Ako imam lošu ocjenu, osjećam mali stres.

If I have a bad grade, I feel a bit of stress.

Breakdown of Ako imam lošu ocjenu, osjećam mali stres.

• imati: to have
• mali: small
• ako: if
• osjećati: to feel
• stres: stress
• loš: bad
• ocjena: grade

Questions & Answers about Ako imam lošu ocjenu, osjećam mali stres.

Why is it lošu ocjenu and not loša ocjena?

In Croatian, the direct object of the verb is usually in the accusative case.

• The verb imam (I have) takes a direct object → što? (what?) → lošu ocjenu.
• Ocjena is feminine.

Feminine singular declension looks like this (for a typical -a noun):

• Nominative (who/what?): loša ocjena
• Accusative (whom/what?): lošu ocjenu

Since the sentence answers “What do I have?” → “A bad grade”, you must use the accusative: lošu ocjenu.

Why does lošu also end in -u like ocjenu?

Because in Croatian, adjectives must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

• Noun: ocjena → feminine, singular, accusative → ocjenu
• Adjective: loš → feminine, singular, accusative → lošu

So both the adjective and the noun change to show they are linked: lošu ocjenu.

Could I say Ako imam loša ocjena?

No, that is grammatically wrong.

• Loša ocjena is nominative (subject form).
• Here, lošu ocjenu is not the subject; it is the object of imam.

You must use the accusative case: lošu ocjenu. The nominative form loša ocjena would be used if it were the subject, for example:

• Loša ocjena je problem. – A bad grade is a problem.

Why is it osjećam mali stres and not osjećam malo stres?

Here mali is an adjective describing the noun stres (“small/little stress”).

• mali stres = small amount of stress / a little stress
• malo is usually an adverb (a little) or a neuter form of the adjective, but in this exact phrase it would sound incomplete: malo stres is incorrect.

If you want to sound more natural, you would more often hear:

• Osjećam malo stresa. – I feel a bit of stress.

Here malo is an adverb, and stresa is genitive singular, meaning “a little of stress”.

Is mali stres natural Croatian, or should I say something else?

Mali stres is understandable and grammatically correct, but a bit less idiomatic in everyday speech. More natural options are:

• Osjećam malo stresa. – I feel a bit of stress.
• Malo se stresiram. – I stress a bit / I’m a bit stressed.
• Osjećam se malo pod stresom. – I feel a bit stressed.

Your sentence is fine for learning purposes, but native speakers will more often use one of the alternatives above.

Why is it osjećam stres and not osjećam se stres?

Osjećati can be:

• transitive (with an object): osjećam stres, osjećam bol, osjećam hladnoću → I feel stress / pain / cold.
• reflexive with se when talking about your state in a more general sense: osjećam se loše, osjećam se umorno → I feel bad / tired.

In your sentence, stres is something you feel directly, so you use the transitive form: osjećam mali stres. If you wanted to use se, you’d say for example:

• Ako imam lošu ocjenu, osjećam se pod stresom. – …I feel under stress.

Can I change the word order to Osjećam mali stres ako imam lošu ocjenu?

Yes. Word order in Croatian is relatively flexible. Both are correct:

• Ako imam lošu ocjenu, osjećam mali stres.
• Osjećam mali stres ako imam lošu ocjenu.

They mean the same. The difference is only in emphasis:

• Starting with Ako imam… highlights the condition.
• Starting with Osjećam… highlights what you feel.

What is the difference between ako and kad in this kind of sentence?

Both can sometimes be translated as “if/when”, but there is a nuance:

• ako = if → expresses a real condition that may or may not happen.
  
  • Ako imam lošu ocjenu, osjećam mali stres. – If I have a bad grade, (then) I feel some stress.
• kad = when/whenever → often used for repeated / general situations or definite times.
  
  • Kad imam lošu ocjenu, osjećam mali stres. – Whenever I have a bad grade, I feel some stress.

In many “general truth” sentences both are possible, but kad can sound more like “every time when…”.

Why are both verbs in the present tense? In English we would say “If I get a bad grade, I feel a little stress.”

Croatian commonly uses the present tense in both clauses for conditional sentences that talk about:

• general truths
• repeated situations
• likely future situations

So:

• Ako imam lošu ocjenu, osjećam mali stres.

can refer to a general pattern or to the future, depending on context. Saying Ako ću imati lošu ocjenu is usually wrong or at least very unnatural; Croatian does not mirror English “will” in this type of conditional.

Why is there a comma before osjećam?

In Croatian, you normally put a comma between two clauses in a conditional sentence:

• Ako … , (onda) …

So we write:

• Ako imam lošu ocjenu, osjećam mali stres.

The comma separates the if-clause from the main clause, just like in English (If I have a bad grade, I feel a little stress.).

What gender is ocjena, and how can I see that from the sentence?

Ocjena is a feminine noun. You can see this because:

• Its basic form ends in -a, which often (not always) marks feminine gender.
• The adjective in front is lošu, the feminine accusative form of loš.

Typical feminine singular pattern:

• Nominative: loša ocjena
• Genitive: loše ocjene
• Dative: lošoj ocjeni
• Accusative: lošu ocjenu
• Locative: lošoj ocjeni
• Instrumental: lošom ocjenom

Could I say Ako dobijem lošu ocjenu instead of Ako imam lošu ocjenu?

Yes, and that is actually very natural.

• Ako imam lošu ocjenu… – focuses on the state: if I (happen to) have a bad grade.
• Ako dobijem lošu ocjenu… – focuses on the event of receiving it: if I get a bad grade.

Both are correct. In many school-related contexts, dobiti lošu ocjenu is the more common way to talk about bad grades.