Breakdown of Želim mali buket crvenih ruža, molim vas.
mali
small
molim
please
željeti
to want
crven
red
vas
you (accusative/genitive)
ruža
rose
buket
bouquet
Questions & Answers about Želim mali buket crvenih ruža, molim vas.
Why is it mali buket instead of taking a distinct accusative ending like malog buketa?
Because buket is an inanimate masculine noun. In Croatian, the accusative case for non-living masculine nouns is identical to the nominative case. Therefore, both the adjective mali and the noun buket keep their base dictionary forms even though they act as the direct object of the verb želim.
Why do we use crvenih ruža here, and what case is it?
This is the genitive plural, which is used here to express quantity and composition, translating to "a bouquet OF red roses". The adjective crvena changes to crvenih (the standard genitive plural ending for adjectives), and the feminine noun ruža takes the plural -a ending.
In English, saying "I want" in a shop can sound abrupt. Is želim polite enough in Croatian?
Yes. In Croatian, using želim (I want) or trebam (I need) is completely normal and perfectly polite for ordering in a shop. While you can use the conditional htio/htjela bih (I would like), it isn't strictly required for politeness like it often is in English, especially when the request is softened with molim vas.
Why does "please" translate to molim vas, and what case is vas?
Molim is the first-person singular of the verb moliti (to pray or to beg). Vas is the accusative case of the formal pronoun vi (you). So, you are literally saying "I beg you". Learners sometimes mistakenly try to use the dative vam here, but the verb moliti requires the accusative case.
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