Learn Hardcore Croatian: On želi raditi kao glumac, ali ona radije pjeva. - He wants to work as an actor, but she prefers to sing.

Raditi is the infinitive form (“to work”).
You cannot follow želi with a conjugated verb like radi (“he works”) or rade (“they work”) in this structure.

So the basic pattern is:

[subject] + želi + [infinitive]
- On želi spavati. – He wants to sleep.
- Ona želi pjevati. – She wants to sing.

Could you also say “On želi da radi kao glumac”? If yes, what’s the difference?

Yes, “On želi da radi kao glumac” is grammatically possible, but the nuance is different.

On želi raditi kao glumac.
Literally: He wants to work as an actor.
– The subject of wanting and working is clearly the same person (he).
On želi da radi kao glumac.
Literally: He wants that (someone) works as an actor.
– In practice, this pattern is often used when the one who “works” might be someone else (not necessarily the same “he”), or when you’re emphasizing the subordinate clause.

In everyday speech people sometimes use “želi da + present” even when the subject is the same, but the more natural and straightforward way with želi is:

želi + infinitive → želi raditi, želi jesti, želi spavati…

Why is it “kao glumac” and not “kao glumcem” or something else?

In this sentence, kao means “as” (in the role of), and professions after kao are typically in the nominative case:

raditi kao glumac – to work as an actor
raditi kao učitelj – to work as a teacher

So:

glumac = actor (nominative, masculine)
glumcem = by/with an actor (instrumental, masculine)

“kao glumcem” is not correct here, because instrumental would suggest “with/using an actor”, not “in the role of an actor”.

You’ll often see the same nominative pattern after biti (to be):

On je glumac. – He is an actor.
Ona je učiteljica. – She is a teacher.

What is the difference between “raditi kao glumac” and “biti glumac”?

Both can be translated as “to be an actor”, but the nuance is slightly different:

raditi kao glumac – literally “to work as an actor”.
Emphasizes the job/activity, usually as a profession or paid work.
biti glumac – literally “to be an actor”.
Emphasizes identity/status, not necessarily focusing on the job side.

In many contexts, they overlap:

On želi raditi kao glumac. – He wants to work as an actor.
On želi biti glumac. – He wants to be an actor.

Both are natural; the first sounds a bit more “job‑oriented”.

Why is it “glumac” for him but “ona” (she) in the second part? Shouldn’t it be “glumica” somewhere?

In the sentence:

On želi raditi kao glumac, ali ona radije pjeva.

we talk about two different people:

On – “he”, who wants to work as an actor (glumac).
Ona – “she”, who would rather sing.

If she were the one wanting to work as an actress, you’d say:

Ona želi raditi kao glumica. – She wants to work as an actress.

So:

glumac – male actor
glumica – female actor / actress

In your sentence, the first person is male (glumac), the second is female (ona), but she is not described as an actress; she just prefers singing.

What exactly does “radije” mean, and why is it placed before “pjeva”?

Radije is the comparative form of the adverb rado.

rado – gladly, willingly
radije – more gladly → rather, preferably

So “ona radije pjeva” literally means:

“she sings more gladly” → she would rather sing / she prefers singing.

It usually comes before the verb it modifies:

Radije čitam nego gledam TV. – I’d rather read than watch TV.
On radije radi sam. – He prefers to work alone.

In your sentence:

… ali ona radije pjeva. – … but she would rather sing.

Could you say “ona radije pjevati” instead of “ona radije pjeva”?

No, not in this structure.

pjeva is the conjugated (present tense, 3rd person singular) form.
pjevati is the infinitive (“to sing”).

Here, radije is an adverb modifying the finite verb (pjeva), so you need the conjugated form:

✅ Ona radije pjeva. – She rather sings / She prefers to sing.
❌ Ona radije pjevati. – Incorrect in standard Croatian.

If you want the idea “she would rather sing” with a conditional, you could also say:

Ona bi radije pjevala. – She would rather sing.
(Here bi = conditional, pjevala = conditional form of pjevati.)

Does “radije pjeva” mean exactly the same as “više voli pjevati”?

They are very close in meaning, but not 100% identical in nuance.

Ona radije pjeva.
Literally “she sings more gladly” → she would rather sing (than do something else implied from context).
Ona više voli pjevati.
Literally “she likes singing more” → she prefers singing (compared to some other activity that’s usually mentioned or understood).

In most everyday situations, you can use either to express a preference, and both can be translated as “she prefers to sing / she would rather sing.”

Why is the verb “pjeva” in the present tense? Does it describe a habit, the future, or something else?

Croatian present tense can cover:

General habits / preferences:
- Ona radije pjeva. – She prefers singing / rather sings (in general).
Ongoing actions:
- Ona sada pjeva. – She is singing now.

In your sentence, it is about a general preference, so the present tense functions similarly to the English simple present:

She prefers to sing ↔ Ona radije pjeva.

Can you drop the pronouns “On” and “ona” and just say “Želi raditi kao glumac, ali radije pjeva”?

Yes, you can. Croatian is a “pro‑drop” language: you can omit subject pronouns when the verb endings already show the person.

So all of these are possible:

On želi raditi kao glumac, ali ona radije pjeva. – Fully explicit.
Želi raditi kao glumac, ali ona radije pjeva. – “He wants to work as an actor, but she would rather sing.”
On želi raditi kao glumac, ali radije pjeva. – Context must make it clear who “radije pjeva”.
Želi raditi kao glumac, ali radije pjeva. – Both subjects understood from context.

In many real conversations, native speakers often drop on/ona when it’s obvious who is being talked about.

Why is there a comma before “ali”?

Ali means “but”, and, like in English, when it connects two independent clauses, you put a comma before it:

On želi raditi kao glumac, ali ona radije pjeva.
= He wants to work as an actor, but she would rather sing.

This is the standard punctuation rule in Croatian:
comma + ali + new clause, when both parts could stand alone as sentences.

How are the verbs “željeti”, “raditi”, and “pjevati” conjugated in the present tense?

Here are their full present tense paradigms (standard Croatian):

ŽELJETI – to want
(there are some spelling changes in practice, but these are the usual present forms)

ja želim
ti želiš
on/ona/ono želi
mi želimo
vi želite
oni/one/ona žele

RADITI – to work / to do

ja radim
ti radiš
on/ona/ono radi
mi radimo
vi radite
oni/one/ona rade

PJEVATI – to sing

ja pjevam
ti pjevaš
on/ona/ono pjeva
mi pjevamo
vi pjevate
oni/one/ona pjevaju

From these, your sentence uses:

želi (3rd person singular of željeti)
raditi (infinitive)
pjeva (3rd person singular of pjevati)

Could you replace “želi” with “hoće”? What would change?

You can say:

On hoće raditi kao glumac, ali ona radije pjeva.

but there is a nuance difference:

želi – “wants, would like to” → often a bit softer/politer.
hoće – “wants, is willing to, insists on” → sometimes sounds stronger, more determined, and in some contexts even a bit blunt or childish (“He wants!”).

In everyday speech people do use htjeti (hoću, hoćeš, hoće...), but if you’re unsure and want a neutral tone, želi is always a safe, natural choice.