Pegla je stara, ali dobra.

to be

Breakdown of Pegla je stara, ali dobra.

• dobar: good
• star: old
• ali: but
• pegla: iron

Questions & Answers about Pegla je stara, ali dobra.

Why do the adjectives stara and dobra end in -a here?

In Croatian, adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• Pegla is a feminine noun, singular, in the nominative case (it is the subject).
• Therefore, the adjectives describing it must also be feminine singular nominative.

The base adjectives are:

• star (old)
• dobar (good)

For a feminine singular noun like pegla, these become:

• stara
• dobra

So you say Pegla je stara, ali dobra.
If the noun were masculine, you would say star, dobar; if neuter, staro, dobro.

How do I know that pegla is feminine?

There are two clues:

1. Ending: Many (not all) feminine nouns in Croatian end in -a in the nominative singular: pegla, kuća, knjiga.
2. Adjective agreement: The adjectives stara and dobra clearly use the feminine form, confirming that pegla is feminine.

Over time, you mostly learn the gender with the noun itself, but endings and adjective forms are very helpful hints.

What exactly is je here, and why is it in the middle of the sentence?

Je is the 3rd person singular form of the verb biti (to be), so it means is.

• Pegla je stara = The iron is old.

In Croatian, short forms of biti like je behave like clitics: they normally appear in second position in the sentence or clause.

• Subject first, then je, then the predicate:
  Pegla je stara.

So its position is not random; it follows a common word-order rule for these short forms.

Can I leave out je, like in some other languages?

In standard Croatian, you should not omit je in this kind of sentence.
You need the verb biti to make a correct predicative sentence:

• Correct: Pegla je stara.
• Incorrect in standard Croatian: Pegla stara.

In very informal speech you might occasionally hear je dropped, but that is not something you should copy if you want to speak correctly.

Why is there a comma before ali?

Ali means but and introduces a contrast between two clauses:

• Pegla je stara (one statement)
• (pegla je) dobra (a contrasting statement)

In Croatian, you generally put a comma before ali when it connects two clauses or two clearly separate parts that could stand on their own:

• Pegla je stara, ali dobra.
• On je umoran, ali sretan.

So the comma is required here by normal punctuation rules.

Could I say Pegla je dobra, ali stara instead? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

• Pegla je dobra, ali stara.

Both sentences describe the same two qualities (old, good), but the order affects what you emphasize:

• Pegla je stara, ali dobra.
  The primary idea is it’s old, but you add a reassuring contrast: still, it’s good.
• Pegla je dobra, ali stara.
  The primary idea is it’s good, but you add a slightly negative note: but it’s old.

So the meaning is similar, but the focus and nuance shift with the order.

Is there any article like the or a missing before pegla?

Croatian has no articles like English a/an or the.

• Pegla je stara, ali dobra. can mean:
  • The iron is old, but (still) good.
  • An iron is old, but good. (in a generic statement)
  • The iron is old but works fine. (in context)

Which English article you use in translation depends on context, but in Croatian you simply say pegla, with no extra word.

What are the base forms of stara and dobra, and how do they change with gender?

The dictionary (base) forms are:

• star (old)
• dobar (good)

In the nominative singular, they change by gender like this:

• Masculine: star, dobar
  
  • Auto je star, ali dobar. (The car is old but good.)
• Feminine: stara, dobra
  
  • Pegla je stara, ali dobra.
• Neuter: staro, dobro
  
  • Računalo je staro, ali dobro. (The computer is old but good.)

This pattern of changing endings to match the noun is central to Croatian adjectives.

Is pegla always a noun, or can it also be a verb?

Pegla in this sentence is a noun (an iron, the ironing device).

However, there is also a verb peglati, meaning to iron. In speech, you will hear forms like:

• Peglam košulju. – I am ironing the shirt.

So:

• pegla (noun) = iron (the device)
• peglati (verb) = to iron

Context and sentence position tell you which one you are dealing with.

Is pegla the only word for iron, or are there other forms I should know?

There are at least two common words:

• pegla – widely used, especially colloquially.
• glačalo – also means iron, often considered more standard, especially in some regions and in more formal or technical contexts.

Both are understood:

• Pegla je stara, ali dobra.
• Glačalo je staro, ali dobro.

Note that glačalo is neuter, so the adjectives must be staro, dobro, not stara, dobra.