Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica.

This pillow is softer than the chair.

Breakdown of Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica.

• biti: to be
• nego: than
• ovaj: this
• stolica: chair
• jastuk: pillow
• mekši: softer

Questions & Answers about Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica.

What does ovaj mean, and could I also use taj or onaj here?

Ovaj means this (near the speaker).

• ovaj jastuk = this pillow (here, close to me)
• taj jastuk = that pillow (near the listener or just mentioned)
• onaj jastuk = that pillow over there / that one (far away)

You could say:

• Taj jastuk je mekši nego stolica. – That pillow is softer than the chair.
• Onaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica. – That pillow (over there) is softer than the chair.

The grammar stays the same; only the distance/pointing meaning changes.

Why is it mekši and not something like mekaniji?

The basic adjective is mek or mekan = soft.
Its comparative is irregular: mekši = softer.

So:

• mek / mekan – soft
• mekši – softer
• najemkši – softest (superlative, less common in everyday speech; often people just say jako mekan = very soft)

You don’t say mekaniji; that sounds wrong to native speakers. The correct comparative form is mekši.

Why is the adjective mekši masculine? How would it change with a feminine or neuter noun?

Mekši agrees with jastuk, which is masculine singular.
In Croatian, adjectives must match the noun in gender, number, and case.

Nominative singular forms of the comparative:

• masculine: mekši – Ovaj jastuk je mekši.
• feminine: mekša – Ova stolica je mekša. (This chair is softer.)
• neuter: mekše – Ovo sjedalo je mekše. (This seat is softer.)

In the sentence Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica, we use masculine because jastuk is masculine.

Why do we use nego here? Could I also say Ovaj jastuk je mekši od stolice?

Both are possible and natural:

• Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica.
• Ovaj jastuk je mekši od stolice.

The difference:

• nego is followed by the nominative (here: stolica).
• od is followed by the genitive (here: stolice).

In everyday speech, with adjectives like mekši (softer), both nego + nominative and od + genitive are used.

So you can safely use either:

• mekši nego X
• mekši od X

If od takes the genitive, why is stolica nominative after nego?

Because nego normally compares to what is effectively a full clause that is just shortened.

Think of:

• Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego što je stolica.
  (This pillow is softer than the chair is.)

We usually drop što je, leaving:

• Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica.

Since stolica would be the subject of that implied clause (stolica je), it stays in the nominative.
With od, there is no such hidden clause; od simply governs the genitive: od stolice.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move words around?

The neutral, most natural order is:

• Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica.

You can move things a bit for emphasis, but not freely inside the adjective phrase. For example:

• Mekši je ovaj jastuk nego stolica. – Emphasis on mekši (softer).
• Ovaj jastuk je mekši od stolice. – Same meaning, just od instead of nego.

But something like Ovaj jastuk je nego stolica mekši is not natural Croatian. The comparative phrase mekši nego stolica / mekši od stolice should stay together.

Can I omit je and just say Ovaj jastuk mekši nego stolica?

No, not in standard Croatian.
You need the verb je (the 3rd person singular of biti = to be) here:

• Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica.

Omitting je like this is ungrammatical in standard language. In some dialects people might drop it in very casual speech, but you should keep je when you speak or write Croatian.

How do I say “much softer” or “a bit softer” in Croatian?

You add an adverb before the comparative:

• mnogo mekši / puno mekši – much / a lot softer

  • Ovaj jastuk je mnogo mekši nego stolica.

• malo mekši – a little / a bit softer

  • Ovaj jastuk je malo mekši od stolice.

Other options for emphasis:

• znatno mekši – significantly softer
• neusporedivo mekši – incomparably softer (very strong).

How would this sentence look in the plural?

For plural, both the demonstrative and the verb change:

Masculine plural (pillows, chairs):

• Ovi jastuci su mekši nego stolice.
  These pillows are softer than (the) chairs.

or with od:

• Ovi jastuci su mekši od stolica.

Here:

• ovi – plural of ovaj (these)
• jastuci – plural of jastuk
• su – 3rd person plural of biti (they are)
• mekši – masculine plural form (same as masculine singular in nominative)
• stolice / stolica – plural forms of stolica (nominative / genitive).

Why don’t we say jastukom or stolicom here? When would those forms be used?

Jastukom and stolicom are instrumental forms, usually meaning with/by/using the pillow or chair.

In this sentence, both jastuk and stolica are subjects / things being compared, so they are in the nominative:

• Ovaj jastuk je mekši nego stolica.
  This pillow is softer than the chair.

You would use jastukom / stolicom in contexts like:

• Spavam s jastukom. – I sleep with a pillow.
• Pisala je stolicom po podu. – She wrote with the chair on the floor. (silly, but shows the meaning)

How do I say the opposite, like “The chair is harder than the pillow”?

You use the opposite adjective: tvrđi = harder (from tvrđ / tvrd = hard).

• Stolica je tvrđa nego jastuk.
• Stolica je tvrđa od jastuka.

Both mean: The chair is harder than the pillow.

Note:

• stolica – feminine → tvrđa (feminine comparative)
• jastuk – masculine → jastuka in genitive after od.

How is this sentence pronounced, especially mekši and stolica?

Approximate pronunciation (stress usually on the first syllable):

• Ovaj – OH-vay
• jastuk – YAS-took
• je – ye
• mekši – MEK-shee (the š is like sh in she)
• nego – NE-go (like NEH-go)
• stolica – STO-li-tsa (sto like stoy without y; c is ts as in cats)

Full sentence: OH-vay YAS-took ye MEK-shee NE-go STO-li-tsa.