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Questions & Answers about On me voli.
What does each word in On me voli do grammatically?
- On = subject pronoun, nominative, masculine singular (“he”).
- me = unstressed object pronoun (clitic), accusative (“me”).
- voli = 3rd person singular present of voljeti (“loves”). Overall: subject + object clitic + verb.
Why does me come before voli in On me voli?
Because me is a clitic (unstressed pronoun). In Croatian, clitics normally go right after the first stressed element of the clause (so-called “second position”). Here, On is the first stressed element, so the clitic me follows it: On me voli.
Can I say On voli me instead?
No, that’s not standard Croatian. With the clitic form me, you say On me voli. If you want the object after the verb, you must use the full (stressed) form: On voli mene.
Can I drop the subject pronoun On?
Yes. Croatian is a pro-drop language. The most neutral everyday way to say it is simply Voli me. Using On adds emphasis or contrast (e.g., “He loves me (as opposed to someone else)”).
What’s the difference between me and mene?
- me = short, unstressed clitic used inside the clause, typically in second position (e.g., On me voli, Voli me).
- mene = full, stressed form used for emphasis and after prepositions (e.g., On voli mene; bez mene, za mene).
Can the sentence start with me, like Me voli?
No. Clitics like me cannot start a clause. Use Voli me or, if you want to front the object for emphasis, use the full form: Mene voli.
How do I negate On me voli?
- Neutral: Ne voli me.
- With subject emphasis: On me ne voli. Avoid Ne me voli—that’s wrong.
How do I make a yes/no question (“Does he love me?”)?
Use the particle li and keep clitic placement: Voli li me? You can also ask with rising intonation: Voli me? (more colloquial).
How do I ask “Who loves me?” and “Whom does he love?” using this pattern?
- “Who loves me?” → Tko me voli?
- “Whom does he love?” → Koga on voli? (Answer: On voli mene / On me voli.)
Where do adverbs go? For example, “He really loves me” or “He loves me a lot.”
The clitic still stays early:
- Stvarno me voli. / On me stvarno voli.
- Jako me voli. / On me jako voli.
- Puno me voli. (colloquial “a lot”)
How do I say “He loves only me” vs. “He only loves me”?
- “He loves only me” (excludes others): On voli samo mene or Samo mene voli.
- “He only loves me” (he doesn’t do anything else to/for me): On me samo voli. Note how samo placement changes the meaning.
Does On me voli ever mean “He likes me”?
No. voljeti = “to love.” For “to like,” Croatian uses sviđati se with a dative pronoun:
- “He likes me.” → Sviđam mu se. (literally “I am pleasing to him.”)
How do I change the subject pronoun for gender or “it”?
- Ona me voli. = “She loves me.”
- Ono me voli. = “It loves me.” (for neuter antecedents) Note: On can also mean “it” if the thing is grammatically masculine (e.g., pas “dog” → On me voli.).
How do I say this in the past or future?
- Past: On me je volio. / Volio me je.
- Future: On će me voljeti. / Voljet će me. Clitics stay early; the exact order can shift with auxiliaries, but these are all natural.
What if the verb takes a different case—how is that different from me here?
voljeti takes an accusative object (me/mene). Some verbs need dative:
- “He helps me.” → On mi pomaže. (dative mi, not accusative me)
- With prepositions, use full forms: za mene, kod mene, bez mene, prema meni.
How does clitic placement work in subordinate clauses?
Clitics still go early in the clause:
- Znam da me voli. (“I know that he loves me.”) Avoid Znam da voli me in standard Croatian; use da me voli.