Publika je glasna, ali je trener miran.

The audience is loud, but the coach is calm.

Breakdown of Publika je glasna, ali je trener miran.

• biti: to be
• ali: but
• miran: calm
• glasan: loud
• trener: coach
• publika: audience

Questions & Answers about Publika je glasna, ali je trener miran.

Why is je used twice? In English we only say “is” once: “The audience is loud, but the coach is calm.”

In Croatian, each clause normally needs its own verb.

• Clause 1: Publika je glasna – The audience is loud → needs je.
• Clause 2: (ali) je trener miran – but the coach is calm → also needs je.

So you repeat je because you have two separate clauses joined by ali.
You could drop the second je only in very informal or telegraphic style (e.g. headlines): Publika glasna, trener miran. In standard speech/writing, you keep both je’s.

Why does je come right after ali in ali je trener miran?

Je is a clitic – a short, unstressed form that likes to stand in “second position” in the clause.
In the second clause, the first element is ali, so the clitic je comes immediately after it:

• … ali je trener miran.

You normally do not say … ali trener je miran unless you are deliberately emphasizing trener (e.g. “But the coach is calm (unlike others)”). The neutral word order is ali je trener miran.

Why is it glasna but miran? Why do the endings differ?

The adjective must agree with the gender and number of the noun it describes.

• publika = feminine singular → adjective: glasna (feminine singular)
• trener = masculine singular → adjective: miran (masculine singular)

So you say:

• glasna publika / Publika je glasna.
• miran trener / Trener je miran.

Is publika grammatically singular or plural? It refers to many people.

Publika is grammatically singular feminine, even though it refers to a group.
So you use:

• singular verb: publika je (not publika su)
• singular feminine adjective: glasna

English sometimes treats audience as plural (“the audience are…”), but Croatian keeps it grammatically singular: Publika je glasna.

Why isn’t there any word for “the” in Publika je glasna?

Croatian has no articles (the, a/an).
Definiteness is understood from context, word order, or extra words if needed.

So publika can mean “an audience” or “the audience”, depending on context.
Publika je glasna. is naturally read as “The audience is loud.” in a specific situation.

Why is it glasna and not glasno?

• glasna is an adjective (feminine singular): “loud” (describing a noun).
• glasno is usually an adverb: “loudly” (describing how something is done), or a neuter adjective form.

In Publika je glasna, the word describes the noun (publika), so you need an adjective:

• Publika je glasna. = The audience is loud.

If you said govore glasno, that would be: “They speak loudly.” (adverb).

Could I say Publika je glasna, ali trener je miran instead?

You can hear Publika je glasna, ali trener je miran, but it sounds less neutral.
Because je is a clitic, the standard neutral order puts it in second position in its clause:

• more neutral: Publika je glasna, ali je trener miran.
• more emphatic / less neutral: Publika je glasna, ali trener je miran.

The given sentence with ali je trener miran is the safest choice for learners.

Could I drop je completely, like Publika glasna, trener miran?

Yes, but only in very elliptical or headline-style language. For example, in a newspaper title or a note.

In normal speech and standard writing, you say:

• Publika je glasna, ali je trener miran.

Dropping je is not standard in full sentences.

What case are publika and trener in?

Both are in the nominative singular:

• publika (nominative fem. sg.)
• trener (nominative masc. sg.)

The nominative is used for the subject of the sentence and for the complement in “X is Y” structures:

• Publika je glasna.
• Trener je miran.

Why is it ali and not some other word like a, no, or nego?

These conjunctions are all “but/and”–type words but with different nuances:

• ali = the basic “but”, neutral contrast:
  
  • Publika je glasna, ali je trener miran.
• a = often like “while / whereas”, milder contrast or just parallel facts:
  
  • Publika je glasna, a trener miran. (The audience is loud, while the coach is calm.)
• no = stronger “but, however”, more adversative:
  
  • Publika je glasna, no trener je miran.
• nego = “but rather” after a negation:
  
  • Nije publika tiha, nego glasna. (It’s not that the audience is quiet, but rather loud.)

In your sentence, ali is the most straightforward choice.

Why is there a comma before ali?

In Croatian, you normally put a comma before ali when it introduces a new clause.
Your sentence has two clauses:

1. Publika je glasna
2. ali je trener miran

They are joined by ali, so you write: Publika je glasna, ali je trener miran.

Is there a difference between miran and tih in this context?

Yes, there is a nuance:

• miran ≈ calm, composed, not agitated (about someone’s state/temperament).
• tih ≈ quiet, not loud (about volume / speaking quietly).

So:

• trener je miran = the coach is calm, not nervous or angry.
• trener je tih = the coach is quiet, doesn’t speak loudly or much.

In your sentence, miran focuses on his calmness, which nicely contrasts with the loud audience.

Can I change the word order to emphasize different parts, like Glasna je publika, ali miran je trener?

Yes. Croatian allows flexible word order for emphasis and style.

• Publika je glasna, ali je trener miran. – neutral.
• Glasna je publika, ali je trener miran. – emphasizes that it is the audience that is loud.
• Publika je glasna, ali miran je trener. – emphasizes the coach’s calmness.

The grammar stays the same (same forms, same agreements); only the focus changes.