Plastika je opasna za naš planet.

Plastic is dangerous for our planet.

Breakdown of Plastika je opasna za naš planet.

• biti: to be
• za: for
• naš: our
• opasan: dangerous
• planet: planet
• plastika: plastic

Questions & Answers about Plastika je opasna za naš planet.

Why is opasna used here instead of opasan or opasno?

In Croatian, adjectives must agree with the noun in:

• gender (masculine, feminine, neuter)
• number (singular, plural)
• case

Plastika is:

• feminine
• singular
• nominative (it’s the subject)

So the adjective opasan (dangerous) has to be in the same form:

• masculine: opasan
• feminine: opasna
• neuter: opasno

Because plastika is feminine singular nominative, you must use opasna, not opasan or opasno:

• Plastika je opasna. = Plastic is dangerous.

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Why is je needed here? Can I say Plastika opasna za naš planet without je?

Je is the 3rd person singular of the verb biti (to be), i.e. je = is.

In normal, neutral sentences, you include it:

• Plastika je opasna za naš planet. = Plastic is dangerous for our planet.

Leaving it out:

• Plastika opasna za naš planet.

sounds like a headline, a note, or very telegraphic style, not like a normal spoken sentence. Newspapers often drop je to be shorter:

• Plastika opasna za planet (headline style)

So:

• In everyday speech and normal writing: use je.
• Omit je only in headlines, titles, labels, or very informal notes.

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Why doesn’t Croatian use the or a here, like “The plastic is dangerous” or “Plastic is dangerous”?

Croatian has no articles (no words like a/an or the).

• Plastika can mean:
  • plastic
  • the plastic

The meaning (general vs specific) is understood from context, not from an article.

So:

• Plastika je opasna za naš planet.
  can mean:
  • Plastic is dangerous for our planet. (general)
  • The plastic is dangerous for our planet. (in some specific context)

When translating into English, you choose plastic or the plastic depending on what you actually mean.

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What does za mean here, and which case does it use?

In this sentence, za means for:

• opasna za naš planet = dangerous for our planet

In standard Croatian, za is followed by the accusative case.

Here:

• planet is masculine, singular
• accusative singular (for inanimate masculine nouns) is the same form as the nominative: planet
• the phrase is za naš planet (not za našeg planeta)

So structure is:

• za
  • accusative → za naš planet

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Why is it naš planet and not naša planeta or našem planetu?

Two separate points: agreement and case.

1. Agreement of “naš”
   Naš (our) must agree with planet in gender, number, and case.

• planet is masculine singular accusative
• masculine singular (nom./acc.) form of naš is also naš

So we get:

• naš planet = our planet

Other forms (for comparison):

• feminine: naša planeta (if you used the feminine noun planeta)
• masculine dative/locative: našem planetu

2. Why not “našem planetu”?
   Because the preposition za takes the accusative, not the dative or locative:

• ✅ za naš planet (accusative)
• ❌ za našem planetu (dative/locative – incorrect after za)

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Why is it planet and not planeta or planetu?

In Croatian, planet is usually treated as a masculine noun, with this basic pattern:

• nominative singular: planet
• genitive singular: planeta
• dative/locative singular: planetu
• accusative singular (inanimate): planet (same as nominative)

Because za requires the accusative, and for inanimate masculine nouns accusative = nominative, we use:

• planet as the accusative form → za naš planet

You will also encounter planeta (a feminine noun) in everyday speech, but in this sentence the structure clearly uses the masculine planet.

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Why is the word order Plastika je opasna za naš planet and not something like Plastika opasna je za naš planet?

Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but it still follows some preferred patterns.

1. Basic structure here is:
   Subject – verb – complement

   • Plastika (subject)
   • je (verb “is”)
   • opasna za naš planet (complement/predicate)

2. Clitics like je usually go in second position in the sentence. So:

• Plastika je opasna za naš planet.
  (je is second: after the first stressed word, Plastika)

Something like:

• Plastika opasna je za naš planet.

is possible but sounds marked and unusual in normal speech. It gives special emphasis and breaks the usual clitic rule, so you would typically avoid it as a learner.

You might see other orders for emphasis, e.g.:

• Za naš planet plastika je opasna. (emphasising “for our planet”)

but the safest, most neutral word order is the one you have:
Plastika je opasna za naš planet.

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How can I tell that plastika is feminine?

Most nouns ending in -a in Croatian are feminine, and plastika follows that pattern:

• plastika → feminine noun

You can also see it from how other words agree with it:

• Plastika je opasna.
  The adjective opasna is feminine singular, so that confirms plastika is feminine singular.

So, as a general rule:
nouns ending in -a are very often feminine (though there are some exceptions).

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Could I say Naš planet je opasan zbog plastike instead? Does that mean the same thing?

You can say:

• Naš planet je opasan zbog plastike.

but it does not mean the same thing. It means:

• Our planet is dangerous because of plastic.

Differences:

• Plastika je opasna za naš planet.
  Focus: plastic is dangerous for the planet (plastic is the dangerous thing).

• Naš planet je opasan zbog plastike.
  Focus: the planet is dangerous, and the reason is plastic (the planet is the dangerous thing).

Also note the prepositions and cases:

• za naš planet → za
  • accusative
• zbog plastike → zbog
  • genitive (plastike)

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How would I say “Plastics are dangerous for our planet” in Croatian?

You make both the noun and the adjective plural:

• singular: Plastika je opasna za naš planet.
• plural: Plastike su opasne za naš planet.

Changes:

• Plastika → Plastike (plural, nominative feminine)
• je → su (3rd person plural of biti = “to be”)
• opasna → opasne (feminine plural adjective)

So:

• Plastike su opasne za naš planet. = Plastics are dangerous for our planet.

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Can I move naš after planet, like planet naš?

You can say planet naš, but:

• naš planet is the normal, neutral order in everyday speech.
• planet naš sounds poetic, emphatic, or stylistic.

Examples:

• neutral: Naš planet je ugrožen. = Our planet is endangered.
• poetic/emphatic: Planet naš je ugrožen.

For clear, standard Croatian, especially as a learner, use naš planet.

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How do you pronounce Plastika je opasna za naš planet?

Approximate pronunciation using English sounds:

• Plastika → PLAH-stee-kah
• je → yeh
• opasna → OH-pahs-nah
• za → zah
• naš → nahsh (like “nash”, with š = “sh”)
• planet → PLAH-net (similar to English “planet”, but with a clearer, shorter e)

Whole sentence (roughly):

• PLAH-stee-kah yeh OH-pahs-nah zah nahsh PLAH-net

Stress is usually on the first syllable in these words.