Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ovaj kaput je prevelik.

Kaput is a masculine singular noun in the nominative case.
The demonstrative “this” has different forms:
- ovaj – masculine singular nominative (this coat, this man)
- ova – feminine singular nominative (this dress, this woman)
- ovo – neuter singular nominative (this child, this suit)
Ovu is the feminine accusative form (e.g. Vidim ovu haljinu – I see this dress), so it does not fit here.

So we say ovaj kaput because we are saying “this coat” and kaput is masculine.

What kind of noun is kaput, and how do I use it in the plural?

Kaput is a regular masculine noun.

Singular:
- Nominative: kaput (Ovaj kaput je prevelik.)
Plural:
- Nominative: kaputi (Ovi kaputi su preveliki. – These coats are too big.)

Croatian has no articles (no “a/the”), so you just say kaput, kaputi without any article.

What does prevelik literally mean, and how is it formed?

Prevelik literally means “too big”.

The base adjective is velik = big.
The prefix pre- in front of many adjectives means “too / excessively”.
- topao = warm → pretopan = too warm
- skup = expensive → preskup = too expensive
So pre- + velik = prevelik → too big.

Why is it prevelik and not prevelika or preveliko?

Because adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

Kaput is masculine singular nominative, so the adjective also has to be masculine singular nominative: prevelik.
With other genders, the adjective changes:
- Feminine: Ova haljina je prevelika. – This dress is too big.
- Neuter: Ovo odijelo je preveliko. – This suit is too big.
- Plural masculine: Ovi kaputi su preveliki. – These coats are too big.
- Plural feminine: Ove haljine su prevelike.

The pattern is: noun’s gender/number/case ↔ adjective’s gender/number/case.

What is je, and is it always needed here?

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

Full present tense (neutral forms):
- 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 standard Croatian, you normally must include je in a sentence like this.
- Ovaj kaput je prevelik. is correct.
- Ovaj kaput prevelik. sounds incomplete or very telegraphic, not standard.

So je is necessary to make a normal, grammatical sentence.

Can I say Ovaj je kaput prevelik instead of Ovaj kaput je prevelik?

Yes, both are correct, with a slightly different feel.

Ovaj kaput je prevelik.
- More neutral word order.
- Often just a plain statement.
Ovaj je kaput prevelik.
- Puts a little extra emphasis on ovaj (“this one”).
- Often used when contrasting with another coat:
  - Ovaj je kaput prevelik, a onaj je premalen. – This coat is too big, and that one is too small.

Meaning is basically the same; the second version highlights this more.

Can I change the word order to Kaput je prevelik or Prevelik je ovaj kaput?

Yes, Croatian word order is quite flexible, but the emphasis changes.

Kaput je prevelik.
- Neutral: “The coat is too big.”
- You’re just stating a fact about “the coat”.
Ovaj kaput je prevelik.
- Neutral, but specifies this coat, not some other.
Prevelik je ovaj kaput.
- Emphasises prevelik – “Too big, this coat is.”
- Sounds more emotional or expressive, as if reacting strongly.

All are grammatically correct; choose based on what you want to emphasise.

How do I make this sentence negative?

To make it negative, you replace je with nije:

Ovaj kaput nije prevelik. – This coat is not too big.

Points to note:

nije is simply ne + je fused into one word.
You cannot say je ne or ne je; you must use nije.
The rest of the sentence stays the same.

Is kaput in the nominative case here? How would it look in other cases?

Yes, kaput is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

Some common singular forms:

Nominative (subject): ovaj kaput – this coat
Genitive (of): ovog kaputa – of this coat
Dative (to/for): ovom kaputu – to/for this coat
Accusative (object – inanimate): ovaj kaput – this coat (I see this coat.)
Locative (in/on/about): o ovom kaputu – about this coat
Instrumental (with): s ovim kaputom – with this coat

In our sentence, we describe the subject, so we use nominative: Ovaj kaput je prevelik.

How do I say similar sentences like “This coat is too small” or “too expensive”?

You use the same pattern, just change the adjective:

Ovaj kaput je premalen. – This coat is too small.
- base: mali = small
- premalen = too small
Ovaj kaput je preskup. – This coat is too expensive.
- base: skup = expensive
- preskup = too expensive

In general: pre- + adjective = “too + adjective”
(though with some adjectives you’ll more often hear previše + adjective, e.g. previše je velik = it is too big).

What is the difference between ovaj, taj, and onaj?

They all roughly correspond to English this/that, but with a three-way distinction:

ovaj – “this” (near the speaker)
- Ovaj kaput – this coat (near me)
taj – “that” (near the listener, or just mentioned)
- Taj kaput – that coat (near you, or just referred to)
onaj – “that (over there)” / “that one (far away or more distant in context)”
- Onaj kaput – that coat over there / that (other) coat

All three decline for gender, number, and case, just like ovaj does.

How do I pronounce Ovaj kaput je prevelik?

Approximate pronunciation (in English-like spelling):

Ovaj – OH-vai (j = y in yes)
kaput – KAH-put (u = oo in food)
je – ye
prevelik – PREH-veh-lik

Tips:

Each letter is pronounced; Croatian spelling is very phonetic.
Vowels are short and clear: a, e, i, o, u (no diphthongs like English ow, ay).
r is rolled or tapped.
It’s natural in Croatian to put the main stress near the beginning of words, so saying each word with stress on the first syllable will be understood.