Compound and Complex Sentences | Croatian Grammar

Once you can build a simple clause, the next step is joining several into one sentence. Croatian, like English, does this two ways. Coordination links clauses of equal rank with i, a, ali, ili, nego, pa, te — and the comma rules here are sharper than in English. Subordination hangs one clause off another with da, koji, kad, jer, ako, and the subordinate clause behaves as a self-contained unit: it carries its own clitics and is set off by sense-driven punctuation. The one rule that ties everything together — and that English speakers most often break — is that clitics reset to second position inside each clause. This page shows how the pieces combine.

Compound sentences: coordination

A compound sentence joins two independent clauses that could each stand alone. The coordinating conjunctions and their nuances:

Conjunction	Meaning	Comma before it?
i	and (simple addition)	No
pa	and so / and then	No
te	and (also), and so (bookish)	No
ili	or	No (usually)
a	and / but / whereas (contrast)	Yes
ali	but	Yes
nego / već	but rather (after a negative)	Yes

Skuhao sam ručak i oprao suđe.

I cooked lunch and washed the dishes. — plain addition with 'i'; NO comma before it.

Htio sam doći, ali nisam stigao.

I wanted to come, but I didn't make it. — contrast with 'ali'; comma required before it.

Ona voli more, a on voli planine.

She likes the sea, whereas he likes the mountains. — contrastive 'a' (= 'whereas'); comma before it.

Nije student, nego profesor.

He's not a student, but rather a professor. — corrective 'nego' after a negative; comma before it.

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The comma rule splits cleanly: put a comma before the contrastive conjunctions a / ali / nego / već, and no comma before plain additive i / pa / te / ili. The mnemonic: contrast gets a pause (and a comma); simple linking does not. This differs from English, which commas and and but by feel.

There is one refinement worth flagging: i takes no comma when it simply links, but a comma does appear before a repeated i…i… ("both…and…") in the second member, and before i introducing a clearly separate clause for stylistic pause. The default, though, is the clean "no comma before i." The full set with all the edge cases is on coordinating conjunctions.

Complex sentences: subordination

A complex sentence has a main clause plus one or more subordinate clauses that cannot stand alone. The subordinator sits at the front of its clause and names the relationship:

Subordinator	Relationship	English
da	content / purpose	that / so that
koji	relative	who / which / that
kad(a)	time	when
jer	cause	because
ako	condition	if

Mislim da je sve u redu.

I think (that) everything's fine. — content clause with 'da'.

Nazvat ću te kad stignem.

I'll call you when I arrive. — time clause with 'kad'.

Ostali smo doma jer je padala kiša.

We stayed home because it was raining. — cause clause with 'jer'.

The subordinate clause is set off by a comma when it is fronted or non-restrictive (a genuine pause), but not when it trails tightly after the main clause — Croatian punctuates by sense, not by a mechanical "always comma" rule. The whole subordination system, with all the clause types, is mapped on the subordinate-clauses overview; the many jobs of da are detailed on the da page.

The key rule: clitics reset in every clause

This is the rule that ties compound and complex sentences together and the one English speakers most need to drill. Clitics — the short unstressed words je, sam, ću, se, me, ga, mu, li — must occupy the second position in their clause. And here is the point: each clause is its own clitic domain. When you join clauses, the clitics do not all bunch up; each clause hosts its own clitics in its own second slot. The subordinator (or the start of each coordinate clause) counts as the first unit, and the clitic snaps in right behind it.

Mislim da će doći, ali nisam siguran.

I think he'll come, but I'm not sure. — 'će' is 2nd in the 'da' clause; 'nisam' opens the 'ali' clause as its own unit.

Kad ga vidiš, reci mu da ga čekam.

When you see him, tell him I'm waiting for him. — each clause has its own clitics: 'ga' after 'kad', 'mu' in the imperative clause, 'ga' after 'da'.

Znam da si umoran, ali moramo završiti.

I know you're tired, but we have to finish. — 'si' sits 2nd in the 'da' clause; the 'ali' clause runs independently.

So the move when building a multi-clause sentence is: treat each clause separately, find its first stressed word (often the subordinator or conjunction), and place that clause's clitics right after it. Do not let a clitic from one clause drift into another, and do not start a clause with a clitic. This is the same second-position law that governs simple sentences, applied clause by clause — the full mechanics are on the second-position rule.

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When you combine clauses, reset the clitic clock at the start of each clause. The subordinator (da, kad, jer…) or the new coordinate clause is "position one"; the clitic goes in "position two" — da će doći, kad ga vidiš. Never collect all the clitics at the front of the whole sentence; they belong to their own clauses.

Mixed sentences: combining both

Real sentences freely mix coordination and subordination. The rules simply stack: comma before the contrastive coordinator, sense-driven comma at the subordinate boundary, and clitics in second position per clause.

Otišli smo ranije jer je počela kiša, a ostali su čekali tramvaj.

We left earlier because it started raining, while the others waited for the tram. — a subordinate 'jer' clause plus a coordinate 'a' clause; commas at both boundaries; each clause keeps its own clitics.

Ako budeš imao vremena, javi se i svrati na kavu.

If you have time, get in touch and drop by for coffee. — fronted 'ako' clause (comma), then two coordinated imperatives joined by plain 'i' (no comma).

Rekla je da dolazi, ali da će zakasniti.

She said she's coming, but that she'll be late. — two 'da' clauses coordinated by 'ali'; note 'da će zakasniti' repeats 'da' and keeps 'će' in second position.

That last example shows a tidy Croatian habit: when two subordinate clauses are coordinated, the subordinator da is often repeated in the second one (da dolazi … da će zakasniti), and the clitic still snaps into second position behind the repeated da.

Common Mistakes

❌ Htio sam doći ali nisam stigao.

Incorrect — a comma is required before the contrastive 'ali'.

✅ Htio sam doći, ali nisam stigao.

I wanted to come, but I didn't make it. — comma before 'ali'.

❌ Skuhao sam ručak, i oprao suđe.

Incorrect — no comma before plain additive 'i'.

✅ Skuhao sam ručak i oprao suđe.

I cooked lunch and washed the dishes. — no comma before 'i'.

❌ Mislim da doći će.

Incorrect — the clitic 'će' must be second in the 'da' clause: 'da će doći'.

✅ Mislim da će doći.

I think he'll come. — 'će' in second position after 'da'.

❌ Kad vidiš ga, reci mu.

Incorrect — 'ga' belongs in second position right after 'kad': 'kad ga vidiš'.

✅ Kad ga vidiš, reci mu.

When you see him, tell him. — 'ga' second after 'kad'.

❌ Nije student nego profesor.

Incorrect — corrective 'nego' after a negative needs a comma before it.

✅ Nije student, nego profesor.

He's not a student, but rather a professor. — comma before 'nego'.

Key Takeaways

Compound sentences coordinate equal clauses with i, pa, te, ili (no comma) and a, ali, nego, već (comma before — contrast gets a pause).
Complex sentences subordinate with da, koji, kad, jer, ako; the comma at the subordinate boundary follows sense and intonation, not a mechanical rule.
The cross-cutting rule: clitics reset to second position inside each clause — Mislim da će doći, ali nisam siguran. Treat every clause as its own clitic domain.
Mixed sentences just stack the rules: comma before contrastive coordinators, sense-driven subordinate commas, clitics second per clause.
Coordinated subordinate clauses often repeat the subordinator (da dolazi … da će zakasniti), with the clitic still in second position behind it.

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