This is the 389th most frequent Croatian word.
bilo
The Croatian word "bilo" can mean "pulse," "was" (past tense of "to be"), or "whether/if," depending on context.
The word 'bilo' is part of the verb expression 'bilo je', which translates to 'it was', representing the past tense of 'to be' ('biti') for third person singular.
Bilo je lijepo na odmoru u Hrvatskoj.
It was nice on vacation in Croatia.
The word 'bilo' here means 'there was', working as part of a clause to indicate the occurrence of an event in the past.
Svaki put kad bi bilo kiše, nosili smo kišobrane.
Every time there was rain, we carried umbrellas.
In this sentence, 'bilo je' conveys 'it was', mentioning necessity or the requirement of effort in a past context.