Što se mene tiče, ostajemo kod sporedne pozornice.

It is a very common Croatian expression meaning as far as I’m concerned, for my part, or as for me.

Literally, it is something like what concerns me or as it touches me, but in natural English you should usually translate it idiomatically, not word-for-word.

Examples:

• Što se mene tiče, možemo ići. = As far as I’m concerned, we can go.
• Što se mene tiče, to je u redu. = As far as I’m concerned, that’s fine.

So in your sentence, it introduces the speaker’s opinion or decision.

Because the phrase uses the verb ticati se, and that verb takes the genitive case.

The base pronoun is:

• ja = I

But in this expression you need the oblique form:

• mene

So:

• Što se mene tiče = as far as I’m concerned

For learners, the easiest way is to memorize što se + genitive + tiče as a fixed pattern.

More examples:

• Što se tebe tiče = as far as you’re concerned
• Što se njega tiče = as far as he’s concerned
• Što se nas tiče = as far as we’re concerned

Tiče comes from the verb ticati se, which means to concern, to relate to, or to touch upon in a figurative sense.

In this sentence:

• tiče = (it) concerns
• što is the subject of that verb

So the structure is basically:

• što se mene tiče
• literally: what concerns me

This verb is most often encountered in this exact expression by learners, so again, it is very useful to learn it as a chunk:

• što se X tiče

Because the verb is ticati se, not just ticati.

That means se is part of the verb itself. Croatian has many verbs that regularly appear with se, and you often need to learn them together with it.

So:

• ticati se = to concern / to relate to

You should not think of se here as optional. The expression is normally:

• Što se mene tiče not
• Što mene tiče

Ostajemo is the 1st person plural present tense of ostajati / ostati, meaning we stay, we are staying, or sometimes we’re going to stay, depending on context.

Here it most naturally means:

• we’re staying
• we’re remaining

Croatian present tense is often used where English might use either:

• the simple present
• the present continuous
• sometimes even a future-like meaning if the context is clear

So ostajemo can sound like:

• we stay
• we are staying
• we’re sticking with

In this sentence, it likely means a decision about location:

• we’re staying by the side stage

This is about aspect, which is very important in Croatian.

• ostajati = imperfective
• ostati = perfective

In practice:

• ostajemo suggests an ongoing state or decision: we are staying / we remain
• ostanemo is from the perfective verb and usually appears in contexts like purpose, condition, or future-completed actions

So here ostajemo sounds natural because the speaker is describing the current plan or continuing situation.

Compare:

• Ostajemo kod sporedne pozornice. = We’re staying by the side stage.
• Ako ostanemo kod sporedne pozornice... = If we stay by the side stage...

Kod usually means at, by, near, or at the place of, depending on context.

A very common use is with people:

• kod doktora = at the doctor’s
• kod Ivana = at Ivan’s place

But it can also be used with places or objects to mean by/near:

• kod mosta = by the bridge
• kod škole = near the school

So:

• kod sporedne pozornice = by / near the side stage

It does not necessarily mean physically on the stage. It suggests location in the vicinity of it.

Because kod takes the genitive case.

The dictionary forms are:

• sporedna = side / secondary
• pozornica = stage

After kod, they change to genitive:

• kod sporedne pozornice

So both the adjective and the noun agree in:

• gender: feminine
• number: singular
• case: genitive

This is a very typical Croatian pattern:

• kod velike kuće = by the big house
• kod glavnog ulaza = by the main entrance
• kod sporedne pozornice = by the side stage

Both can mean stage, but there is a slight nuance.

• pozornica is the more standard and broadly neutral word
• bina is also common, especially for a concert stage or event platform

In many contexts they are interchangeable, but pozornica can sound a bit more general or standard, while bina may sound a bit more event- or concert-oriented.

So sporedna pozornica is a very natural way to say side stage or secondary stage at a festival or event.

Because Što se mene tiče functions as an introductory phrase, similar to English:

• As far as I’m concerned, ...

Croatian commonly separates this kind of introductory expression with a comma.

So the structure is:

• Što se mene tiče, = introductory comment
• ostajemo kod sporedne pozornice. = main clause

You will often see the same punctuation in similar expressions:

• Iskreno, ne sviđa mi se. = Honestly, I don’t like it.
• Po meni, to nije dobro. = In my opinion, that isn’t good.

The given word order is very natural, but Croatian word order is fairly flexible.

The standard version here is:

• Što se mene tiče, ostajemo kod sporedne pozornice.

You could change things for emphasis, but some versions sound more marked than neutral. For example:

• Ostajemo kod sporedne pozornice, što se mene tiče.

That would sound more like:

• We’re staying by the side stage, as far as I’m concerned.

So yes, the word order can change, but the original sentence is the most natural neutral version.

Yes, it can.

Depending on tone and context, it can be:

• neutral: as far as I’m concerned
• firm: for all I care / as far as I’m concerned, that’s settled
• slightly dismissive: as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter

So the phrase itself is not rude, but intonation and context matter a lot.

For example:

• Što se mene tiče, ostajemo kod sporedne pozornice.
  This could simply mean: My opinion is that we’re staying by the side stage.

But in a different context it could imply:

• I’ve made up my mind.

Yes, but the best choice depends on context.

• secondary stage = more literal and formal
• side stage = very natural for festivals or live events
• smaller stage = possible in some contexts, but not always exact

Sporedna means secondary, auxiliary, or not the main one, so side stage is often the most idiomatic translation in event contexts.

So if this is about a festival or concert venue, side stage is probably the best English rendering.

It is generally neutral.

Nothing in it is especially slangy or especially formal:

• Što se mene tiče is common in everyday speech
• ostajemo is normal conversational Croatian
• sporedna pozornica is neutral vocabulary

So this sentence would fit well in ordinary conversation, planning, or discussion at an event.