The person is not the subject
For states and feelings, Croatian does not say I am cold — it says it is cold TO me. The person goes in the dative, as a clitic in second position, and the sentence has no subject at all:
| Hladno mi je. | I'm cold. |
| Vruće mu je. | He's hot. |
| Zima joj je. | She's cold. |
| Dobro nam je. | We're doing well. |
Swap the clitic and you swap the person — the rest never moves.
| I'm cold in the room. | Hladno mi je u sobi. |
Sorry, and pleased
The same frame gives you two formulas you will use constantly:
| Žao mi je. | I'm sorry. |
| Drago mi je. | Pleased to meet you. |
| Nije mi dobro. | I don't feel well. |
Drago mi je is what you say when you are introduced to someone — literally it is dear to me.
| Pleased to meet you! I am Ivan. | Drago mi je! Ja sam Ivan. |
Liking: sviđati se
sviđati se works the same way round, and this is the one that catches English speakers. The thing you like is the SUBJECT, and you are in the dative:
Sviđa mi se ova knjiga. — literally this book is pleasing to me.
So the verb agrees with the thing, not with you: one thing takes sviđa, several take sviđaju.
| Sviđa mi se grad. | I like the city. |
| Sviđaju mi se knjige. | I like the books. |
| Sviđa li ti se? | Do you like it? |
| I like this book. | Sviđa mi se ova knjiga. |
Compare it with voljeti, which you already know: volim takes a direct object and is stronger — volim kavu is closer to I love coffee, while sviđa mi se kava is I like the coffee.
And when you are angry
ljut is the adjective angry — it agrees normally, and it belongs to the verb ljutiti se you already know. It also means spicy, of food.
| Why are you angry? | Zašto si ljut? |
