Learn Hardcore Croatian: Želim učiti više, a gledati manje filmova. - I want to study more and watch fewer movies.

In this sentence, a means “and/whereas,” marking a mild contrast between two actions: studying more vs. watching fewer films.
i = simple “and,” just adds things: Želim učiti više i gledati manje filmova (no contrast implied).
ali = “but,” a stronger, adversative contrast: Želim učiti više, ali gledam puno filmova (the second part goes against the first).

Why is there a comma before "a"?

Croatian uses a comma before a when it links two coordinated (even elliptical) clauses. Here the second clause omits the repeated verb “želim” but is still a separate clause: Želim učiti više, a (želim) gledati manje filmova.

Why is it "filmova" and not "filmove"?

Because manje (like više, puno, malo) takes a noun in the genitive when it quantifies that noun. So you get genitive plural filmova, not accusative plural filmove:

Quantifying a noun: manje filmova, više knjiga, puno problema (genitive)
Direct object without such a quantifier: gledati filmove (accusative)

Why doesn’t "više" trigger a genitive too?

Here više modifies the verb (učiti)—it’s an adverb meaning “more (intensively/frequently).” The genitive appears only when the quantifier directly modifies a noun. Compare:

Verb modified: učiti više, spavati manje (no noun after the quantifier)
Noun quantified: više filmova, manje šećera (genitive after the quantifier)

Is "gledati manje filmove" ever acceptable?

In careful standard Croatian, with manje/više/puno/malo directly modifying a noun, use the genitive: manje filmova. You will hear accusative (manje filmove) in colloquial speech, but it’s non-standard.

Can I make the structure more symmetrical?

Yes. If you make both adverbs modify verbs (not nouns), you can say:

Želim više učiti, a manje gledati filmove. Here manje qualifies the watching activity, so the object is the regular accusative filmove.

Why "učiti" and not "učiti se" or "naučiti"?

učiti = to study (process), or to teach (with an object). Here it means “study.”
učiti se = to study/prepare (often with za: učiti se za ispit). Don’t say učim se hrvatski; say učim hrvatski.
naučiti (perfective) = to learn/acquire (result): Želim naučiti više ≈ “I want to learn more (new things),” focusing on outcomes, not time spent studying.

Can I say "Želim učim..."?

No. After verbs like željeti, morati, htjeti, voljeti, use the infinitive for same-subject complements:

Correct: Želim učiti / Moram učiti
Alternatively: Želim da učim (see next Q&A)

What about "Želim da učim..." instead of the infinitive?

Both are possible when the subject is the same:

Želim učiti više... (more neutral, common in writing)
Želim da učim više... (very common in speech; can feel more emphatic or “wish-like”) If the subject changes, you need da + present: Želim da on uči više.

"učiti više" vs. "više učiti" — is there a difference?

Both are correct. Croatian allows flexible adverb placement.

učiti više is neutral.
više učiti can slightly foreground the “more” part. Context and rhythm decide; meaning is the same.

"gledati manje filmova" vs. "manje gledati filmove" — which should I use?

gledati manje filmova quantifies the noun (fewer films) → genitive plural.
manje gledati filmove quantifies the activity/time spent watching → the object stays accusative. Use the one that matches your intended focus.

How do I say “I want to study more than watch movies”?

Use više ... nego ...:

Više želim učiti nego gledati filmove. Note that više here compares two activities (preference), not just “a lot.”

Could I replace "a" with "nego"?

No. nego introduces a comparison (“than”), not a contrastive coordination. Use nego only in comparative structures: više X nego Y.

Is "želim" the only way to say “I want”?

Želim = I want / I would like (politer/softer).
Hoću = I want (stronger, more direct/colloquial).
Polite conditional: Htio bih/Htjela bih učiti više... (“I’d like to…”; choose masculine htio or feminine htjela.)

Why "gledati" and not "pogledati"?

gledati (imperfective) = to watch (ongoing/habitual).
pogledati (perfective) = to watch/see once, to finish watching. Habits and general intentions use the imperfective: Želim gledati manje filmova.

How do I pronounce the special letters here?

Ž as in English “vision” (zh).
Č as in “chocolate” (hard ch). Note: učiti has č, not ć.
a is always “ah,” and stress is not marked in spelling.

Do I need to repeat "želim" in the second clause?

No. It’s normal to omit repeated material:

Želim učiti više, a (želim) gledati manje filmova. Including it is also correct but less elegant: ..., a želim gledati...

Why "filmova" and not "filmeva"?

The correct genitive plural is filmova. Many masculine nouns form genitive plural with -ova (e.g., gradova, planova, filmova). filmeva is incorrect.