Questions & Answers about On jede ručak, a ja želim kolač i tanjur.
Why are ručak, kolač, and tanjur in their dictionary forms if they are the direct objects of the sentence?
Because they are inanimate masculine nouns! In Croatian, the accusative case (used for the direct object receiving the action) has a special rule for masculine words. If the noun is "animate" (a living person or animal), it gets an -a ending. But if it is "inanimate" (a non-living thing like lunch, a cake, or a plate), its accusative form looks exactly the same as its dictionary form.
Why does the sentence use both a and i for the English word "and"?
I is used for simple addition, like connecting items in a list (kolač i tanjur means "a cake and a plate"). A is used to show a slight contrast between two different ideas or actions. In this sentence, a acts more like "while" or "whereas" to contrast what he is doing with what you want.
Since the verbs jede and želim already tell us who is doing the action, why do we need the pronouns on (he) and ja (I)?
Normally, you can drop subject pronouns in Croatian because the verb endings tell you who is doing the action. However, we keep them when we want to emphasize a contrast. Because the sentence contrasts what he is doing versus what I want, on and ja are included to make that comparison stand out clearly.