Learn Hardcore Croatian: Taj roman je ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak. - That novel is not only interesting, but also short.

ovaj = this (close to the speaker)
taj = that (close to the listener, or something just mentioned)
onaj = that over there (far from both, or something more distant in context)

In Taj roman je ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak, taj suggests:

either “that novel (you know which one I mean / the one we just mentioned)”
or physically “that novel near you / that specific one over there on the table,” depending on context.

Using ovaj roman would sound like “this novel (near me / that I’m holding)”, and onaj roman more like “that novel (over there / that more distant one).”

Why is je placed after Taj roman, and can it go somewhere else?

Je is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti (to be). The neutral word order is:

[Subject] + [verb] + [rest of the sentence]
→ Taj roman je ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak.

You can move je in a few ways, mainly for emphasis or style:

Taj je roman ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak.
This slightly emphasizes taj (“That novel in particular is not only interesting…”).
Roman je ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak.
More general, focusing on “the novel” (already known from context).

But:

✗ Taj roman ne samo je zanimljiv, nego i kratak sounds awkward and is not standard word order.
The clitic je generally stays in the second position of the sentence or clause, and ne samo tends to stick together as a phrase.

How exactly does the structure ne samo … nego i … work?

Ne samo … nego i … means “not only … but also …” and works like this:

ne samo + [first quality / element]
nego i + [second quality / element]

In the example:

ne samo zanimljiv = not only interesting
nego i kratak = but also short

Key points:

ne belongs to samo here (it’s “not only”, not “is not”).
nego introduces the contrasting/added element (“but rather / but”).
i adds the sense of “also”.

It’s a fixed, very common pattern and can join words, phrases, or even whole clauses:

Ne samo čitam, nego i pišem. = I not only read, but also write.
Ne samo da je zanimljiv, nego je i kratak. = Not only is it interesting, but it is also short.

Why is there a comma before nego? Is it necessary?

Yes, in this kind of sentence the comma before nego is standard and expected.

Ne samo X, nego i Y.

The comma marks the boundary between the two contrasted parts:

ne samo zanimljiv,
nego i kratak.

So you should normally write:

Taj roman je ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak.

Leaving out the comma (…zanimljiv nego i kratak) can look incorrect or at least sloppy in standard written Croatian.

Why are zanimljiv and kratak in these forms, and not something like zanimljivi or kratki?

Both zanimljiv and kratak are adjectives describing roman.

roman is masculine, singular, nominative (the subject of the sentence).
Adjectives in Croatian must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

So:

masculine, singular, nominative → zanimljiv, kratak

Other forms, for comparison:

plural: zanimljivi, kratki (for masculine, nominative plural)
- Ti romani su zanimljivi i kratki.
feminine singular: zanimljiva, kratka
- Ta knjiga je zanimljiva i kratka.

In the original, masculine singular is required, so zanimljiv and kratak are correct.

Can I change the word order to “Taj roman nije samo zanimljiv, nego je i kratak”? What’s the difference?

Yes, that sentence is correct and very natural:

Taj roman nije samo zanimljiv, nego je i kratak.

Differences:

Position of “ne”
- Original: je ne samo zanimljiv → is not only interesting (with ne tied to samo)
- New: nije samo zanimljiv → is not only interesting (here nije is “is not”)
Both mean almost the same thing, and both are idiomatic.
Repetition of “je”
- Original: … je ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak. (one je for both adjectives)
- New: … nije samo zanimljiv, nego je i kratak. (verb repeated in the second part)

Both are good style. The version with nije … nego je … can feel a bit more explicit or slightly more formal, but in everyday speech and writing they’re basically interchangeable in meaning.

Could I leave out the i and say “ne samo zanimljiv, nego kratak”?

You can say it without i, and people will understand:

Taj roman je ne samo zanimljiv, nego kratak.

However:

The more typical, idiomatic pattern is ne samo X, nego i Y.
The i makes the second part symmetric with English “but also”.

Leaving out i is not wrong, but ne samo … nego i … sounds more polished and is what you’ll usually see in textbooks and careful writing.

What is the difference between nego and ali? Could I say “ne samo zanimljiv, ali i kratak”?

You should not say ✗ ne samo zanimljiv, ali i kratak.
In the ne samo … nego (i) … structure, nego is the correct conjunction.

Differences:

nego = “but rather / but (instead)” and is used:
- after a negation:
  - Nije crven, nego plav. = It’s not red, but (rather) blue.
- in the fixed phrase ne samo … nego (i) …
ali = “but / however”, more general contrast:
- Zanimljiv je, ali je kratak. = It’s interesting, but it’s short.

So, in your sentence:

Taj roman je ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak. ✅
Taj roman je ne samo zanimljiv, ali i kratak. ❌ (unidiomatic/wrong)

Could I say “Taj je roman ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak”? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, that sentence is correct:

Taj je roman ne samo zanimljiv, nego i kratak.

Meaning: essentially the same as the original.

Nuance:

Moving je after taj gives slight emphasis to taj (“that particular novel”).
This word order is common in Croatian when you want to stress the demonstrative (taj, ovaj, onaj) or an adjective:
- Ovaj je film odličan. = This film is great. (with a slight emphasis on “this one”)

But in everyday use, Taj roman je… and Taj je roman… will usually be understood the same way, with only a small difference in emphasis.

Why do we use kratak here and not something like mali? What’s the difference?

Both kratak and mali can translate as “short / small”, but they’re used differently:

kratak = short in length / duration
- kratak roman = a short novel (few pages / quick to read)
- kratka priča = a short story
- kratak film = a short film
mali = small in size, or figuratively “little”
- mala knjiga = a small book (physically small, or perhaps not many pages)
- mali dječak = a little boy

In Taj roman je … kratak, the focus is on the length of the novel (you don’t need much time to read it), so kratak is the natural choice.

How would this sentence change if the noun were feminine or plural?

The structure stays the same, but adjectives and the verb form change to agree with the noun.

Feminine singular (e.g. knjiga = book):

Ta knjiga je ne samo zanimljiva, nego i kratka.
- ta (fem. singular)
- zanimljiva, kratka (fem. singular nominative)

Masculine plural (e.g. romani = novels):

Ti romani su ne samo zanimljivi, nego i kratki.
- ti (masc. plural)
- su (3rd person plural of biti)
- zanimljivi, kratki (masc. plural nominative)

The pattern ne samo … nego i … itself does not change; only the words that agree with the noun do.