Televizor je star, ali dobar.

to be

Breakdown of Televizor je star, ali dobar.

• dobar: good
• star: old
• ali: but

Questions & Answers about Televizor je star, ali dobar.

What does je mean in this sentence, and why do we need it?

Je is the third‑person singular form of the verb biti (to be) in the present tense. It corresponds to English is.

So:

• Televizor je star = The television is old
• Televizor je dobar = The television is good

Croatian normally must use je in sentences like this. Unlike English, you generally cannot drop je in normal speech:

• ✅ Televizor je star.
• ❌ Televizor star. (only okay in headlines, notes, or very telegraphic style)

Why is there a comma before ali? In English, we don’t always put a comma before but.

In Croatian, a comma is always used before ali (but) when it connects two clauses or two parts of a sentence:

• Televizor je star, ali dobar.

This is a standard rule and is much stricter than English punctuation. Even though ali dobar is short, the comma still stays.

By contrast, in English:

• The TV is old but good. (comma usually omitted)
• The TV is old, but it’s good. (comma more common)

In Croatian, both types of coordination take a comma:

• Televizor je star, ali dobar.
• Televizor je star, ali je dobar.