Learn Hardcore Croatian: Skoro smo zaboravili ulaznice, ali sada ih imamo. - We almost forgot the tickets, but now we have them.

All three are fine here. Umalo/zamalo often add a sense of “it just about happened (but fortunately didn’t),” sometimes used especially with potentially negative outcomes. Note that uskoro means “soon,” not “almost.”

Why is smo used with zaboravili? Isn’t smo “are”?

Smo is the 1st person plural form of the verb biti (to be), and in Croatian it’s used as an auxiliary to form the perfect (the usual past tense in speech). So (mi) smo zaboravili = “we forgot.” English uses a simple past, but Croatian typically uses this auxiliary + past participle.

Where does smo go in the sentence? Could I say “Skoro zaboravili smo ulaznice”?

Clitics like smo must appear in second position in their clause (after the first stressed word). That’s why we say:

Skoro smo zaboravili ulaznice. (correct)
Zaboravili smo ulaznice. (correct, without the adverb)
Not: Skoro zaboravili smo ulaznice. (wrong)

If you add the subject for emphasis, the clitic still stays second:

Mi smo skoro zaboravili ulaznice.

Why is it zaboravili and not some other ending? What if the speakers are all women?

The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject:

Masculine singular: zaboravio
Feminine singular: zaboravila
Masculine (or mixed) plural: zaboravili
Feminine plural (all women): zaboravile

So a group of women would say: Skoro smo zaboravile ulaznice.

Why is ulaznice in that form?

Ulaznice is the accusative plural of the feminine noun ulaznica (“ticket, admission ticket”). The verb zaboraviti takes a direct object in the accusative case. For many feminine -a nouns, nominative plural and accusative plural are the same in form:

Singular: ulaznica (nom), ulaznicu (acc)
Plural: ulaznice (nom), ulaznice (acc)

Can I say zaboraviti na ulaznice instead of zaboraviti ulaznice?

You’ll hear both.

Zaboraviti (nešto)
- accusative = “forget (something)” (neutral and preferred in careful style for a direct object).
Zaboraviti na (nešto) = “forget about (something), overlook it.” In everyday speech Skoro smo zaboravili na ulaznice is common, but if you mean “We almost left the tickets behind,” the direct object without na is often preferred: Skoro smo zaboravili ulaznice. You can also be explicit: Skoro smo zaboravili ponijeti/uzeti ulaznice (“forget to bring/take”).

Why is the pronoun ih used? Could it be je or njih?

ih is the unstressed clitic for “them” (3rd person plural, accusative/genitive) and is the normal choice inside a clause: ali sada ih imamo.
njih is the stressed (strong) form used for emphasis or after prepositions: Ali sada baš njih imamo; Za njih imamo ulaznice.
In standard Croatian, je is feminine singular “her/it,” not plural “them.” Using je for plural “them” is characteristic of Serbian, not standard Croatian. So don’t say Ali sada je imamo unless you mean one ticket (ulaznicu).

Where does ih go? Can I say ali ih sada imamo or ali sada imamo ih?

Clitic ih must also occupy second position in its clause. Both of these are fine:

Ali sada ih imamo.
Ali ih sada imamo. But not: Ali sada imamo ih. (clitics don’t go at the very end like that in neutral word order)

The choice between the two correct orders is mostly about rhythm and slight emphasis; both are natural.

Why is it imamo (present) and not a past form like smo imali?

Because it refers to the current situation: “but now we have them.” Imamo is present tense. If you said imali smo ih, that would mean “we had them” at some earlier time, which doesn’t fit the “now” part.

Why is there a comma before ali?

In standard Croatian, you put a comma before ali when it connects two independent clauses. Here each side could stand as its own sentence, so the comma is required: …, ali …

Is there any difference between sada and sad?

They mean the same (“now”). Sada is slightly more formal or neutral; sad is very common in speech. Both are correct: ali sada ih imamo / ali sad ih imamo.

Can I omit sada?

Yes. Ali ih imamo still means “but we have them (now),” with “now” understood from context. You can also add nuance with other adverbs: Ali ih već imamo (“we already have them”).

Could I use karte instead of ulaznice?

Often yes. Karta/karte is a very common everyday word for “ticket(s).” Ulaznica/ulaznice specifically suggests “admission ticket(s)” (to a concert, museum, cinema). For transport you’ll typically hear karta (e.g., vozna karta = train ticket). In this sentence, both ulaznice and karte sound natural.

Why not use zaboravljali instead of zaboravili?

Zaboraviti (perfective) describes a single, completed event (“forgot”). Zaboravljati (imperfective) means “to be forgetting/kept forgetting/used to forget,” which is habitual or ongoing. “We almost forgot (this time)” needs the perfective: Skoro smo zaboravili… If you want a habitual idea, you’d say something like Često smo zaboravljali ulaznice (“We often forgot the tickets”).

Is skoro da smo zaboravili or gotovo da smo zaboravili also possible?

Yes:

Skoro da smo zaboravili ulaznice.
Gotovo da smo zaboravili ulaznice. These emphasize the “on the verge of” feeling. You can also say Gotovo smo zaboravili, though many speakers prefer it with da.

How would the sentence change if there was only one ticket?

You’d use the feminine singular forms:

Skoro smo zaboravili ulaznicu, ali sada je imamo. Here ulaznicu is singular accusative, and je = “her/it” feminine singular clitic.