Expressing Purpose

English has one all-purpose purpose word — to / in order to / so that — and lets the infinitive carry most of the load: I'm studying to pass, I came to help. Croatian distributes the same job across several constructions, and the right one depends on a question English never forces you to ask: is the doer of the purpose the same person as the doer of the main clause? This page is the consolidated map of every purpose strategy — the da-clause, the kako bi / da bi clause, radi + genitive, za + accusative, and the bare infinitive after verbs of motion — and the rules for choosing among them. The fine-grained kako bi vs da choice has its own page at kako bi vs da for purpose, and the broader da vs infinitive contrast at da vs infinitive; here we line them all up so you can see which tool fits which slot.

The whole inventory at a glance

The first three express purpose with a verb (an action you do the main thing in order to perform); the last two express it with a noun (a thing or end the main action serves). Choose the verb-based ones for "in order to do X," the noun-based ones for "for X."

da + present — the universal purpose clause

The workhorse is da + the present tense. It covers purpose in every register and, critically, it is the only verb-based option that works freely when the subjects differ — when I do something so that someone else will do or have something. The verb after da goes in the present, even though the meaning is forward-looking.

The different-subject case is the one to lock in: if the purpose is about someone other than the main-clause subject, you cannot use kako bi loosely or an infinitive — you need da. This is the same subject-control logic explored on subject control and da.

kako bi / da bi — the same-subject written variant

When the purpose has the same subject as the main clause, careful and written Croatian often prefers kako bi (or da bi) followed by the l-participle — the form you also see in the conditional. Kako bih prošao literally pairs the conditional auxiliary (bih, bi, bismo…) with the participle, but here it simply marks purpose, not a real conditional meaning. The auxiliary agrees with the subject's person and number.

Both kako bi and da bi are correct; kako bi is the more recommended in normative prose, da bi slightly more colloquial but extremely common. The detailed contrast is on kako bi vs da for purpose. The key restriction: this construction is properly same-subject. Stretching kako bi across different subjects is a frequent overcorrection — keep da + present for those.

The infinitive of purpose — after verbs of motion

After a verb of motion — ići (go), doći (come), poći (set off), vratiti se (return), and the like — Croatian allows a bare infinitive to express the purpose of the movement, with no da at all. This is the tightest, most idiomatic option and it is strictly same-subject: the one who moves is the one who does the purpose.

Here Idem kupiti kruh and Idem da kupim kruh mean the same thing; the infinitive is the more concise, neutral-to-elevated choice, while da kupim is fully colloquial (and the dominant pattern in some regional speech). Outside motion verbs, the infinitive of purpose is far more restricted — for a general "in order to," fall back on da / kako bi.

radi + genitive — purpose expressed as a noun

When the purpose is a noun rather than an action — "for the sake of X," "for the purpose of X" — Croatian uses radi + the genitive. Note the spelling and meaning trap: radi (genitive, "for the sake of / in order to") is distinct from zbog (genitive, "because of," a cause, not a purpose). Mixing them reverses the logic.

Radi can also govern a nominalised purpose (radi postizanja cilja "in order to achieve the goal"), which is the formal, bureaucratic register. In everyday speech people more often unpack it into a da-clause.

za + accusative — intended use, recipient, occasion

For the very common "for X" of intended use, recipient, or occasion, the everyday choice is za + the accusative. This is the "what is it for / who is it for" purpose: za ručak (for lunch), za tebe (for you), za rođendan (for a/the birthday).

Za can even take an infinitive in a few fixed idioms (nešto za pojesti "something to eat," colloquial), but the safe core is za + a noun in the accusative.

Choosing in practice

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• The decisive question is same vs different subject, which English never forces you to mark.
• da + present is the universal purpose clause and the only verb-based option for a different subject (Dao sam mu ključ da uđe).
• kako bi / da bi + l-participle expresses same-subject purpose in careful/written Croatian (Učim kako bih prošao); the auxiliary agrees in person and number.
• After verbs of motion, a bare infinitive of purpose is the tightest idiom (Idem kupiti kruh), strictly same-subject.
• For purpose expressed as a noun: radi + genitive (for the sake of — not zbog, which is cause) and za + accusative (intended use, recipient, occasion).