Šteta što je bicikl ukraden.

to be

Breakdown of Šteta što je bicikl ukraden.

• bicikl: bicycle
• što: that
• ukraden: stolen

Questions & Answers about Šteta što je bicikl ukraden.

What does Šteta mean here?

Here Šteta means It's a pity or What a shame.

That can be confusing because šteta can also mean damage or loss in other contexts. In this sentence, though, it is the common expression Šteta što... = It's a pity that...

Why is there no separate word for it is at the beginning?

Because Croatian often uses Šteta by itself as a complete expression meaning It's a pity / That's a shame.

So:

• Šteta. = What a pity.
• Šteta što je bicikl ukraden. = It's a pity that the bicycle was stolen.

English needs a dummy subject it, but Croatian does not.

What does što mean in this sentence?

Here što means that.

It introduces the clause explaining what is a pity:

• Šteta što... = It's a pity that...

This is not the same as što meaning what in a question or relative clause. In this sentence, it is a conjunction.

What is je doing here?