Academic Croatian has one overriding stylistic goal: impersonality. The argument should appear to come from the evidence rather than from a person, so the first-person ja ("I") all but vanishes, replaced by the impersonal se-construction and the editorial mi ("we"). The prose is dense with verbal nouns, joined by precise logical connectives, and prefers the bare infinitive to a da-clause wherever it can. The result is a register more depersonalised than its English counterpart — where an English thesis still writes "I argue that…", a Croatian one writes tvrdi se da… ("it is argued that…") or smatramo da… ("we hold that…"). This page is the C1 stylistic target for anyone writing essays, papers, or reports in Croatian.
The impersonal se-construction: the engine of objectivity
The single most characteristic move of academic Croatian is the impersonal se-construction, which lets you state a position with no subject at all. Smatra se da… ("it is considered that…"), može se zaključiti da… ("it can be concluded that…"), pretpostavlja se da… ("it is assumed that…"): the agent disappears, and the claim floats free of any person. This is the same se explored on passive strategies, but here it is a whole register's default voice.
Smatra se da je ranjenost gospodarstva posljedica vanjskih čimbenika.
It is held that the economy's vulnerability is a consequence of external factors. — impersonal 'smatra se da', the canonical academic frame (academic).
Na temelju iznesenih podataka može se zaključiti da hipoteza nije potvrđena.
On the basis of the data presented, it can be concluded that the hypothesis was not confirmed. — 'može se zaključiti da', the standard way to draw a conclusion (academic).
Analizom korpusa utvrđuje se da je pojava češća u govornom jeziku.
Through corpus analysis it is established that the phenomenon is more frequent in spoken language. — instrumental 'analizom' + se-passive 'utvrđuje se', method foregrounded, agent erased (academic).
The authorial mi: "we" for "I"
Where a writer does want to signal authorship, scholarly Croatian reaches for the authorial (editorial) mi — "we" standing for a single author. U ovom radu analiziramo… ("In this paper we analyse…") is written by one person. The first-person singular analiziram ("I analyse") would read as immodest or informal in a paper. This mi governs first-person-plural verb agreement throughout.
U ovom radu polazimo od pretpostavke da je naglasak fonološki predvidljiv.
In this paper we proceed from the assumption that stress is phonologically predictable. — authorial 'polazimo' (we), written by a single author (academic).
Pokazat ćemo da se distribucija ne može objasniti samo morfološki.
We shall show that the distribution cannot be explained by morphology alone. — editorial future 'pokazat ćemo' + impersonal 'ne može objasniti' (academic).
Nominalisation: turning arguments into nouns
Academic prose runs on verbal nouns in -nje and abstract nouns in -ost, which let an entire process be named and then made the subject or object of a sentence. Instead of kad analiziramo tekst, vidimo… ("when we analyse the text, we see…"), the register prefers analizom teksta uočava se… ("through analysis of the text one observes…"). The morphology and the genitive-object rule are on nominalization strategies.
Razumijevanje ovih procesa ključno je za tumačenje rezultata.
Understanding these processes is crucial for interpreting the results. — two verbal nouns, 'razumijevanje' and 'tumačenje', as subject and complement (academic).
Usporedbom dvaju modela pokazuje se njihova nesumjerljivost.
A comparison of the two models reveals their incommensurability. — instrumental verbal noun 'usporedbom' + abstract '-ost' noun 'nesumjerljivost' (academic).
Precise connectives and the logic of the text
Scholarly Croatian signals its reasoning with a precise inventory of connectives — far more explicit than casual speech, where pa and zato do most of the work. Learn these as a set; the cause-and-result members are detailed on connectives of cause and result.
| Connective | Function | English |
|---|---|---|
| naime | explanation / specification | "namely, that is to say" |
| stoga | consequence | "therefore, hence" |
| slijedom toga | consequence (more formal) | "consequently, as a result" |
| budući da | cause (clause-initial) | "since, given that" |
| međutim | contrast | "however" |
| štoviše | escalation | "moreover, what is more" |
Uzorak je bio malen; stoga rezultate treba uzeti s oprezom.
The sample was small; therefore the results should be taken with caution. — 'stoga' + impersonal 'treba uzeti' (academic).
Podaci su nepotpuni. Slijedom toga, zaključci ostaju preliminarni.
The data are incomplete. Consequently, the conclusions remain preliminary. — formal 'slijedom toga' opening a consequence (academic).
Budući da kontrolna skupina nije postojala, učinak se ne može izolirati.
Since there was no control group, the effect cannot be isolated. — 'budući da' clause + se-passive (academic).
The infinitive over the da-clause
Formal written Croatian prefers the bare infinitive to a da-clause wherever the subjects coincide, and especially after impersonal predicates: moguće je utvrditi ("it is possible to establish") rather than the more colloquial moguće je da se utvrdi. The full decision logic is on da vs the infinitive; in the academic register, when in doubt, choose the infinitive.
Potrebno je razlikovati uzrok od posljedice.
It is necessary to distinguish cause from effect. — impersonal 'potrebno je' + infinitive 'razlikovati', the formal choice (academic).
Cilj je rada utvrditi učestalost ove konstrukcije.
The aim of the paper is to establish the frequency of this construction. — infinitive 'utvrditi' after 'cilj je', tighter than a da-clause (academic).
Hedging: claiming carefully
Good academic writing hedges. Croatian hedges with čini se ("it seems"), vjerojatno ("probably"), moglo bi se reći ("one could say"), and the conditional, which softens a claim into a possibility.
Čini se da postoji slaba korelacija, no uzorak je premalen za potvrdu.
There appears to be a weak correlation, but the sample is too small to confirm it. — 'čini se da' hedges the claim (academic).
Moglo bi se reći da je riječ o prijelaznom obliku.
One could say that this is a transitional form. — conditional 'moglo bi se reći' for a cautious proposal (academic).
Common Mistakes
❌ Ja mislim da je ova teorija pogrešna. (in a paper)
Wrong register — first-person 'ja mislim' is too personal for academic prose; depersonalise it.
✅ Smatra se da je ova teorija neodrživa.
This theory is held to be untenable. — impersonal 'smatra se' plus more formal vocabulary.
❌ U ovom radu analiziram i onda mi zaključujemo...
Inconsistent voice — don't mix singular 'analiziram' (I) with plural 'zaključujemo' (we); pick the authorial 'mi' and keep it.
✅ U ovom radu analiziramo podatke i zaključujemo da...
In this paper we analyse the data and conclude that... — consistent authorial 'mi' throughout.
❌ Moguće je da se utvrdi točan uzrok. (formal report)
Too colloquial — after 'moguće je' the formal register uses a bare infinitive, not a da-clause.
✅ Moguće je utvrditi točan uzrok.
It is possible to establish the exact cause. — infinitive 'utvrditi'.
❌ Uzorak je bio mali zato rezultati su nesigurni.
Too casual / unpunctuated — 'zato' as a bare 'so' is colloquial; the register wants 'stoga' or 'slijedom toga' and clause structure.
✅ Uzorak je bio malen, stoga su rezultati nesigurni.
The sample was small, therefore the results are uncertain. — 'stoga' and the more formal 'malen'.
Key Takeaways
- Academic Croatian targets impersonality: the se-construction (smatra se da, može se zaključiti) replaces the first-person ja and is even more depersonalising than English academic style.
- When authorship is signalled, use the editorial mi ("we" for one author) — and keep the voice consistent.
- The register runs on nominalisation — verbal nouns in -nje and abstract nouns in -ost — packing processes into noun phrases.
- Logic is made explicit with precise connectives: naime, stoga, slijedom toga, budući da, međutim, štoviše.
- Prefer the bare infinitive to a da-clause (potrebno je razlikovati), and hedge carefully with čini se, vjerojatno, moglo bi se reći.
Now practice Croatian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Croatian→Related Topics
- Nominalization StrategiesC1 — Turning clauses into noun phrases — the verbal noun in -nje with its genitive object, abstract -ost nouns, and condensing a da- or temporal clause into a noun phrase — and the formal register this creates.
- Passive Strategies ComparedB2 — Three ways to background the agent — the se-passive, biti + participle, and active reordering — and when each is idiomatic.
- Connecting Ideas: Cause, Result, PurposeB1 — Cause connectives (jer, budući da, zbog toga što), result and conclusion markers (zato, stoga, dakle, prema tome, ukratko) — and the split between subordinating jer mid-sentence and sentence-initial stoga/dakle.
- da + present vs the InfinitiveB1 — When to use the infinitive and when to use a da + present clause after modal and volition verbs — the same-subject choice, the different-subject rule, and the register split.
- Journalistic StyleB2 — How Croatian news writing works — verbless headlines, the historic present, the se-passive, and reported speech with kazati/izjaviti + da.
- Administrative and Legal StyleC1 — The grammar of Croatian officialese and legal language — heavy nominalisation, impersonal se-constructions, fixed prepositional formulae, and long genitive chains.