Learn Hardcore Croatian: Radije ću ostati s njom nego ići u grad. - I would rather stay with her than go to the city.

bold text Radije bold text means “rather” or “preferably.” It’s the comparative adverb of bold text rado bold text (“gladly”). The pattern is bold text radije … nego … bold text = “rather … than …”

Example: bold text Radije ću ostati s njom nego ići u grad. bold text

Why is bold text ću bold text in second position after bold text Radije bold text?

bold text ću bold text is a clitic (the future-tense form of bold text htjeti bold text) and Croatian clitics typically occupy “second position” in the clause—after the first stressed word or phrase.

Correct: bold text Radije ću ostati … bold text
Also correct: bold text Ja ću radije ostati … bold text
Incorrect: bold text Ja radije ću ostati … bold text (the clitic came too late)

Can I say bold text Ostat ću bold text instead of bold text ću ostati bold text? Is bold text ostati ću bold text okay?

Croatian allows either bold text Ja ću ostati bold text or the shortened infinitive before the clitic: bold text Ostat ću bold text.
bold text Ostati ću bold text is considered non‑standard in Croatian.
Note: In Serbian you’ll see the fused form bold text ostaću bold text, but that’s not standard Croatian spelling.

Why is it bold text s njom bold text and not bold text sa njom bold text?

The default preposition is bold text s bold text (“with”). bold text Sa bold text is used mainly for euphony (to avoid awkward clusters), especially before words starting with s-, z-, or before bold text mnom bold text (with me): bold text sa mnom bold text. Here, bold text s njom bold text is smooth and standard. bold text Sa njom bold text is heard colloquially but is less standard.

What case is bold text njom bold text, and what is it the form of?

bold text Njom bold text is the instrumental singular of the pronoun bold text ona bold text (“she”). After bold text s/sa bold text, you use the instrumental: bold text s njom bold text = “with her.” You may also encounter bold text njome bold text (also instrumental), which sounds a bit more formal/emphatic.

Why is it bold text u grad bold text and not bold text u gradu bold text?

Croatian uses bold text u + accusative bold text to express movement into a place (goal), and bold text u + locative bold text to express location (state).

Movement: bold text ići u grad bold text (go to town) → accusative bold text grad bold text
Location: bold text biti u gradu bold text (be in town) → locative bold text gradu bold text

Why is bold text ići bold text (the infinitive) used instead of a conjugated form like bold text idem bold text?

Because the future tense is formed with the clitic of bold text htjeti bold text (bold text ću bold text, etc.) + infinitive: bold text ću ostati, ću ići bold text. Also, in the bold text radije … nego … bold text structure, when the first part uses an infinitive, the contrasted part often keeps a bare infinitive for parallelism: bold text ostati … nego ići bold text.

Can I say bold text nego da idem bold text instead of bold text nego ići bold text?

Yes. Both are acceptable:

bold text … nego ići u grad. bold text (bare infinitive)
bold text … nego da idem u grad. bold text (da + present) The meaning is essentially the same here. The infinitive version is a bit leaner; bold text nego da bold text can sound slightly more conversational.

Do I need a comma before bold text nego bold text?

Not in your sentence. There’s usually no comma when linking parallel verb phrases: bold text Radije ću ostati s njom nego ići u grad. bold text If the second part is a full clause (especially with bold text nego da/nego što bold text), many writers insert a comma: bold text Radije ću ostati s njom, nego da idem u grad. bold text

Is bold text Radije bih ostao bold text more natural than bold text Radije ću ostati bold text?

They’re both fine but differ in nuance:

bold text Radije ću ostati … bold text = firm decision about a (near) future action: “I’ll rather stay…”
bold text Radije bih ostao … bold text = conditional/preferential: “I’d rather stay…”, often more polite or hypothetical. If the speaker is female, use bold text Radije bih ostala … bold text in the conditional.

What aspect is bold text ostati bold text, and why that one?

bold text Ostati bold text is perfective (“to remain/stay (as a single, completed decision/event)”). That fits the future decision context. The imperfective partner is bold text ostajati bold text (“to be staying/repeatedly stay”). bold text Radije ću ostajati bold text would sound odd unless you mean repeated staying over a period.

Can bold text s njom bold text move to a different position? Will bold text ću bold text move too?

Yes, word order is flexible for emphasis, but the clitic bold text ću bold text must remain in second position:

bold text S njom ću radije ostati nego ići u grad. bold text
bold text Ja ću radije ostati s njom nego ići u grad. bold text
bold text Radije ću s njom ostati nego ići u grad. bold text All are grammatical; choose based on what you want to emphasize.

Can I use bold text od bold text instead of bold text nego bold text after bold text radije bold text?

No. After comparative adverbs/adjectives like bold text radije, bolje, više bold text (when contrasting items), use bold text nego bold text. Use bold text od bold text mainly with comparatives when the second part is a noun phrase without a verb phrase structure (e.g., bold text veći od mene bold text) and for quantities (bold text više od tri bold text). With bold text radije bold text, stick to bold text nego bold text.

Could I use bold text već bold text instead of bold text nego bold text?

Not here. bold text Već bold text (“but rather”) is used to correct/replace something after a negative: bold text Ne pijem kavu, već čaj. bold text Here we’re expressing preference with bold text radije … nego … bold text, so bold text nego bold text is the right conjunction.

What does bold text ići u grad bold text usually imply in everyday speech?

Besides the literal “go to the city/town,” in many contexts it idiomatically means “go downtown/go out (to hang out, run errands, meet friends).” So the sentence often reads as “I’d rather stay with her than go out.”

Any pronunciation tips for the tricky parts (bold text ću, ići, s njom bold text)?

bold text ću bold text = “chu” (soft palatal bold text ć bold text, not the hard bold text č bold text)
bold text ići bold text ≈ “EE-chee” (again soft bold text ć bold text)
bold text s njom bold text: link the words smoothly; bold text nj bold text is a palatal “ny,” so it sounds like “s nyom.”

Is there a difference between bold text radije bold text and bold text rađe bold text?

They mean the same; bold text rađe bold text is a variant you’ll hear in speech and see in some writing. bold text Radije bold text is the more neutral/standard form; both are acceptable.

Could I replace bold text ići bold text with bold text poći bold text or bold text otići bold text?

Sometimes, but the nuance changes:

bold text ići bold text = go (neutral)
bold text poći bold text = set off/leave (start going)
bold text otići bold text = go away/leave (depart) In your sentence, bold text ići u grad bold text is the most natural. bold text … nego otići u grad bold text would emphasize the act of leaving/going away, which isn’t needed here.