Nije važno da li je restoran mali; važno je da je hrana dobra.

to be

Breakdown of Nije važno da li je restoran mali; važno je da je hrana dobra.

• dobar: good
• ne: not
• hrana: food

Questions & Answers about Nije važno da li je restoran mali; važno je da je hrana dobra.

Why is nije written as one word?

Because it is the standard negative form of je (is) in the present tense of biti (to be).

So:

• je = is
• nije = is not

This is very common in Serbian. The present-tense negative forms of biti are fused into single words:

• nisam = I am not
• nisi = you are not
• nije = he/she/it is not
• nismo = we are not
• niste = you plural/formal are not
• nisu = they are not

So Nije važno literally corresponds to It is not important, but without an expressed it.

Why is it važno and not some other form like važan or važna?

Because važno is being used impersonally.

In English, we say It is important... The word it is just a dummy subject; it does not refer to a real thing. Serbian often does the same idea without a real subject, and in that structure the adjective usually appears in the neuter singular form.

So:

• važan = masculine singular
• važna = feminine singular
• važno = neuter singular

Here, važno je means it is important in an impersonal sense.