Ona vježba glasno, ali ja radije vježbam tiho.

She practices loudly, but I would rather practice quietly.

Breakdown of Ona vježba glasno, ali ja radije vježbam tiho.

• ja: I
• ona: she
• ali: but
• vježbati: to practice
• tiho: quietly
• glasno: loudly
• radije: rather

Questions & Answers about Ona vježba glasno, ali ja radije vježbam tiho.

What exactly does "radije" mean, and how is it different from "više volim"?

In Croatian, radije is the comparative of rado (“gladly”), and it means “rather” / “prefer (to)”. It modifies a verb phrase directly:

• Ja radije vježbam tiho. = I prefer to practice quietly.

Više volim literally means “I like/love more”:

• Više volim vježbati tiho. = I like practicing quietly more.

Both are natural. Radije is leaner; više volim can sound a bit more personal/emphatic.

Where does "radije" go in the sentence? Can the manner adverbs move?

Put radije before the main verb or early in the clause:

• (Ja) radije vježbam tiho.
• Radije vježbam tiho.

Adverbs like glasno/tiho can go before or after the verb, with slight emphasis shifts:

• Neutral: Ona vježba glasno. / Radije vježbam tiho.
• Emphatic on manner: Ona glasno vježba. / Tiho vježbam.

If you add the conditional bih, it goes after the first stressed word: Radije bih vježbao/vježbala tiho.

Can I drop the subject pronouns "ona" and "ja"?

Yes. Croatian is pro‑drop: verb endings show the subject.

• (Ona) vježba glasno, ali (ja) radije vježbam tiho. Keep them for stronger contrast/emphasis: Ona vježba glasno, ali ja radije vježbam tiho.

Why is there a comma before "ali"?

Croatian uses a comma before the coordinating conjunction ali (“but”):

• Ona vježba glasno, ali ja radije vježbam tiho. You also typically put a comma before nego and no.

What’s the difference between "ali", "nego", and "no"?

• ali = but (general contrast). Correct here.
• nego = but rather/than, used after a negation or in comparisons:
  • Ne vježbam glasno, nego tiho.
  • Više vježbam tiho nego glasno.
• no = but/however (stylistically stronger/more formal):
  • Željela je vježbati glasno, no susjedi spavaju.

Why "vježba" in the first clause but "vježbam" in the second?

They’re different persons of vježbati (to practice/exercise). Present tense:

• ja vježbam; ti vježbaš; on/ona/ono vježba; mi vježbamo; vi vježbate; oni/one/ona vježbaju So Ona vježba = She practices; ja vježbam = I practice.

Does Croatian distinguish “I am practicing” vs “I practice”?

No separate tense. One present covers both. Use context/time words:

• Ongoing: Sada/Trenutno vježbam glasno.
• Habitual: Obično vježbam tiho.

Are "glasno" and "tiho" adjectives or adverbs here?

Adverbs. They describe how the action is done.

• From adjectives: glasan, glasna, glasno → adverb glasno (“loudly”)
• tih, tiha, tiho → adverb tiho (“quietly”) Many adverbs look like the neuter singular adjective form (e.g., dobro = well), but as adverbs they don’t change.

How do I say “more loudly” and “more quietly”?

Use comparative adverbs:

• glasnije = more loudly; najglasnije = the most loudly
• tiše = more quietly; najtiše = the most quietly Examples: Govori glasnije, molim. / Možeš svirati malo tiše?

Is there a difference between "glasno" and "naglas"?

Yes.

• glasno = loudly (volume). Vikala je glasno.
• naglas = aloud/out loud (not silently). Čitaj naglas. You can read naglas without being particularly glasno.

Can I use "trenirati" instead of "vježbati"?

Sometimes, but not always.

• vježbati = practice/exercise broadly (music, homework, yoga, grammar).
  • Vježbam klavir. / Vježbam jogu.
• trenirati = train (sports/fitness, coached practice).
  • Treniram nogomet. For music “play,” use svirati; for rehearsals, uvježbavati/uvježbati. Here, vježbati is best.

How do I say “I’d rather practice quietly”?

Use the conditional with bih:

• Masculine: Radije bih vježbao tiho.
• Feminine: Radije bih vježbala tiho. Clitic bih goes in second position: Radije bih... / Ja bih radije...

Why is it "vježbam tiho" and not "vježbati tiho" after "radije"?

Because radije is an adverb modifying a finite verb, so the verb is conjugated:

• Radije vježbam tiho. With verbs like “like/want,” use the infinitive:
• Više volim vježbati tiho. / Želim vježbati tiho.

How do you pronounce "vježba" and "vježbam"?

• v ≈ English v; j = y in “yes”; ž = zh in “measure”
• vježba ≈ “vyezh-bah”; vježbam ≈ “vyezh-bahm”
• tiho = “tee-ho” (h is pronounced)

Can I say "Ja više vježbam tiho" to mean “I prefer to practice quietly”?

No. Više vježbam tiho means “I practice quietly more (often/longer),” not preference. For preference, use:

• Radije vježbam tiho.
• Više volim vježbati tiho.

Could I use "a" instead of "ali"?

Yes. a contrasts two clauses more mildly, like “while/whereas”:

• Ona vježba glasno, a ja radije vježbam tiho. Use ali for a clearer adversative “but.”