Kandidat je odgovoran.

to be

Breakdown of Kandidat je odgovoran.

• kandidat: the applicant or candidate
• odgovoran: responsible

Questions & Answers about Kandidat je odgovoran.

What does je mean here, and why is it needed?

Je is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb biti (to be).
So Kandidat je odgovoran literally means The candidate is responsible.

In Serbian, you normally need this verb in this kind of sentence, just like in English:

• On je umoran. = He is tired.
• Kandidat je odgovoran. = The candidate is responsible.

Why is it odgovoran and not some other form like odgovorna or odgovorno?

Because odgovoran is an adjective, and in Serbian adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Here, kandidat is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So the adjective also has to be masculine singular nominative:

• odgovoran = masculine singular
• odgovorna = feminine singular
• odgovorno = neuter singular
• odgovorni = masculine plural (or sometimes other forms depending on context)

For example:

• Kandidat je odgovoran. = masculine
• Kandidatkinja je odgovorna. = feminine
• Dete je odgovorno. = neuter