Savjetovati ("to advise") looks easy and isn't, because its grammar runs counter to English in two ways at once. First, the person you advise goes in the dative, not the accusative: English "I advise you" treats you as a direct object, but Croatian says Savjetujem ti — "I advise to-you". Second, savjetovati is bi-aspectual — the same form does duty as both imperfective and perfective, so you don't switch stems to mark a completed act. Add the reflexive savjetovati se s nekim ("consult someone, take advice from someone") and you have a verb worth studying carefully. The dative is the rule to burn in.
Aspect
| Verb | Aspect | Present 1sg | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| savjetovati | bi-aspectual (impf & pf) | savjetujem | both "I advise (regularly)" and "I (hereby) advise" |
| posavjetovati (se) | perfective | posavjetujem (se) | one completed act of advising / consulting |
Savjetovati is bi-aspectual: a single verb that reads as imperfective or perfective depending on context, without changing form. Savjetujem ti da odeš can mean "I'm advising you to leave" (the ongoing recommendation) or, in the right context, "I (now) advise you to leave". When speakers want an unambiguous perfective — one finished act, especially of consulting — they prefix it: posavjetovati se ("to have consulted, to have sought advice"). Bi-aspectual verbs are a small but important class; see suppletive and bi-aspectual verbs.
Present tense
The -ova- → -uje- swap gives a fully regular -uje- present.
| Person | savjetovati | savjetovati se (reflexive) |
|---|---|---|
| ja | savjetujem | savjetujem se |
| ti | savjetuješ | savjetuješ se |
| on/ona/ono | savjetuje | savjetuje se |
| mi | savjetujemo | savjetujemo se |
| vi | savjetujete | savjetujete se |
| oni/one/ona | savjetuju | savjetuju se |
Savjetujem ti da pričekaš s kupnjom još koji mjesec.
I advise you to wait a few more months with the purchase — dative 'ti' + da-clause.
Liječnica mi savjetuje više sna i manje kave.
The doctor advises me more sleep and less coffee — dative 'mi'.
The l-participle
Regular -ovati verb: masculine savjetovao (vocalised -l), feminine savjetovala.
| Gender / number | Form |
|---|---|
| masculine singular | savjetovao |
| feminine singular | savjetovala |
| neuter singular | savjetovalo |
| masculine plural | savjetovali |
| feminine plural | savjetovale |
| neuter plural | savjetovala |
Perfect tense (perfekt)
Clitic biti + l-participle. Because the verb is bi-aspectual, savjetovao sam covers both "I advised (the once)" and "I used to advise / I was advising". For an unambiguously completed consultation speakers reach for posavjetovao sam se.
| Person | Masculine subject | Feminine subject |
|---|---|---|
| ja | savjetovao sam | savjetovala sam |
| ti | savjetovao si | savjetovala si |
| on / ona | savjetovao je | savjetovala je |
| mi | savjetovali smo | savjetovale smo |
| vi | savjetovali ste | savjetovale ste |
| oni / one | savjetovali su | savjetovale su |
Savjetovao sam mu da ne potpisuje ništa bez odvjetnika.
I advised him not to sign anything without a lawyer — dative 'mu' + da-clause.
Prije nego što sam pristala, posavjetovala sam se s ocem.
Before I agreed, I consulted my father — perfective reflexive 'posavjetovati se' + s + instrumental.
Future I (futur prvi)
The infinitive savjetovati drops its final -i before the clitic: savjetovat ću.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ja | savjetovat ću |
| ti | savjetovat ćeš |
| on/ona/ono | savjetovat će |
| mi | savjetovat ćemo |
| vi | savjetovat ćete |
| oni/one/ona | savjetovat će |
Savjetovat ću ti najbolje što znam, ali odluka je tvoja.
I'll advise you as best I can, but the decision is yours.
Imperative
Built on the -uje- present: savjetuj, savjetujmo, savjetujte. The reflexive savjetuj se ("get advice, consult") is common.
| Person | savjetovati | savjetovati se |
|---|---|---|
| ti | savjetuj | savjetuj se |
| mi | savjetujmo | savjetujmo se |
| vi | savjetujte | savjetujte se |
Savjetuj se s liječnikom prije nego što počneš.
Consult a doctor before you start — reflexive imperative + s + instrumental.
Conditional I (kondicional prvi)
bih-clitics + l-participle — the natural register for soft, hedged advice.
| Person | savjetovati (masc.) |
|---|---|
| ja | savjetovao bih |
| ti | savjetovao bi |
| on/ona/ono | savjetovao/savjetovala/savjetovalo bi |
| mi | savjetovali bismo |
| vi | savjetovali biste |
| oni/one/ona | savjetovali bi |
Savjetovao bih ti da to ne radiš, ali ti znaš najbolje.
I'd advise you not to do that, but you know best.
Other forms
- Passive participle: savjetovan, savjetovana, savjetovano ("advised"): Savjetovani su da odgode putovanje ("They were advised to postpone the trip"). The everyday agent noun is savjetnik / savjetnica ("adviser, counsellor") and the noun savjet ("a piece of advice"): Daj mi savjet ("Give me a piece of advice").
- Verbal noun: savjetovanje ("advising; counselling; a consultation/conference").
- Verbal adverb: savjetujući ("[while] advising").
Pacijenti su savjetovani da izbjegavaju slane namirnice.
Patients were advised to avoid salty foods — passive participle (formal/medical register).
Key uses and government
1. The headline: savjetovati + DATIVE of the person
This is the rule that trips up every English speaker. In English you "advise someone" — a direct object. In Croatian the person advised is dative, not accusative: Savjetujem ti ("I advise you"), Savjetovao sam mu ("I advised him"), Savjetujem im ("I advise them"). Think of it as "give advice to someone": the dative is the recipient of the advice. See the dative with verbs.
Savjetujem vam da rezervirate karte unaprijed.
I advise you to book the tickets in advance — dative 'vam', not accusative.
Nitko mi nije savjetovao da uzmem osiguranje.
Nobody advised me to take out insurance — dative 'mi'.
2. What you advise: the da-clause
The content of the advice — what someone should do — is overwhelmingly a da-clause with the verb in the present: Savjetujem ti da odeš ("I advise you to go"). English here uses an infinitive ("advise you to go"), but Croatian does not let savjetovati take a bare infinitive; the da-clause is the natural complement. See da vs the infinitive.
Savjetujem ti da odeš čim prije, prije nego što bude prekasno.
I advise you to leave as soon as possible, before it's too late.
Savjetovala mu je da se ispriča, a ne da se pravda.
She advised him to apologise, not to make excuses — dative 'mu' + two da-clauses.
3. savjetovati se s + instrumental ("consult, take advice from")
With se, the verb flips meaning: savjetovati se means "to consult, to seek/take advice", and the person you consult goes in s(a) + instrumental. So Savjetujem se s odvjetnikom = "I'm consulting a lawyer / taking advice from a lawyer". This is the everyday way Croatian says "consult someone". See instrumental forms.
Moram se savjetovati sa stručnjakom prije odluke.
I have to consult a specialist before deciding — s(a) + instrumental.
Savjetovali su se s odvjetnicom oko ugovora.
They consulted a lawyer about the contract — reflexive + s + instrumental.
4. Contrast with predložiti ("propose")
Savjetovati recommends a course of action ("you should do X"); predložiti merely puts an option on the table ("how about X?"). Both take the dative of the person, but predložiti readily takes an accusative thing too (Predložio sam mu plan), whereas savjetovati normally takes a da-clause. See predlagati / predložiti.
Ne savjetujem ti taj potez, ali predlažem da o tome razmisliš.
I don't advise you that move, but I suggest you think it over.
Common Mistakes
❌ Savjetujem te da odeš.
Case error — the person advised is DATIVE ('ti'), not accusative ('te').
✅ Savjetujem ti da odeš.
I advise you to leave.
❌ Savjetovam ti da pričekaš.
Wrong stem — '-ovati' takes the '-uje-' present: 'savjetujem', not '*savjetovam'.
✅ Savjetujem ti da pričekaš.
I advise you to wait.
❌ Savjetujem ti otići.
Wrong complement — use a da-clause, not a bare infinitive: 'da odeš'.
✅ Savjetujem ti da odeš.
I advise you to go.
❌ Savjetovao sam se odvjetnika.
Wrong case — to consult someone is 's' + instrumental: 'sa odvjetnikom' / 's odvjetnikom'.
✅ Savjetovao sam se s odvjetnikom.
I consulted a lawyer.
❌ Savjetovati ću ti najbolje što znam.
Future spelling — drop the -i before the clitic: 'savjetovat ću', not '*savjetovati ću'.
✅ Savjetovat ću ti najbolje što znam.
I'll advise you as best I can.
Key Takeaways
- savjetovati is bi-aspectual (one form for both aspects), present savjetujem; the clean perfective consult-verb is posavjetovati se.
- The headline trap: the person advised is DATIVE — Savjetujem ti / mu / im — never the accusative English suggests.
- What you advise is a da-clause with a present verb (da odeš), not a bare infinitive.
- Reflexive savjetovati se s + instrumental = "consult / take advice from": Savjetujem se s odvjetnikom.
- Distinguish from predložiti ("propose"): both take the dative person, but advising recommends, proposing offers an option.
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