Ovo je greška u zalijevanju.

to be

Breakdown of Ovo je greška u zalijevanju.

• ovo: this
• u: in
• zalijevanje: watering

Questions & Answers about Ovo je greška u zalijevanju.

Why does the sentence start with ovo?

Ovo means this and is the neuter singular form used when you are pointing to or identifying something in a general way.

In sentences like this, Croatian often uses ovo je ... = this is ...

Examples:

• Ovo je kuća. = This is a house.
• Ovo je problem. = This is a problem.
• Ovo je greška. = This is a mistake.

Even though greška is feminine, ovo stays neuter here because it refers to this thing / this situation, not because it has to agree with greška.

What does je mean here?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of biti = to be.

So:

• ovo = this
• je = is
• greška = a mistake

Together:

• Ovo je greška = This is a mistake

Croatian usually includes je in this kind of sentence, just like English includes is.

Why is it greška and not some other form like grešku or greške?