Learn Hardcore Croatian: U šumi se osjećam mirno i opušteno.

osjećati se = “to feel (in oneself), to feel a certain way”
osjećati (without se) = “to feel something” (to perceive a feeling or sensation as an object)

Examples:

Osjećam se mirno. = I feel calm.
Osjećam bol. = I feel pain.

You cannot say:

✗ U šumi osjećam mirno i opušteno.

That’s ungrammatical, because mirno i opušteno here describe how you feel, not what you feel. So in this meaning, se is obligatory: osjećam se.

Why is it u šumi and not u šuma or u šumu?

Šuma is a feminine noun meaning “forest.” In u šumi, the noun is in the locative singular case.

Nominative (dictionary form): šuma – forest
Locative singular: (u) šumi – in the forest

After the preposition u:

If you are talking about location / being somewhere, you use locative:
- u šumi = in the forest (static location)
If you are talking about movement into something, you use accusative:
- u šumu = into the forest (motion towards it)

So:

U šumi se osjećam mirno. = I (when I am) in the forest, feel calm.
Idem u šumu. = I’m going into the forest.

Why is the word order U šumi se osjećam... and not U šumi osjećam se...?

The small word se is a clitic. Croatian clitics have a strong tendency to stand in the second position in the sentence (after the first stressed word or phrase).

In U šumi se osjećam...:

U šumi = the first stressed phrase (1st position)
se = clitic, goes right after it (2nd position)
osjećam = main verb

That’s why the most natural order is:

✅ U šumi se osjećam mirno i opušteno.

You will almost never hear:

✗ U šumi osjećam se mirno i opušteno. (odd / non‑native)

You can move things around for emphasis, e.g.:

Ja se u šumi osjećam mirno i opušteno. (emphasising ja = “I (as opposed to others) feel calm in the forest.”)

But se still stays near the beginning, in that clitic slot, not after the verb at the end of the phrase.

Are mirno and opušteno adjectives or adverbs here? Why do they end in -o?

Here mirno and opušteno function as adverbs: they describe how you feel.

mirno (from adjective miran – calm)
opušteno (from adjective opušten – relaxed)

In Croatian, many adverbs of manner are formed from adjectives by using the neuter singular form in -o:

miran → mirno (calm → calmly)
opušten → opušteno (relaxed → in a relaxed way)
brz → brzo (fast → quickly)

So osjećam se mirno i opušteno literally means something like:

“I feel calmly and in a relaxed way.”

That’s why the forms end in -o and do not agree in gender with the speaker; they’re not describing “what I am” as an adjective, but “how I feel” as adverbs.

If I am a woman, should I say mirna i opuštena instead of mirno i opušteno?

You have two correct options, and both are used:

Adverbial (as in the original sentence):
- U šumi se osjećam mirno i opušteno.
- Literally: I feel calmly and in a relaxed way.
- Same form regardless of whether the speaker is male or female.
Adjectival, agreeing with the speaker:
- If you’re female:
  - U šumi se osjećam mirna i opuštena.
- If you’re male:
  - U šumi se osjećam miran i opušten.

This second pattern uses adjectives that agree in gender and number with ja (I). It’s closer to English “I feel calm and relaxed (as a property of me).”

In everyday speech both patterns are natural, and the difference in meaning is small. The adjectival version focuses a bit more on “I am (in this state),” while the adverbial version sounds slightly more like “I feel in a calm, relaxed way.” But in practice they often translate the same.

Can I say Osjećam se mirno i opušteno u šumi instead? Does the meaning change?

Yes, you can say:

Osjećam se mirno i opušteno u šumi.

The basic meaning stays the same. The difference is mostly in emphasis and what you present first:

U šumi se osjećam mirno i opušteno.
→ Starts with u šumi, so it highlights the location: “In the forest, I (especially) feel calm and relaxed.”
Osjećam se mirno i opušteno u šumi.
→ Starts with your feelings, and then adds the location: “I feel calm and relaxed — in the forest.”

Both are grammatical and natural. Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and speakers choose what to put first to show what they want to emphasize.

What is the difference between osjećam and osjećam se?

The difference is:

osjećam (without se) is usually transitive – it takes a direct object:
- Osjećam bol. = I feel pain.
- Osjećam strah. = I feel fear.
- Osjećam hladnoću. = I feel the cold.
osjećam se (with se) is reflexive/intransitive – it describes your inner state, “I feel (in myself) …”:
- Osjećam se dobro. = I feel good.
- Osjećam se umorno. = I feel tired.
- U šumi se osjećam mirno i opušteno. = In the forest I feel calm and relaxed.

So in your sentence, you must use osjećam se, not just osjećam, because you’re talking about how you yourself feel, not what external thing you are feeling.

What is the infinitive of osjećam, and how is this verb conjugated?

The infinitive is osjećati (se) = to feel (oneself), to feel a certain way.

Present tense of osjećati se:

ja se osjećam – I feel
ti se osjećaš – you feel (singular, informal)
on / ona / ono se osjeća – he / she / it feels
mi se osjećamo – we feel
vi se osjećate – you feel (plural or formal)
oni / one / ona se osjećaju – they feel

In your sentence:

osjećam is 1st person singular present, and se is the reflexive particle:
- (Ja) se osjećam... → “I feel …”

Why is there no ja (I) in the sentence? Is it optional?

Yes, ja is optional here.

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun (I, you, he, she…) is often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

Osjećam se mirno. → must be “I feel calm” (1st person singular ending -am).
Osjećaš se mirno. → “You feel calm” (2nd sg ending -š).

You can add ja for emphasis or contrast:

Ja se u šumi osjećam mirno i opušteno.
→ I feel calm and relaxed in the forest (as opposed to someone else).

But in neutral sentences, ja is normally left out.

What is the difference between u šumi and u šumu?

This is about the case used after u:

u šumi – locative, used for location / being in a place:
- U šumi se osjećam mirno. = In the forest I feel calm.
- Šetam u šumi. = I walk in the forest.
u šumu – accusative, used for movement into a place:
- Idem u šumu. = I am going into the forest.
- Trčim u šumu. = I run into the forest.

So:

“where?” (static) → u šumi
“where to?” (movement) → u šumu

Why is i used between mirno and opušteno, and not a or te?

Croatian has several words that often translate as and:

i – the normal, neutral and, just linking two similar things:
- mirno i opušteno = calm and relaxed
a – often means and / whereas / while, introducing a contrast:
- On je nervozan, a ja sam mirna.
  = He is nervous, whereas I am calm.
te – also means and, but sounds a bit more formal or literary:
- Mirno te opušteno. (possible, but in everyday speech people would just say i)

In your sentence there’s no contrast, and the style is neutral, so i is the natural choice:

mirno i opušteno

Can I use mirno and opušteno in other sentences? What are their base adjectives?

Yes, both are common and useful words.

Base adjectives:

miran, mirna, mirno – calm, peaceful
opušten, opuštena, opušteno – relaxed

Adverb forms (neuter -o forms, used a lot as adverbs):

mirno – calmly, peacefully
opušteno – in a relaxed way

Examples:

Spavam mirno. = I sleep calmly/peacefully.
Razgovaramo opušteno. = We are talking in a relaxed way.
More je mirno. = The sea is calm. (here mirno is an adjective in neuter, agreeing with more)
Osjećam se opušteno. = I feel relaxed.

What aspect is osjećati se? Is there a perfective form like osjetiti se, and how is it used?

Osjećati se is imperfective. It describes ongoing or repeated states:

U šumi se osjećam mirno i opušteno.
= (Usually / whenever I am in the forest) I feel calm and relaxed.

The related perfective verb is osjetiti se. It’s used for a sudden change or single event of feeling something:

Odmah sam se osjetio bolje.
= I immediately felt better (at that moment).
Kad sam došao u šumu, osjetio sam se smireno.
= When I came to the forest, I (suddenly) felt calm.

So:

osjećati se – how you feel over time, habitually, or in general
osjetiti se – to feel (become) a certain way at a particular moment, usually in the past or as a single event.