Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro.

This dish is really good.

Breakdown of Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro.

• biti: to be
• dobar: good
• ovaj: this
• stvarno: really
• jelo: dish

Questions & Answers about Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro.

What does "ovo jelo" mean exactly, and why is it not "ovaj jelo"?

"Ovo jelo" means "this dish" / "this meal".

• jelo = dish, meal, food item
  
  • It is a neuter noun (grammatical gender: neuter).
• The demonstrative "this" has three basic forms:
  • ovaj – masculine
  • ova – feminine
  • ovo – neuter

Because jelo is neuter, you must say ovo jelo, not ovaj jelo or ova jelo.
Examples:

• ovaj sendvič (this sandwich – masculine)
• ova juha (this soup – feminine)
• ovo jelo (this dish – neuter)

What does "je" mean, and can it be left out?

je is the third person singular present tense of the verb biti = to be.

• je = is

So the core of the sentence is:
jelo je dobro = the dish is good

In standard Croatian, you cannot usually leave out je in this kind of sentence.
✔ Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro.
✘ Ovo jelo stvarno dobro. (incorrect in standard language)

What does "stvarno" mean, and how is it used here?

stvarno literally means "really" / "truly" / "in reality".
In this sentence it functions as an adverb of degree, intensifying the adjective:

• dobro = good
• stvarno dobro = really good, genuinely good

It’s similar to English "really" in This dish is really good.

Other common intensifiers you might see in the same place:

• jako dobro – very good, really good
• baš dobro – really good, so good (more colloquial, emotional)
• zaista dobro – truly good (a bit more formal or emphatic)

Why is it "dobro" and not "dobar" or "dobra"?

dobro is the neuter singular form of the adjective dobar (good).
Adjectives in Croatian agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.

• jelo – neuter, singular
  → adjective must also be neuter singular: dobro

Compare:

• Ovaj sendvič je dobar. (sendvič – masc. → dobar)
• Ova juha je dobra. (juha – fem. → dobra)
• Ovo jelo je dobro. (jelo – neut. → dobro)

What case is "jelo" in here, and why?

jelo is in the nominative singular.

In Croatian, when you use the verb biti (to be) in sentences like X je Y, both X (subject) and Y (the thing describing it) are in the nominative:

• Ovo jelo (nominative) je (stvarno) dobro (nominative, agreeing with jelo).

If you change the verb, the case may change:

• Vidim ovo jelo. – I see this dish. → ovo jelo is accusative here.
  (Nominative and accusative look the same for neuter nouns, but the function is different.)

Can I change the word order in this sentence?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but changes in order can change emphasis.
All of these are grammatically possible:

1. Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro.
   – Neutral: This dish is really good.

2. Ovo je jelo stvarno dobro.
   – Slight pause after ovo je: more like This dish here is really good.

3. Jelo je ovo stvarno dobro.
   – More marked, poetic or emphatic: This dish really is good.

4. Ovo jelo je dobro, stvarno.
   – Colloquial emphasis at the end: This dish is good, really.

For everyday speech, (1) is the most natural neutral version.

What is the difference between "ovo jelo" and just "jelo"?

• jelo = a dish / a meal in general.

  • Jelo je stvarno dobro. – The dish is really good. (context must tell which dish)

• ovo jelo = this dish / this particular dish (the one near you or currently in focus).

  • Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro. – You’re clearly pointing to or talking about a specific dish.

Can "ovo jelo" also mean "this food"?

Yes, in everyday speech "ovo jelo" often refers to the specific food item / dish you’re eating or seeing, so it can be translated as:

• this dish
• this meal
• this food (here)

However, if you want to say “food” in a more general, abstract sense, you’d usually use:

• hrana – food (uncountable, general)
  • Ova hrana je stvarno dobra. – This food is really good.

What’s the difference between "jelo", "hrana", and "obrok"?

• jelo – a dish, a prepared food item

  • Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro. – This dish is really good.

• hrana – food in general (uncountable)

  • Hrana ovdje je skupa. – The food here is expensive.

• obrok – a meal as an event (breakfast/lunch/dinner)

  • Ovaj obrok je stvarno dobar. – This meal is really good.

In the given sentence, jelo focuses on the specific dish/plate of food.

How do you pronounce "jelo" and "je"?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-like spelling):

• je → “yeh”
• jelo → “yeh-lo”

Details:

• j in Croatian is always like English y in yes.
• e is like e in bet.
• Stress is typically on the first syllable here: JE-lo.

Is "stvarno" always placed before the adjective like this?

Most often, yes: intensifiers like stvarno, jako, baš usually come before the adjective:

• stvarno dobro
• jako ukusno
• baš lijepo

You can also sometimes move it for emphasis, but that affects the feel:

• Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro. – Neutral: really good.
• Ovo jelo je dobro, stvarno. – It’s good, really. (emphasis, reassuring)

For learners, putting stvarno directly in front of the adjective is the safest and most natural pattern.

Could I say "Ovo je jelo stvarno dobro" instead, and does it change the meaning?

You can say:

• Ovo je jelo stvarno dobro.

This is grammatically correct and very close in meaning to:

• Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro.

Subtle difference:

• Ovo jelo je stvarno dobro. – Slightly more straightforward: This dish is really good.
• Ovo je jelo stvarno dobro. – Feels like you first point out “this” (ovo), then identify it as “dish” and comment that it’s really good; a tiny bit more like “This one, this dish, is really good.”

In everyday conversation, both are fine and will usually be understood the same way.