Film je uzbudljiv.

The movie is exciting.

Breakdown of Film je uzbudljiv.

• biti: to be
• film: movie
• uzbudljiv: exciting

Questions & Answers about Film je uzbudljiv.

Why is it Film je uzbudljiv and not The film is exciting word‑for‑word? Where is the?

Croatian has no articles like a/an or the.
So:

• Film je uzbudljiv.
  Literally: Film is exciting.

Whether you translate it into English as A film is exciting or The film is exciting depends on context, not on any specific word in Croatian. The bare noun film can cover both meanings.

What does each word in Film je uzbudljiv correspond to in English?

Word‑by‑word:

• Film – film / movie (noun, masculine singular, nominative)
• je – is (3rd person singular present of biti = to be)
• uzbudljiv – exciting / thrilling (adjective, masculine singular, nominative)

So the whole sentence corresponds to The film is exciting.

Why is the adjective uzbudljiv at the end? In English it comes right after is.

Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but the most neutral pattern here is:

[Subject] [verb to be] [predicate adjective]
→ Film je uzbudljiv.

That happens to match English order (The film is exciting.) in this case.

However, Croatian can sometimes move elements for emphasis:

• Uzbudljiv je film. – literally Exciting is (the) film.
  This sounds a bit stylistic or emphatic, focusing on uzbudljiv.

The standard, neutral way you would normally say it is Film je uzbudljiv.

How do I know that film is masculine, and how does that affect uzbudljiv?

Most nouns ending in a consonant in Croatian are masculine. Film ends in -m, so it is masculine.

Adjectives must agree with nouns in gender, number, and case. Here:

• film – masculine singular nominative (subject)
• uzbudljiv – masculine singular nominative (predicate adjective)

If the noun changed gender, the adjective would change too:

• Serija je uzbudljiva. – The series is exciting. (feminine)
• Predstava je uzbudljiva. – The show is exciting. (feminine)
• Putovanje je uzbudljivo. – The trip is exciting. (neuter)

So uzbudljiv / uzbudljiva / uzbudljivo all come from the same adjective, agreeing with the noun.

What is je exactly? Can I leave it out, like in some languages that drop to be?

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

• 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 cannot normally omit je in a simple statement like this.
✗ Film uzbudljiv. is not standard; it sounds like a telegram or a note, not a normal sentence.

So you must say Film je uzbudljiv.

How would I say Films are exciting (in general)? What changes?

You need the plural of both the noun and the verb and the adjective:

• Filmovi su uzbudljivi. – Films/Movies are exciting.

Breakdown:

• filmovi – plural of film (nominative plural)
• su – are (3rd person plural of biti)
• uzbudljivi – masculine plural nominative form of the adjective

So the pattern is: Filmovi su uzbudljivi.

What is the difference between uzbudljiv and uzbuđen?

This is very important:

• uzbudljiv – exciting (causing excitement)
• uzbuđen – excited (feeling excitement)

So:

• Film je uzbudljiv. – The film is exciting.
• Gledatelj je uzbuđen. – The viewer is excited.

Just like English boring vs bored, Croatian has uzbudljiv vs uzbuđen.

How do I pronounce uzbudljiv? The jv and lj look tricky.

Pronunciation tips:

• u – like oo in food, but shorter.
• z – like z in zoo.
• b – as in boy.
• u – again oo in food (short).
• dlj – there is a consonant cluster dlj; lj is a single sound, like lli in million when said quickly.
• i – like ee in see.
• v – like v in van.

j in Croatian is always pronounced like y in yes, but here it forms the lj sound (a palatal l).

Roughly: ooz-BOOD-lyeev, with stress typically on -bud-: uzBUDljiv.

Can I put uzbudljiv in front of film, like exciting film?

Yes. Then uzbudljiv becomes an attributive adjective:

• uzbudljiv film – an exciting film / the exciting film

Examples:

• Gledali smo uzbudljiv film. – We watched an exciting film.
• To je bio stvarno uzbudljiv film. – That was a really exciting film.

In Film je uzbudljiv., uzbudljiv is a predicate adjective, describing the subject via je (is). In uzbudljiv film, it directly modifies the noun in front of it.

How would I turn this into a question: Is the film exciting?

The standard yes‑no question form is:

Je li film uzbudljiv? – Is the film exciting?

• je li is a common way to form a question with biti (to be).

In everyday speech you will also hear:

• Je l’ film uzbudljiv?
• Or with rising intonation: Film je uzbudljiv? (sounds like The film is exciting? with surprise)

But the safest, most standard form to learn is Je li film uzbudljiv?

If I want to say The film is very exciting, where do I put very?

Use jako or vrlo for very, and place it before the adjective:

• Film je jako uzbudljiv. – The film is very exciting.
• Film je vrlo uzbudljiv. – same meaning, a bit more formal or neutral.

So the pattern is: Film je (jako/vrlo) uzbudljiv.

Is film always just film, or does it change in other cases?

In Film je uzbudljiv, film is in the nominative case (subject form).
Croatian nouns change form depending on their role in the sentence. Some common cases for film:

• Nominative (subject): film
  
  • Film je uzbudljiv. – The film is exciting.
• Accusative (direct object): film
  
  • Gledam film. – I am watching a film.
• Genitive (of the film): filma
  
  • Kraj filma. – The end of the film.
• Dative (to/for the film, less common): filmu
• Locative (about/in the film): o filmu – about the film
• Instrumental (with the film): s filmom – with the film

You do not need cases to understand Film je uzbudljiv, but it helps to know that film will change form in other contexts.