Long and Short Adjectives
Dobar and dobri are two adjective forms, not two degrees.
How It Works
The short form commonly describes a quality in the predicate: Pas je dobar. A long form can identify a particular member: Taj dobri pas. Croatian has no articles, so this is not a mechanical replacement for English a and the.
The forms can differ in their case patterns too: indefinite genitive dobra and definite dobrog(a). In many gender and number forms, spelling alone does not display the distinction.
Learn the adjective in a whole phrase. Not every adjective has two equally usable forms, and a fixed expression may select one. Neither long nor short means a higher degree of the quality.
Examples (3)
- Ovaj je pas dobar.
This dog is good.
The predicate uses the short descriptive form dobar.
- Taj dobri pas čuva kuću.
That good dog guards the house.
Dobri modifies an identified masculine singular noun.
- Vidim dobrog psa.
I see a good dog.
Dobrog illustrates the long adjective’s animate accusative form.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Long and short adjective patterns differ across the case paradigm and syntactic use.
Related Patterns
Practice Long and Short Adjectives in Bubblegum
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