Acknowledging Contrasting Facts
When you want to weigh the pros and cons of an experience—like reviewing a restaurant or a movie—you will often need to admit a contrasting point without completely abandoning your main argument. In Croatian, the concessive particle doduše (admittedly / though / granted) is perfect for this.
You will frequently use it at the beginning of a second sentence to introduce a minor flaw in something good, or a redeeming quality in something mediocre.
| The restaurant has a nice ambience. Admittedly, the food is mediocre. | Restoran ima lijep ambijent. Doduše, hrana je osrednja. |
| The plot of the film is predictable. Admittedly, the ending is impressive. | Radnja filma je predvidljiva. Doduše, kraj je impresivan. |
Discussing Reviews and Critiques
When talking about a kritika (review / critique) or deciding if a work of art is a remek-djelo (masterpiece), doduše helps you add nuance to your opinions. You can use it to concede that while the main characters might be superficial (površan), they still have some virtues (vrlina).
| The review is very strict. Admittedly, the film is not a masterpiece. | Kritika je vrlo stroga. Doduše, film nije remek-djelo. |
| The main characters are superficial. Admittedly, they have some virtues. | Glavni likovi su površni. Doduše, imaju neke vrline. |
| His acting is impressive. Admittedly, the reviews are bad. | Njegova gluma je impresivna. Doduše, kritike su loše. |
Flexible Placement of doduše
While doduše often starts a new sentence, it is quite flexible. You can place it in the middle of a clause, typically set off by commas, or use it to directly introduce an attached phrase to soften a critique.
| This is a masterpiece. The ambience is, admittedly, superficial. | Ovo je remek-djelo. Ambijent je, doduše, površan. |
| It is an impressive film, admittedly with superficial flaws. | To je impresivan film, doduše s površnim manama. |
