Learn Hardcore Croatian: Najveći trošak svaki mjesec je stanarina, ali i hrana nije jeftina. - The biggest expense every month is the rent, but food is not cheap either.

The base adjective is velik = big.
The comparative is veći = bigger (this is irregular; it’s not velikiji).
The superlative is formed with naj-
- comparative:
  naj
  - veći → najveći = biggest.

It also agrees with trošak (expense), which is masculine singular nominative, so you get najveći trošak (biggest expense).

Why is the word order najveći trošak, not trošak najveći?

In Croatian, the normal word order is:

adjective + noun → najveći trošak

So:

najveći trošak = the biggest expense (neutral, standard)

You can say trošak je najveći in a different sentence structure, e.g.:

Stanarina je trošak koji je najveći.
“Rent is the expense that is the biggest.”

But when an adjective simply describes a noun, it usually comes before the noun.

Why is it svaki mjesec and not svakog mjeseca?

Both forms exist:

svaki mjesec
svakog mjeseca

They both mean “every month”, but there is a grammatical nuance:

svaki mjesec uses the accusative (formally same as nominative for mjesec). Accusative is often used in time expressions:
svaki dan (every day), svaku nedjelju (every Sunday).
svakog mjeseca uses the genitive. Genitive is also common in this kind of time expression and can sound a bit more formal or “bookish”.

In everyday speech, svaki mjesec is very natural and common.
In writing, you’ll also often see svakog mjeseca.

What is the role of je in najveći trošak svaki mjesec je stanarina?

Je is the 3rd person singular present of biti = “to be”.

The structure is:

Najveći trošak svaki mjesec (subject)
je (verb “is”)
stanarina (complement / predicate noun)

So it literally works like English:

The biggest expense every month is rent.

In Croatian, you could also change the word order:

Stanarina je najveći trošak svaki mjesec.
Svaki mjesec najveći trošak je stanarina.

The verb je stays the same and just links the two sides.

Why is it stanarina, not stanarinu, after je?

After the verb biti (to be), Croatian usually uses the nominative case on both sides:

Stanarina je najveći trošak.
Rent is the biggest expense.

Both stanarina and trošak are in nominative here.

English might make you think of an object (like I pay the rent → stanarinu is accusative there), but in a sentence with “to be” we’re not talking about an object, we’re equating two things:

Subject: stanarina (rent)
Predicate noun: trošak (expense)

So: stanarina je trošak → both nominative.

When stanarina is a direct object (e.g. “I pay the rent”), then it does change:

Plaćam stanarinu. (accusative)

What exactly does ali i mean in ali i hrana nije jeftina?

Literally:

ali = but
i = and / also / even

In this position (i hrana), i means roughly “also” / “too” and adds emphasis:

ali i hrana nije jeftina ≈
“but food isn’t cheap either / but food, too, is not cheap.”

It’s like saying: “Rent is the biggest expense, but food also isn’t cheap.”

You could also say:

… ali hrana također nije jeftina. (…but food is also not cheap.)
… ali ni hrana nije jeftina. (…but food isn’t cheap either / nor is food cheap.)

I hrana sounds like “food, too / even food” and is natural in spoken and written Croatian.

Why is it hrana nije jeftina, and not hrana nije jeftin?

Adjectives in Croatian must agree with the noun in:

gender
number
case

Here:

hrana = food (feminine, singular, nominative)
jeftin = cheap (base form, masculine)

So you must use the feminine singular nominative form:

hrana je jeftina = food is cheap
hrana nije jeftina = food is not cheap

Some examples:

skupa hrana – expensive food (fem. sg.)
skup auto – expensive car (masc. sg.)
skupo piće – expensive drink (neut. sg.)

So jeftina matches hrana in gender and number.

What genders are trošak, stanarina, and hrana, and how does that affect the sentence?

trošak (expense) → masculine
→ adjective: najveći trošak
stanarina (rent) → feminine
→ could take adjectives like visoka stanarina (high rent), skupa stanarina (expensive rent)
hrana (food) → feminine
→ adjective here: jeftina (cheap), matching feminine: hrana nije jeftina

This is why we have:

najveći trošak (masc.)
hrana nije jeftina (fem.)

If the noun changes gender, the adjective form changes with it.

Why is there no word for “the” as in “the biggest expense” or “the rent”?

Croatian has no articles (no “a / an / the”).

Definiteness (whether something is “the” or “a”) is usually understood from:

context
word order
sometimes from possessives or demonstratives

So najveći trošak can mean:

“the biggest expense” (here, clearly the intended meaning)
in a different context, simply “a biggest expense” (if you were speaking much more abstractly)

Similarly, stanarina is just “rent”; context tells you whether you mean the rent.

English must choose a / the / (no article); Croatian simply doesn’t mark that grammatically.

Could I say Stanarina je najveći trošak svaki mjesec instead? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct:

Stanarina je najveći trošak svaki mjesec.

The basic meaning is the same: “Rent is the biggest expense every month.”

The differences are about information structure / emphasis:

Najveći trošak svaki mjesec je stanarina
→ starts by talking about “the biggest expense every month”, and then identifies it as rent.
Stanarina je najveći trošak svaki mjesec
→ starts with rent, then says what it is (the biggest expense).

Both are natural; which one you choose depends on what you want to highlight first.

Is there any difference between ali i hrana nije jeftina and ali ni hrana nije jeftina?

Both are understandable, but there’s a nuance:

ali i hrana nije jeftina
→ “but food also isn’t cheap / food too isn’t cheap.”
i adds an “also / too / even” meaning.
ali ni hrana nije jeftina
→ “but food isn’t cheap either / nor is food cheap.”
ni is the usual particle for “nor / not even / either” in negative contexts.

In everyday speech:

ni fits very naturally in negative additions:
- Nije jeftin stan, a ni hrana nije jeftina.
i is still used, especially for emphasis:
- Skup je stan, ali i hrana nije jeftina. (Rent is expensive, but even food isn’t cheap.)

Your sentence with ali i is fine and common.

Could I make trošak plural, like najveći troškovi? How would the sentence change?

Yes, trošak (expense) → plural troškovi (expenses).

Some possibilities:

Najveći trošak svaki mjesec je stanarina.
→ “The biggest (single) expense every month is rent.”
Najveći troškovi svaki mjesec su stanarina i hrana.
→ “The biggest expenses every month are rent and food.”

Notice the changes:

plural noun: troškovi
plural verb: su instead of je
two items in the predicate: stanarina i hrana

So going to the plural changes both the noun and the verb.

What exactly does stanarina mean? Is it like “apartment”?

Stanarina does not mean “apartment”. It means “rent” (the money you pay to live in an apartment / flat / house).

Some related words:

stan – apartment / flat
stanar – tenant (person who lives in a rented place)
stanarina – rent (the payment)

So:

Najveći trošak je stanarina.
→ The biggest expense is the rent (the payment), not “the apartment” itself.