Danas malo radim i gledam film.

Today I work a little and watch a movie.

Breakdown of Danas malo radim i gledam film.

• i: and
• danas: today
• gledati: to watch
• film: movie
• raditi: to work
• malo: a bit

Questions & Answers about Danas malo radim i gledam film.

Why is there no word for I in this sentence? Why isn’t it Ja danas malo radim i gledam film?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns like ja (I), ti (you), on/ona (he/she) because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• radim = I work / I am working
• radiš = you work / you are working
• radi = he/she works / is working

So Danas malo radim i gledam film is naturally understood as:

• (Ja) danas malo radim i (ja) gledam film.

You can say Ja danas malo radim… for emphasis (like “Me, today I’m working only a bit…”), but in neutral everyday speech you normally leave ja out.

How do we translate the tense here? Is it I work or I am working?

Croatian has only one present tense form, and it covers both English:

• I work (present simple)
• I am working (present continuous)

So:

• Danas malo radim i gledam film.
  → Today I’m working a bit and (I’m) watching a movie.

This is the most natural English translation. If you really wanted a timeless habit, it could be:

• Today I work a bit and (I) watch a movie.

…but in English that sounds odd for a one-time situation, so I’m working / I’m watching is better, even though Croatian doesn’t change form.

What exactly does malo mean here? Is it little or a little?

In this sentence malo is an adverb and means a little / not much.

• Danas malo radim = Today I’m working a bit / I’m not working much today.

It does not mean “small” here. As an adjective, mali / mala / malo can mean small / little (a small object, a little child).
As an adverb, malo means a little, a bit, not a lot.

Word order options:

• Danas malo radim – neutral, very common.
• Malo danas radim – puts more emphasis on malo (it’s little that I’m working today).
• Radim malo danas – possible, but less neutral; sounds like adding danas almost as an afterthought.

The original is the most natural, neutral version.

Why is it gledam film and not something like gledam jedan film for I am watching a movie?

Croatian has no articles (no a/an/the).
Often, a bare noun like film can mean:

• a movie, the movie, or just movies in general, depending on context.

So:

• gledam film can be translated as I’m watching a movie or I’m watching the movie, whichever makes sense in the situation.

If you really want to emphasize “one specific movie”, you can say:

• gledam jedan film = I’m watching one movie / a single movie.

But in most everyday contexts, gledam film is enough and sounds more natural.

What case is film in here, and why doesn’t it change its form?

Film is in the accusative case, because it’s the direct object of the verb gledam (I’m watching).

For masculine inanimate nouns like film, the accusative singular is the same form as the nominative singular:

• Nominative: film – Film je dobar. (The movie is good.)
• Accusative: film – Gledam film. (I’m watching the movie.)

With masculine animate nouns (people, animals), the form would change:

• Nominative: brat (brother) – Brat radi. (My brother is working.)
• Accusative: brata – Gledam brata. (I’m looking at my brother.)

Can the sentence also mean Today I will work a bit and watch a movie (future), or only am working / am watching (present)?

The primary meaning is present:

• Today I’m working a bit and watching a movie.

However, in Croatian the present tense can sometimes be used for planned near-future actions, similar to English:

• Tomorrow I’m going to the dentist.

So Danas malo radim i gledam film might, in the right context, be understood as a plan for today:

• Today I’ll (just) work a bit and (then) watch a movie.

But if you clearly want a future meaning, Croatians more often use the future tense:

• Danas ću malo raditi i gledati film.
  → Today I will work a bit and watch a movie.

What is the difference between gledam film and pogledat ću film?

This is about aspect: imperfective vs perfective.

• gledati (imperfective) – focuses on the process / duration:

  • gledam film = I’m watching a movie. (currently, or focusing on the activity)
  • volim gledati filmove = I like watching movies.

• pogledati (perfective) – focuses on the completion / result:

  • pogledat ću film = I will watch (and finish) a movie.
  • Pogledao sam film. = I watched the movie / I’ve seen the movie (finished).

In the original sentence, we’re describing what we’re doing (or planning to do) as an activity, so gledam film (imperfective) is correct.

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Malo danas radim i gledam film or Danas radim malo i gledam film?

Croatian word order is flexible, but it affects emphasis and naturalness.

All of these are grammatically possible:

1. Danas malo radim i gledam film.
   – Neutral, natural: Today I’m working a bit and (I’m) watching a movie.

2. Malo danas radim i gledam film.
   – Emphasis on malo: It’s little that I work today… More expressive.

3. Danas radim malo i gledam film.
   – Still understandable; can feel like you’re stressing radim as an activity you do a little, then separately gledam film.

The first version is the most standard, neutral way to say it.

How would I negate this sentence? For example, Today I’m not working much and I’m not watching a movie.

Negation in Croatian is done by placing ne in front of the verb.

From the original:

• radim → ne radim (I’m not working)
• gledam → ne gledam (I’m not watching)

Example:

• Danas malo ne radim i ne gledam film.
  Literally: Today I’m working a little not and not watching a movie – this sounds odd and unnatural.

Better options, depending on what you really mean:

1. Danas malo radim i ne gledam film.
   – Today I’m working a bit and I’m not watching a movie. (You do work a bit, but you don’t watch a movie.)

2. To say I’m not working much today and I’m not watching a movie, you would typically use puno / mnogo for “much” and then negate:

   • Danas ne radim puno i ne gledam film.
     = Today I’m not working much and I’m not watching a movie.

So: ne goes directly before the verb you want to negate.

What exactly does radim mean here? Is it I work, I do, or I make?

The verb raditi is quite flexible:

1. To work (have a job / be working)

   • Radim u banci. = I work in a bank.
   • Danas malo radim. = Today I’m working a bit / not working much.

2. To do / make (in some expressions)

   • Što radiš? = What are you doing?
   • Radim kolač. = I’m making a cake.

In this sentence, radim naturally means I’m working (doing my job, doing some work). Context decides whether it’s more work (job) or just doing something in general; with danas malo, people will usually understand it as “I’m not working a lot today.”

Is the i between radim and gledam always necessary? What does it mean exactly?

Yes, here i is simply the conjunction “and”, linking two verbs:

• radim i gledam = I work and (I) watch.

It’s the standard way to connect words or phrases:

• kava i čaj – coffee and tea
• on i ja – he and I
• pjevam i plešem – I sing and dance

Without i, you would have two separate sentences or a very odd structure. So it is necessary in this form.

How should I pronounce Danas malo radim i gledam film?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-like spelling):

• Danas – DAH-nahs
• malo – MAH-loh
• radim – RAH-deem
• i – ee
• gledam – GLEH-dahm (short e, not “glee”)
• film – film (like English “film”, but shorter and crisper)

Key points:

• a is always like a in father.
• i is like ee in see.
• e is like e in pet.
• r is tapped or rolled (like in Spanish).
• Stress usually falls on the first syllable in these words: DAnas, MAlo, RAdim, GLedam.