Questions & Answers about Začinsko bilje raste na našem balkonu.
What does začinsko bilje mean exactly? Is it the same as herbs in English?
Yes. Začinsko bilje means herbs, especially herbs used for seasoning food.
Literally:
- začinsko = spice-related / seasoning
- bilje = plants / vegetation / herbs
As a set phrase, začinsko bilje is the normal way to say herbs in the cooking sense.
Why is bilje followed by raste in the singular? Aren’t herbs plural in meaning?
This is a very common question. In Croatian, bilje is a collective noun. It refers to plant life or herbs as a group, but grammatically it behaves like a singular neuter noun.
So:
- bilje raste = literally the herb-planting/herb vegetation grows
- not bilje rastu
That is why the verb is singular:
- raste = grows / is growing
Even though English often uses a plural idea like herbs grow, Croatian treats bilje as singular here.
What case is začinsko bilje, and why does začinsko end in -o?