Questions & Answers about Danas se osjećam bolje nego jučer.
Why is there no word for “I” (ja) in this sentence?
Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns like ja (I) because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
- osjećam = I feel (1st person singular)
- So Danas se osjećam… already clearly means Today I feel…
You can say Danas se ja osjećam bolje nego jučer, but:
- It sounds emphatic: Today I feel better than yesterday (not someone else).
- In neutral sentences, Croatians normally just omit ja.
What does se mean here, and why do we need it?
se is a reflexive clitic (a little pronoun-like word) that belongs to the verb osjećati se (to feel, in the sense of to feel in oneself).
- osjećati se = to feel (in general, as a state)
- Danas se osjećam bolje. – Today I feel better.
- Without se, osjećati means to feel something physically or emotionally:
- Osjećam bol. – I feel pain.
- Osjećam hladnoću. – I feel cold (the cold).
So in this sentence, se doesn’t translate directly into English, but it is grammatically required with osjećati se.