Ovaj nož je tup, pa kruh ne reže dobro.

to be

Breakdown of Ovaj nož je tup, pa kruh ne reže dobro.

• ne: not
• kruh: bread
• pa: so

Questions & Answers about Ovaj nož je tup, pa kruh ne reže dobro.

Why is it ovaj and not ova or ovo?

Because nož (knife) is a masculine noun in Croatian. The demonstrative ovaj must match the noun’s gender (and also case/number).

• masculine: ovaj nož
• feminine: ova žlica (this spoon)
• neuter: ovo staklo (this glass)

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What case is nož in here, and how can I tell?

Nož is in the nominative because it’s the subject of the sentence: Ovaj nož je tup = This knife is blunt.
In Croatian, the subject is typically nominative, and it agrees with the verb (je) and the predicate adjective (tup).

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What does je do in Ovaj nož je tup?

Je is the present tense of biti (to be) for he/she/it. It links the subject to an adjective:

• nož je tup = the knife is blunt
  Croatian often uses je in the present tense with predicate adjectives like this.

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