Learn Hardcore Croatian: Imam pitanje, a ti imaš dobar odgovor. - I have a question, and you have a good answer.

a links clauses with a mild contrast or a “whereas” feel: I have a question, whereas you have a good answer. It’s less neutral than i (and) and softer than ali (but). You could use:

i for simple addition (no contrast),
ali for a stronger opposition,
a for contrast/shift of perspective.

Why is there a comma before a?

In Croatian, you put a comma before coordinating conjunctions when they join independent clauses. Since both parts can stand alone, the comma before a is required: Imam pitanje, a ti imaš dobar odgovor.

Why is ja omitted in the first clause but ti is present in the second?

Croatian is pro‑drop: verb endings show the subject, so ja is often omitted. ti is included here for contrast/emphasis after a. Both versions are grammatical:

Neutral: Imam pitanje, a imaš dobar odgovor.
Contrastive/emphatic: Imam pitanje, a ti imaš dobar odgovor.

How is imati (to have) conjugated in the present? Why imam and imaš?

Present tense of imati:

ja imam
ti imaš
on/ona/ono ima
mi imamo
vi imate
oni/one/ona imaju

The endings -m (1st sg) and -š (2nd sg) mark the subjects, allowing pronouns to drop.

Why is there no word for the English article a in “a question / a good answer”?

Croatian has no articles. You just say pitanje and dobar odgovor. If you want to emphasize “one,” you can add jedno (neuter for pitanje): Imam jedno pitanje. To convey “some,” you might use neko/neki depending on the noun.

What case are pitanje and odgovor in?

They are direct objects, so accusative case:

pitanje is neuter; nominative and accusative singular look the same.
odgovor is masculine inanimate; in accusative singular it looks like nominative: (vidim) dobar odgovor. With masculine animate nouns, accusative singular equals genitive (e.g., vidim dobrog psa).

Why is it dobar odgovor and not dobro odgovor?

Adjectives agree with the noun’s gender, number, and case. odgovor is masculine singular, so the adjective is masculine singular: dobar. Feminine would be dobra, neuter dobro (e.g., dobro pitanje).

When would it become dobrog odgovora?

In the genitive case: bez dobrog odgovora (without a good answer).
With negation, Croatian often (not always) uses genitive: Nemam dobrog odgovora is common; Nemam dobar odgovor also occurs, but genitive is more idiomatic.

Can I use i instead of a?

You can, but it changes the nuance:

Imam pitanje, i ti imaš dobar odgovor. = simple addition (and you have…).
Imam pitanje, a ti imaš dobar odgovor. = contrast/shift (I have X, whereas you have Y).

Is the word order fixed? Could I say a ti dobar odgovor imaš?

Basic neutral order is SVO: ti imaš dobar odgovor, with adjectives before nouns. You can move elements for emphasis (e.g., Dobar odgovor ti imaš), but a ti dobar odgovor imaš sounds marked and less natural in everyday speech.

How would I make the second clause a question: “Do you have a good answer?”

Neutral, standard: Imaš li dobar odgovor?
Formal: Imate li dobar odgovor?
Also common regionally: Da li imaš dobar odgovor? (In Croatia, the -li form is stylistically preferred.)

What’s the difference between a ti? and a ti imaš…?

A ti? alone is a conversational prompt meaning “And you?” It invites the other person to share. A ti imaš… is a full contrasting statement about the other person.

How do I say this more politely when speaking to someone I don’t know?

Use formal address and a softener:

Oprostite, imam jedno pitanje. Imate li možda dobar odgovor?
Smijem li postaviti pitanje? / Mogu li postaviti pitanje?

What are the genders and basic plurals of pitanje and odgovor?

pitanje: neuter; plural nominative/accusative pitanja. Example: Imam pitanja.
odgovor: masculine; plural nominative odgovori, accusative odgovore. Example: Imaš dobre odgovore.

Why is it ti here and not tebi?

ti is the nominative (subject) form: “you” as the doer of the action. tebi is dative (“to you”) and would be used with verbs that take an indirect object (e.g., Rekao sam tebi = I told you).

How do I pronounce the special letters?

š in imaš sounds like English “sh.”
č (not in this sentence) like “ch” in “church.”
ć is a softer “ch.”
ž like “s” in “measure.”
r is tapped/trilled; g is always hard (as in “go”).

Is “I am having a question” ever used in Croatian?

Croatian doesn’t have a separate continuous tense; the simple present imam covers both general and right-now meanings. So Imam pitanje is the only natural way.

Is there a difference between odgovor and rješenje?

Yes:

odgovor = answer to a question.
rješenje = solution to a problem or puzzle. You’d say odgovor na pitanje (answer to a question), not odgovor za pitanje.

Can I say Imam dobro pitanje?

Grammatically yes (neuter dobro agrees with pitanje). As a social formula, people more often say just Imam pitanje or react with Dobro pitanje! when praising someone’s question.

How do I negate these sentences?

Add ne to the verb:

Nemam pitanje.
A ti nemaš dobar odgovor. As noted, genitive with negation is common: Nemam dobrog odgovora.