Danas je vjetar jači nego jučer.

Today the wind is stronger than yesterday.

Breakdown of Danas je vjetar jači nego jučer.

• biti: to be
• danas: today
• jučer: yesterday
• nego: than
• vjetar: wind
• jači: stronger

Questions & Answers about Danas je vjetar jači nego jučer.

Why is there no word for “the” before vjetar? In English we say “the wind”, but in Croatian it’s just vjetar.

Croatian doesn’t use articles (a, an, the) at all.
Whether something is definite or indefinite is normally clear from:

• context
• word order
• additional words (this, that, some, etc.)

So:

• vjetar can mean wind, a wind, or the wind, depending on context.
  In this sentence, Danas je vjetar jači nego jučer, the context makes it clear we mean “the wind (today)”.

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What part of speech are danas and jučer? Are they nouns, like “today” and “yesterday” in English sometimes are?

In this sentence:

• danas = today
• jučer = yesterday

Both are adverbs of time in Croatian, not nouns here.
They answer the question “when?”:

• When is the wind stronger? → danas
• Stronger than when? → nego jučer

They don’t take cases or prepositions in this use, just like English today/yesterday usually don’t need “on” (on yesterday is wrong).

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Can the word order be “Vjetar je danas jači nego jučer” instead? Is there a difference?

Yes, both are correct:

• Danas je vjetar jači nego jučer.
• Vjetar je danas jači nego jučer.

Croatian word order is flexible. The basic meaning is the same, but:

• Starting with Danas puts more emphasis on “today” (contrast with other days).
• Starting with Vjetar puts more emphasis on the wind as the topic.

In everyday speech, both versions sound natural.

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Why is the verb je needed here? Could you say “Danas vjetar jači nego jučer” without it?

You need je here. It’s the 3rd person singular of biti (to be):

• Danas je vjetar jači nego jučer.
  Today the wind *is stronger than yesterday.*

A correct Croatian sentence (in standard language) normally must have a finite verb.
Without je, Danas vjetar jači nego jučer sounds unfinished or wrong in standard Croatian, like saying in English “Today wind stronger than yesterday.”

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What form is jači, and why is it jači and not something like više jak?

jači is the comparative form of the adjective jak (strong).

• Positive: jak = strong
• Comparative: jači = stronger
• Superlative: najjači = strongest

Croatian usually forms comparatives by changing the adjective itself, not by adding a separate word like English more:

• brz → brži (fast → faster)
• topao → topliji (warm → warmer)
• jak → jači (strong → stronger)

Using više jak (more strong) is not natural here; the normal form is jači.

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Why is it jači and not jače or jača? What is it agreeing with?

Adjectives in Croatian must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• case

Here:

• vjetar is masculine singular, nominative
• Therefore the adjective must match: jači (masculine singular nominative)

For comparison:

• jak vjetar → jači vjetar (masculine)
• jaka kiša → jača kiša (feminine: strong rain → stronger rain)
• jako sunce → jače sunce (neuter: strong sun → stronger sun)

So jači is masculine to agree with vjetar.

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What case is vjetar in, and how do we know?

vjetar is in the nominative singular.

Reasons:

1. It’s the subject of the sentence (the thing that “is stronger”).
2. With verb biti (to be), the subject usually stays in the nominative.

The base form in dictionaries is also nominative singular: vjetar.

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What exactly does nego mean here, and how is it different from od in comparisons?

In this sentence, nego is part of the comparative construction:

• jači nego jučer = stronger than yesterday

Both nego and od can be used in comparisons, but not always in the same places.

Very simplified guidelines:

1. Comparing with a noun/pronoun:

   • jači od vjetra = stronger than the wind
   • pametniji od mene = smarter than me

2. Comparing with another adjective/adverb/clause, or after a negation, you normally use nego:

   • bolje nego prije = better than before
   • viši nego što sam mislio = taller than I thought
   • nije veći nego manji = it’s not bigger but smaller

Here, you’re comparing to a time adverb (jučer), so nego jučer is natural.

Danas je vjetar jači od jučer is generally avoided because jučer is not a noun in a case like od vjetra, it’s an adverb.

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Why is there no preposition with jučer (like “than on yesterday”)?

Croatian jučer is an adverb, not a noun with a preposition. It behaves like English yesterday in “stronger than yesterday”:

• English: stronger than yesterday → no preposition
• Croatian: jači nego jučer → no preposition

When jučer is used in other roles (for example, as part of a phrase), you can combine it with prepositions, but then the meaning changes:

• od jučer = since yesterday / from yesterday
  (Ova vijest je od jučer. = This news is from yesterday.)

In this sentence, we’re just saying “than yesterday”, so no preposition is needed.

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Could I say “Danas je jači vjetar nego jučer” instead? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can also say:

• Danas je jači vjetar nego jučer.

Both sentences are correct:

1. Danas je vjetar jači nego jučer.
   Literally: Today the wind is stronger than yesterday.
   → Focus a bit more on the state of the wind today.

2. Danas je jači vjetar nego jučer.
   Literally: Today (there is) a stronger wind than yesterday.
   → Sounds a bit more like talking about the kind/strength of wind present today.

The difference is subtle; in many contexts they are interchangeable.

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Is jučer the only correct form, or can I also see juče?

In standard Croatian, the correct form is:

• jučer = yesterday

The form juče is common in Serbian and in some regional varieties, but if you’re learning standard Croatian, you should use jučer.

So for Croatian:

• ✔ Danas je vjetar jači nego jučer.
• ✖ Danas je vjetar jači nego juče. (not standard Croatian)