Learn Hardcore Croatian: Imamo mali problem, ali imamo i plan. - We have a small problem, but we also have a plan.

Croatian has no articles (no “a/an” or “the”). “A small problem” is simply mali problem. If you want to stress “one” small problem, you can add jedan: Imamo jedan mali problem (“We have one small problem” / “We have a little problem” with a hint of emphasis).

Why is it mali and not malo?

mali is an adjective meaning “small” and agrees with the noun in gender/number/case. problem is masculine singular, so you use masculine singular mali.
malo is usually an adverb (“a little”) or neuter adjective, not the right form to modify a masculine noun here.
Compare: Imamo malo problema = “We have a few problems” (literally “a little of problems”; note the genitive plural problema).

What case are problem and plan in? Why don’t they change form?

They’re direct objects, so they’re in the accusative. For masculine inanimate nouns in the singular (like problem, plan), the accusative form is identical to the nominative: problem/plan. With feminine nouns you would hear a change (e.g., knjiga → “Vidim malu knjigu” = “I see a small book”).

Can I say Imamo jedan mali problem? Does it change the meaning?

Yes. It’s common and often used as a polite softener or to introduce an issue delicately (“We have this one small problem…”). It can sound a bit rhetorical, like in English.

How does i work here? Is it “and” or “also”?

i normally means “and,” but when placed right before a word it can mean “also/too” with emphasis on that word. In ali imamo i plan, the i puts focus on “plan” = “but we also have a plan.”

You can shift the focus: I mi imamo plan = “We, too, have a plan.”
“Both…and…” is i … i …: Imamo i problem i plan = “We have both a problem and a plan.”
“Even” can be expressed with čak i: Imamo čak i plan B.

Can I use također instead of i for “also”?

Yes:

Također imamo plan. = “We also have a plan.” (neutral)
Imamo plan također. is possible but less idiomatic. Using i right before the focused word is very natural in speech: Imamo i plan.

Is the comma before ali necessary?

Yes, Croatian normally puts a comma before coordinating conjunctions like ali (“but”). You could also see:

no = a stronger/more formal “but”: …, no imamo i plan.
a = a milder contrast: Imamo mali problem, a imamo i plan.
međutim = “however” (adverb, usually starts a new clause/sentence).

Can I include the pronoun mi (“we”)?

Yes, but it adds emphasis, since the verb ending already shows the subject:

Imamo mali problem… (neutral)
Mi imamo mali problem… (emphatic: “We have a small problem…”—as opposed to someone else).

How flexible is the word order?

Croatian word order is flexible for emphasis:

Neutral/new info at the end: Imamo i plan.
Emphasize “plan”: I plan imamo. (sounds contrastive)
Emphasize “we”: I mi imamo plan. Keep clitics (like se, ga, je, mi, ti, mu, smo, će) in second position in their clause; i is not a clitic.

How do I say this in the past?

Use the auxiliary biti + the L-participle of imati:

Imali smo mali problem, ali smo imali i plan. = “We had a small problem, but we also had a plan.” Note the clitic smo sits in second position within its clause: after ali we get ali smo imali…

How do I negate it?

Nemamo plan. = “We don’t have a plan.”
Nemamo nikakav plan. = “We have no plan at all.”
You’ll also hear genitive of negation: Nemamo plana. (very common, especially with abstract/plan-type nouns). Both accusative (plan) and genitive (plana) are acceptable in modern usage. For “problem”: Nemamo problem / Nemamo problema (the genitive can imply “no problems”/“not any problem(s)”).

What are the plural forms of problem and plan?

problem → plural nominative problemi; genitive singular problema
plan → plural nominative planovi; genitive singular plana Example: Imamo neke probleme, ali imamo i planove. = “We have some problems, but we also have plans.”

How do I say “both a problem and a plan” explicitly?

Use i … i …:

Imamo i problem i plan. = “We have both a problem and a plan.”

Does imamo ever mean “we have to”? How do I say “we have to”?

No. imamo is just “we have (possession).” To say “we have to / must,” use moramo:

Moramo imati plan. = “We have to have a plan.”

Any quick pronunciation tips for the sentence?

i is like “ee” (imamo, i)
a is “ah” (mali, plan)
r is tapped/rolled (not in this sentence, but good to know)
Stress is typically early: roughly Í-ma-mo MA-li PROblem, Á-li Í-ma-mo i PLAN (don’t worry about exact pitch accents; they’re rarely marked).

Could I use something like “however/still” instead of ali?

Yes:

Međutim, imamo i plan. = “However, we also have a plan.”
Ipak imamo plan. = “We still/nevertheless have a plan.” (ipak changes the nuance from contrast to concession/persistence.)

Why not plana/planom instead of plan?

Because here plan is a direct object (accusative). Other cases would mean something else:

plana = genitive (“of a plan” or under negation: “no plan”)
planom = instrumental (“with/by means of a plan”) In the given sentence, accusative is required, and for masculine inanimate singular it looks like the nominative: plan.