Breakdown of Gdje je ručnik? Želim se tuširati.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
gdje
where
željeti
to want
tuširati se
to shower
ručnik
towel
Questions & Answers about Gdje je ručnik? Želim se tuširati.
Why do we need the word se in this sentence?
In Croatian, the verb for "to shower" is tuširati se. It is a reflexive verb, meaning the action reflects back on the subject. While in English you just say "I shower", in Croatian you literally say "I shower myself". The word se represents "myself" here.
Why is se placed between Želim and tuširati?
The word se is a special type of word called an enclitic. Enclitics are small, weakly stressed words that must go in the second position of a sentence or clause. Here, Želim is the first word of the clause, so se takes the second spot, pushing the infinitive tuširati to the end.
Why is tuširati used instead of a conjugated form?
tuširati is the infinitive form of the verb (meaning "to shower"). Whenever you use a verb like Želim (I want) followed by another action, the second action stays in the infinitive, just like in English: "I want" plus "to shower".
Why doesn't the sentence say Ja želim for "I want"?
Croatian usually drops subject pronouns like ja (I) because the ending of the verb already tells you who is doing the action. The -im ending on Želim specifically means "I want". Adding Ja is only done if you want to strongly emphasize that you want to shower, as opposed to someone else.
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