Rečenica je kratka.

The sentence is short.

Breakdown of Rečenica je kratka.

• biti: to be
• kratak: short
• rečenica: sentence

Questions & Answers about Rečenica je kratka.

Why is there no word for “the” in Rečenica je kratka?

Croatian has no articles like a/an or the.
The bare noun rečenica can mean a sentence or the sentence, depending on context.

So:

• Rečenica je kratka. = The sentence is short. or A sentence is short.
  Context decides whether it feels definite or indefinite; you don’t mark it with a separate word.

What gender is rečenica, and how can I tell?

Rečenica is a feminine noun.

Common clues:

• Many feminine nouns end in -a in the nominative singular: žena, kuća, knjiga, rečenica.
• The dictionary form usually gives the gender, e.g. rečenica, -e (ž) where ž = ženski rod (feminine).

Because rečenica is feminine, any adjective describing it in the nominative singular must also be feminine singular nominative, like kratka.

Why does the adjective kratka end in -a, not -o or -i?

The form of the adjective depends on the noun’s:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• rečenica = feminine, singular, nominative (it’s the subject)
• So kratak (short) must agree: kratka = feminine, singular, nominative.

Other examples with kratak:

• muški rod (m.): tekst je kratak – The text is short.
• srednji rod (n.): pismo je kratko – The letter is short.
• ženski rod (f.): rečenica je kratka – The sentence is short.

What exactly is je doing in this sentence?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti (to be).

Forms of biti (present):

• ja sam – I am
• ti si – you are (sg.)
• on/ona/ono je – he/she/it is
• mi smo – we are
• vi ste – you are (pl./formal)
• oni/one/ona su – they are

In Rečenica je kratka, je links the subject (Rečenica) with the adjective (kratka), just like is in English.

Can I leave out je, like in some Slavic languages?

No, not in standard Croatian in the present tense. You normally must use je:

• ✔ Rečenica je kratka.
• ✖ Rečenica kratka. (sounds incomplete in standard language)

You may occasionally hear Rečenica kratka. in headlines, notes, or very telegraphic style, but that’s not normal full-sentence grammar.

Can I change the word order? For example, Kratka je rečenica?

Yes, Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and changes mostly affect emphasis, not grammatical correctness.

All of these are grammatically possible:

• Rečenica je kratka. – neutral, plain statement.
• Kratka je rečenica. – puts more emphasis on kratka (short).
• Rečenica kratka je. – possible, but sounds a bit marked/poetic.

For a beginner, it’s best to stick to the neutral order: [subject] + je + [adjective] → Rečenica je kratka.

What case is rečenica in here?

Rečenica is in the nominative singular.

• It’s the subject of the sentence.
• The basic dictionary form of a noun is the nominative singular.

In a simple X je Y sentence, both X (subject) and the describing adjective Y are in the nominative:

• Rečenica je kratka. – rečenica (nom. sg.), kratka (nom. sg. fem.)

Is kratka also in the nominative case?

Yes. Adjectives must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Since rečenica is nominative, feminine, singular, the adjective kratak must take the nominative feminine singular form kratka.

Structure:

• [NOM, fem, sg] Rečenica
• [NOM, fem, sg] kratka

How would I say The sentences are short?

You need plural for the noun, verb, and adjective:

• Singular: Rečenica je kratka.
• Plural: Rečenice su kratke.

Changes:

• rečenica → rečenice (feminine nominative plural)
• je → su (3rd person plural of biti)
• kratka → kratke (feminine nominative plural of kratak)

How would this sentence look with a masculine or neuter noun instead of rečenica?

You change the noun and make the adjective agree in gender:

• Masculine:

  • Tekst je kratak. – The text is short.
  • film, grad, zadatak etc. would also take kratak in nominative singular.

• Neuter:

  • Pismo je kratko. – The letter is short.
  • pitanje, ime, more etc. would take kratko.

So the pattern is:

• m. sg.: kratak
• f. sg.: kratka
• n. sg.: kratko

Could I say To je kratka rečenica instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, but the structure and focus are different:

• Rečenica je kratka.

  • Literally: The sentence is short.
  • Subject = Rečenica.
  • You’re making a statement about that sentence.

• To je kratka rečenica.

  • Literally: That is a short sentence.
  • Subject = To (that/this/it).
  • kratka rečenica is a noun phrase describing what to is.

Both can describe the same real-world situation, but grammatically and stylistically they’re different sentences.

Why is Rečenica capitalized? Is rečenica a proper noun?

No, rečenica is not a proper noun. It just gets a capital letter because it’s the first word of the sentence, just like in English.

In the middle of a sentence, it would be written with a lowercase r:

• Ova rečenica je kratka. – This sentence is short.

How do you pronounce rečenica and kratka?

Approximate pronunciation:

• rečenica: [reh-CHEH-nee-tsa]

  • č is like ch in church.
  • The letter c at the end is pronounced like ts in cats.

• kratka: [KRAT-ka]

  • A rolled or tapped r.
  • All vowels are short and clear; no schwa sound.

Stress patterns can vary slightly regionally, but for learning: re-ČE-ni-ca, KRAT-ka is a good approximation.