Ovaj zadatak je veći problem.

to be

Breakdown of Ovaj zadatak je veći problem.

• problem: problem
• ovaj: this
• zadatak: task
• veći: greater

Questions & Answers about Ovaj zadatak je veći problem.

What does each word in Ovaj zadatak je veći problem literally mean, and how does the word order work?

Word by word:

• ovaj – this (masculine, singular, nominative)
• zadatak – task / assignment / exercise (masculine, singular, nominative)
• je – is (3rd person singular of biti – to be)
• veći – bigger / greater (comparative of velik – big)
• problem – problem / issue (masculine, singular, nominative)

Literal structure is:

This task is [a] bigger problem.

The word order is S–V–P (Subject – Verb – Predicate):

• Subject: Ovaj zadatak
• Verb: je
• Predicate (what it “is”): veći problem

Why are zadatak and problem both in the basic (nominative) form?

Because this is a linking-verb sentence with biti (je), and both sides of the “X is Y” structure are in the nominative case in standard Croatian:

• Ovaj zadatak – subject in nominative
• veći problem – predicate noun phrase, also in nominative

This is similar to English:

• This task is a big problem.

In Croatian, you do not say Ovaj zadatak je većeg problema here; that would be ungrammatical in standard usage as a simple “is a bigger problem” statement. Predicate nouns after biti normally stay in nominative.

How do I know that veći describes problem and not zadatak?

Two main reasons:

1. Position in the sentence
   veći is immediately before problem, forming a natural adjective–noun group: veći problem (a bigger problem).
   If veći were meant to describe zadatak, you would normally say:

   • Ovaj veći zadatak je problem. – This bigger task is a problem.

2. Typical phrasing and meaning
   In everyday Croatian it’s very natural to talk about a veći problem (a bigger problem).
   The sentence is saying that the task itself is a bigger problem, not that the task is bigger in size.

So we parse it as:

• Subject: Ovaj zadatak
• Predicate: je veći problem (adjective veći modifying problem).

Could I also say Ovaj je zadatak veći problem? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Ovaj zadatak je veći problem.
• Ovaj je zadatak veći problem.

Both are grammatically correct and mean the same thing.

The version Ovaj je zadatak veći problem slightly highlights “this” more, by placing je right after ovaj. It can sound a bit more emphatic or stylistically “neater” in some contexts, but in everyday speech the original version is completely normal.

Meaning-wise, there is no real difference: in both cases this task is a bigger problem.

Can I drop je and say Ovaj zadatak veći problem?

In standard Croatian, no – the verb je should be there:

• Ovaj zadatak je veći problem. ✔ (correct standard sentence)

In informal spoken Croatian, people do sometimes drop je in the present tense, especially in short, fast sentences:

• Ovaj zadatak, veći problem. (you might hear this in speech)

However:

• It sounds colloquial or fragment-like, not like a full, correct written sentence.
• For writing and for safe, correct Croatian, you should keep je.

What is the difference between veći and više? When do I use which?

They are different types of “more”:

• veći – comparative of velik (big → bigger).
  It describes size, degree, intensity of something as an adjective:

  • veći problem – a bigger problem
  • veća kuća – a bigger house
  • veći grad – a bigger city

• više – comparative of puno / mnogo (a lot / much → more).
  It usually refers to quantity or amount, and often acts like an adverb:

  • više problema – more problems (a greater number of problems)
  • više vremena – more time
  • više raditi – to work more

So:

• veći problem – one problem that is bigger / more serious
• više problema – a larger number of problems

Would teži problem be more natural than veći problem? What’s the difference?

Both are natural; the nuance is slightly different:

• veći problem
  Literally a bigger problem, often meaning a more serious or more significant problem.
  Focus on importance / seriousness.

• teži problem
  Literally a heavier problem, understood as a more difficult / harder problem.
  Focus on difficulty / complexity.

In many contexts they overlap, and both could be used. For example:

• Ovaj zadatak je veći problem. – This task is a bigger (more serious) problem.
• Ovaj zadatak je teži problem. – This task is a harder (more difficult) problem.

Which one sounds better depends on whether you want to stress seriousness (veći) or difficulty (teži).

What is the difference between zadatak and problem in Croatian?

Roughly:

• zadatak

  • a task, assignment, exercise
  • something you’re supposed to do, solve, or complete
  • commonly used for school exercises, work tasks, math exercises:
    • domaći zadatak – homework
    • matematički zadatak – math problem/exercise

• problem

  • a problem, issue, difficulty, trouble
  • something that causes trouble or needs solving:
    • Imam problem. – I have a problem.
    • To je ozbiljan problem. – That is a serious problem.

So Ovaj zadatak je veći problem. means the task (zadatak) itself is turning out to be a problem (problem), and a big one.

How do I say “This task is a bigger problem than that one” in Croatian?

You use od + genitive for the comparison:

• Ovaj zadatak je veći problem od onoga.
  This task is a bigger problem than that one.

Breakdown of the comparison:

• veći – comparative adjective (bigger)
• od – than / from (here: than)
• onoga – genitive singular of onaj (that), masculine

Other examples:

• Ovaj zadatak je veći problem od prošlog.
  This task is a bigger problem than the last one.

• Ovaj zadatak je veći problem od svih ostalih.
  This task is a bigger problem than all the others.

Can I say Ovaj zadatak je veći by itself? What would that mean?

Yes, grammatically you can say Ovaj zadatak je veći, but:

• It just means “This task is bigger”.
• It expects a comparison to be understood from context:
  • Ovaj zadatak je veći (od onog drugog). – This task is bigger (than the other one).

Without any context, it sounds incomplete, like saying in English: This task is bigger – and leaving the listener to guess “bigger than what?”

Why is it ovaj and not something else? How does ovaj agree with zadatak?

ovaj is the demonstrative pronoun this in the masculine singular nominative form, and it must agree with the noun it modifies:

• zadatak is masculine, singular, nominative.
• Therefore, you use ovaj.

Basic nominative forms of ovaj:

• ovaj – this (masculine, e.g. ovaj zadatak)
• ova – this (feminine, e.g. ova knjiga)
• ovo – this (neuter, e.g. ovo pitanje)

So:

• Ovaj zadatak je veći problem. – This (masc.) task is a bigger problem.
• Ova vježba je veći problem. – This (fem.) exercise is a bigger problem.
• Ovo pitanje je veći problem. – This (neut.) question is a bigger problem.

How would I say “These tasks are a bigger problem” in Croatian?

The subject goes to plural, but problem can remain singular, just like in English:

• Ovi zadaci su veći problem.
  These tasks are a bigger problem.

Explanation:

• ovi zadaci – these tasks (masculine plural nominative)
• su – are (3rd person plural of biti)
• veći problem – a bigger problem (stays singular as a kind of abstract label)

You could also say Ovi zadaci su veći problemi, but that sounds more like “These tasks are bigger problems”, which is less common in this kind of general statement. The more natural version is:

• Ovi zadaci su veći problem.