Croatian to introduce content clauses (what someone says, thinks, writes, etc.), similar to English “that”:

Kaže da dolazi. – “He says (that) he is coming.”
Znam da je teško. – “I know (that) it’s hard.”

Why is the word order “da je najvažniji sastojak svježe povrće” and not “da najvažniji sastojak je svježe povrće”?

Because of Croatian clitic word order. The verb je (3rd person singular of “to be”) is a clitic and must stand in the second position in its clause.

In the clause:

da je najvažniji sastojak svježe povrće
- first element: da
- second element: je (the clitic “is”)
- then the rest: najvažniji sastojak svježe povrće

A version like:

✗ da najvažniji sastojak je svježe povrće

puts je too late; it no longer occupies the “second position” after da, so it sounds unnatural or wrong.

Another natural option is:

da je svježe povrće najvažniji sastojak (still with da first and je second).

Why is “najvažniji” masculine, but “svježe” looks neuter?

Because each adjective agrees with its own noun:

najvažniji sastojak
- sastojak = masculine singular noun (nominative)
- najvažniji is masculine singular nominative to agree with sastojak.
svježe povrće
- povrće = neuter singular noun (nominative)
- svježe is neuter singular nominative to agree with povrće.

The structure is essentially:

[the most important ingredient] = [fresh vegetables from the valley]

So we have two separate noun phrases in nominative:

najvažniji (m.sg.) sastojak (m.sg.)
svježe (n.sg.) povrće (n.sg.)

Why are both “sastojak” and “povrće” in the nominative case?

Because they are linked by the verb “to be” (je) and express equivalence:

X je Y → both X and Y are typically in the nominative.

Here:

(taj) najvažniji sastojak – subject (nominative)
svježe povrće iz doline – predicative complement (also nominative)

So:

Najvažniji sastojak je svježe povrće (iz doline).
- “The most important ingredient is fresh vegetables (from the valley).”

It’s the same pattern as:

On je liječnik. – “He is a doctor.” (both nominative)

Why is “povrće” singular in Croatian when English has plural “vegetables”?

In Croatian, povrće is a mass noun and grammatically neuter singular, even though it refers to vegetables in general.

povrće ≈ “vegetables (as a mass / category)”
It behaves like “water”, “fruit”, “rice” in English (uncountable nouns), but with neuter singular agreement:
- Svježe povrće je zdravo. – “Fresh vegetables are healthy.”
  - povrće (n.sg.) + je (3sg) + zdravo (n.sg.)

There is a plural form povrća, but it’s rare and used in more specific or technical contexts (types of vegetables, etc.), not for everyday “vegetables”.

What exactly does “sastojak” mean here, and what is its plural?

Sastojak means “ingredient” (usually of food, recipes, but also metaphorical ingredients).

Singular:
- Nominative: sastojak – “ingredient”
Plural:
- Nominative: sastojci – “ingredients”

In the sentence, najvažniji sastojak = “the most important ingredient” (of the recipe), and that ingredient is svježe povrće iz doline – fresh vegetables from the valley.

Is there any article like “the” or “a” hiding in “najvažniji sastojak”?

No. Croatian has no articles (no “the”, “a”, “an”).

najvažniji sastojak on its own can mean:
- “the most important ingredient”
- “a most important ingredient”
- depending on context.

Here, because we’re talking about a specific recipe and its single main ingredient, English naturally uses “the most important ingredient”, but Croatian doesn’t mark that with a word; it’s understood from context.

Could I replace “piše” with another verb, like “stoji” or a passive form?

Yes, there are a few natural alternatives, each with a slightly different nuance but similar meaning:

U receptu stoji da je…
- Literally: “In the recipe it stands that…”, idiomatically “The recipe states that…”
U receptu je napisano da je…
- “It is written in the recipe that…”
U receptu možemo pročitati da je…
- “In the recipe we can read that…”

All of these express basically the same idea as u receptu piše da je…, though piše and stoji are the most colloquial and commonly used.