Learn Hardcore Croatian: Zimi nosim kaput, a ljeti samo majicu. - In winter I wear a coat, and in summer only a T-shirt.

They answer the question “when?”, so they function like adverbs of time. You don’t say u zima; instead Croatian normally uses these special forms: zimi, ljeti, (and for the other seasons often u proljeće, u jesen or jeseni).

Can I say u zimi or u ljetu, like “in the winter” / “in the summer”? Is that wrong?

For everyday speech, you should normally use:

zimi (not u zimi)
ljeti (not u ljetu)

Forms like u zimi or u ljetu are possible in some contexts, but they sound unusual or very formal/literary and are not what you’d typically say for a simple habitual statement like this.

So for “In winter I wear a coat, and in summer only a T‑shirt”, the natural choice is exactly:

Zimi nosim kaput, a ljeti samo majicu.

What does the conjunction a mean here? Is it “and” or “but”, and why not just i?

Croatian has several conjunctions:

i = and (simple addition)
a = and / but / while (mild contrast or comparison)
ali = but (stronger contrast)

In this sentence:

Zimi nosim kaput, a ljeti samo majicu.

a signals a contrast between two times/situations:

in winter → I wear a coat
in summer → (by contrast) only a T‑shirt

You could say Zimi nosim kaput, i ljeti samo majicu, but it sounds a bit off; a is the natural choice because we’re contrasting winter vs summer habits.

What tense is nosim, and why is the present tense used for this general statement?

Nosim is:

person: 1st person singular
tense: present
verb: nositi (to wear, to carry)
meaning here: I wear

Croatian uses the present tense for habits and general truths, just like English:

Svaki dan pijem kavu. – I drink coffee every day.
Zimi nosim kaput. – I wear a coat in winter.

So nosim here means “I (usually) wear”, not “I am wearing right now” in a specifically progressive sense; context gives the habitual meaning.

What is the infinitive of nosim, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is nositi = to wear / to carry.

Present tense (imperfective):

(ja) nosim – I wear / I carry
(ti) nosiš – you wear (sg.)
(on/ona/ono) nosi – he/she/it wears
(mi) nosimo – we wear
(vi) nosite – you wear (pl./formal)
(oni/one/ona) nose – they wear

So in the sentence:

Zimi nosim kaput, a ljeti samo majicu.

nosim = “I wear” (1st person singular).

Why is it majicu and not majica? What’s happening to the ending?

Majica (T‑shirt, light shirt) is a feminine noun:

nominative singular (dictionary form): majica

In the sentence, majicu is the direct object of nosim (“I wear what?”), so it must be in the accusative singular:

nominative: majica (as subject)
accusative: majicu (as object)

Typical pattern for many feminine ‑a nouns:

vidim majica ❌ (incorrect)
vidim majicu ✅ (I see / wear a T‑shirt)

Why doesn’t kaput change form like majica → majicu? Why is it still kaput?

Kaput (coat) is a masculine inanimate noun:

nominative singular: kaput
accusative singular: kaput (same form for inanimate masculine)

So in:

Kaput je nov. – The coat is new. (subject, nominative)
Nosim kaput. – I wear a coat. (object, accusative)

the word looks the same.

Contrast with an animate masculine noun, which does change:

Čovjek je tamo. – The man is there. (nominative)
Vidim čovjeka. – I see the man. (accusative)

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” in kaput and majicu? How do I know if it’s “a coat” or “the coat”?

Croatian does not have articles like English a / an / the.

So:

nosim kaput can mean:
- I wear a coat
- I wear the coat

Context decides whether the speaker has a specific coat or just any coat in mind. The same goes for majicu: it could be “a T‑shirt” or “the T‑shirt”, depending on context.

Could I add ja and say Ja zimi nosim kaput? Is it wrong to drop the subject pronoun?

Both are grammatically correct:

Zimi nosim kaput…
Ja zimi nosim kaput…

In Croatian, the subject pronoun (ja, “I”) is usually omitted, because the verb ending (‑im in nosim) already shows the person.

If you do say Ja zimi nosim kaput, it often adds emphasis:

Ja zimi nosim kaput, a ti ne.
→ I wear a coat in winter, but you don’t.

In the neutral sentence, Zimi nosim kaput… without ja is more natural.

How flexible is the word order? Can I move zimi and ljeti around?

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and you can move time expressions for emphasis. All of these are possible, with slightly different focus:

Zimi nosim kaput, a ljeti samo majicu. (neutral, very natural)
Kaput nosim zimi, a samo majicu ljeti. (emphasis on what you wear)
Nosim kaput zimi, a samo majicu ljeti. (time phrases moved later)

The meaning stays the same; only emphasis and rhythm change. For a beginner/neutral style, keep the original order.

Where should samo go? Could I say ljeti majicu samo?

In this sentence, the normal placement is:

ljeti samo majicu = in summer only a T‑shirt

Samo usually comes right before the word or phrase it restricts:

samo majicu – only a T‑shirt (not a coat, not a sweater)
samo ljeti nosim kaput – I wear a coat only in summer (odd meaning, but grammatically shows how samo works)

You could say ljeti majicu samo, but it sounds unnatural and marked; stick to samo before the noun: samo majicu.

Does majica mean “shirt” or “T‑shirt”? What’s the difference from košulja?

Roughly:

majica – usually a T‑shirt or any light pullover shirt (no buttons, often short-sleeved)
košulja – a shirt with a collar and buttons, like a dress shirt

So in:

Zimi nosim kaput, a ljeti samo majicu.

the picture is more like: in winter a coat, in summer just a T‑shirt/light top, not a formal button-up shirt.

How do I pronounce Zimi nosim kaput, a ljeti samo majicu?

Key points:

z = like z in zoo
i = like ee in see
lj (in ljeti) = a soft ly sound, like in Italian famiglia or roughly million
j = like English y in yes
c (in majicu) = ts as in cats

Approximate pronunciation (English-friendly):

Zimi → ZEE-mee
nosim → NOH-seem
kaput → kah-POOT
ljeti → LYE-tee (LYE as in “lie”, but very short)
samo → SAH-moh
majicu → MY-tsu (with a quick y sound: MAH-yi-tsu)

So the whole sentence:
ZEE-mee NOH-seem kah-POOT, ah LYE-tee SAH-moh MAH-yi-tsu.