Learn Croatian: Hladno mi je u sobi.

In Croatian, physical sensations like being cold or hot are expressed differently than in English. Instead of saying "I am cold", you literally say "It is cold to me". This is why we use the dative pronoun mi (to me) along with je (is).

Can I say Hladno sam to mean "I am cold"?

No, if you used the verb for "I am" (sam) and said Hladno sam, it would mean you have a cold personality, not that your body is feeling cold! Always use the "to me is" structure (Hladno mi je) for physical feelings.

Why is the word order mi je instead of je mi?

Both mi and je are short, unstressed words called clitics. Croatian has a strict order for these. While most helper verbs come before pronouns, the specific word je (is) is an exception and must always come after the pronoun mi.

Why does the word for room (soba) change to sobi?

The preposition u (in) requires the noun to change its ending to show a static location (this is called the locative case). For most feminine nouns ending in -a, like soba, the -a changes to an -i to show where something is located.