Learn Hardcore Croatian: Želim nešto drugačije.

Želim nešto drugačije. – I want something different. (neutral)
Ja želim nešto drugačije. – I want something different. (contrast/emphasis, e.g. “I do, but others don’t.”)

In Croatian, subject pronouns (ja, ti, on…) are usually omitted, because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action. You only add ja if you want to stress the subject.

Is Želim closer to “I want” or “I would like” in English? Is it polite?

Literally, želim = “I want”.

In real usage:

It can sound neutral and not rude, especially in statements:
- Želim nešto drugačije u životu. – I want something different in life.
In requests (e.g. to a waiter), plain Želim… can sound a bit direct, like “I want…” in English.

For more polite / softer “I would like”, Croatians often use the conditional:

Želio bih nešto drugačije. – I would like something different. (speaker male)
Željela bih nešto drugačije. – I would like something different. (speaker female)

You’ll also hear:

Htio bih / Htjela bih nešto drugačije. – I’d like something different.
Volio bih / Voljela bih nešto drugačije. – Literally “I would love something different”, often used like “I’d like…”.

What exactly is nešto? Is it always “something”?

Nešto is an indefinite pronoun, and it usually means “something”.

In this sentence:

Želim nešto drugačije. – I want something different.
Nešto is the direct object of želim (accusative case).

Basic forms of nešto:

nešto – something (nominative/accusative)
nečega – of something (genitive)
nečemu – to/for something (dative)
nečim / nečime – with something (instrumental)

Examples:

Imam nešto novo. – I have something new.
Razmišljam o nečemu drugačijem. – I’m thinking about something different.

Why is it drugačije and not drugačiji or drugo?

Because it has to agree with “nešto”, which is neuter singular.

The adjective drugačiji (“different”) has three genders in singular:

drugačiji – masculine
drugačija – feminine
drugačije – neuter

Nešto behaves like a neuter singular noun, so the describing adjective must also be neuter singular:

nešto drugačije – something different
nešto novo – something new
nešto lijepo – something beautiful

So:

❌ nešto drugačiji – wrong (masculine form, doesn’t match nešto)
✅ nešto drugačije – correct (neuter, agrees with nešto)

Drugo is another word meaning “other / another / different”, but in this phrase nešto drugačije is more natural than nešto drugo when you mean “something different (in a more general or qualitative sense)”.

Is drugačije here an adjective or an adverb?

Formally, drugačije is both:

neuter singular form of the adjective drugačiji (different)
adverb meaning differently

In Želim nešto drugačije it’s most naturally understood as the neuter adjective form agreeing with nešto:

literally: “I want something (that is) different.”

But Croatian often uses nešto + neuter adjective in a slightly adverbial way, almost like:

nešto drugačije ≈ “a bit different / something different in some way”

So for learning purposes, it’s safe to treat drugačije here as “different” (adjective) matching nešto.

Could I say Želim nešto drugačiji or maybe Želim drugačiju stvar?

Želim nešto drugačiji. – ❌ Incorrect.
- nešto is neuter → the adjective must also be neuter (drugačije), not masculine (drugačiji).
Želim drugačiju stvar. – ✅ Correct, but different structure.
- drugačiju – feminine accusative (agrees with stvar, which is feminine)
- Literally: “I want a different thing.”

Compare:

Želim nešto drugačije. – I want something different. (very general; “something different” in any form)
Želim drugačiju stvar. – I want a different thing. (you’re clearly talking about a “thing”, stvar)

Both are correct, but nešto drugačije is less specific and more common in general statements.

Can the word order change, like Nešto drugačije želim or Nešto želim drugačije?

The default, most natural order here is:

Želim nešto drugačije.

You can change the word order for emphasis, but it sounds more marked and needs context:

Nešto drugačije želim.
- Puts focus on nešto drugačije (“something different is what I want”).
- Could work in a poetic or contrastive context, but is not the neutral everyday word order.
Nešto želim drugačije.
- This tends to be understood as “I want to do something differently” rather than “I want something different.”
- Here drugačije is heard more as an adverb (“differently”), modifying an implied verb, not nešto.

For the meaning “I want something different”, stick with:

✅ Želim nešto drugačije.

How would I say “I don’t want anything different”?

In Croatian, when you negate, you usually change nešto (“something”) to ništa (“nothing / anything”) and keep the negative on the verb:

Ne želim ništa drugačije. – I don’t want anything different.

Structure:

ne želim – I do not want
ništa – anything / nothing
drugačije – different

Be careful:

Ne želim nešto drugačije. is possible, but it sounds like
- “I don’t want some (particular) different thing,”
- e.g. “I don’t want that one different option.”

For the usual, general statement “I don’t want anything different,” use:

✅ Ne želim ništa drugačije.

How do I use želim with a verb, like “I want to go” or “I want to eat something different”?

Use želim + infinitive:

Želim ići. – I want to go.
Želim otići. – I want to leave.
Želim jesti. – I want to eat.

You can combine this with nešto drugačije:

Želim jesti nešto drugačije. – I want to eat something different.
Želim probati nešto drugačije. – I want to try something different.

Is Želim nešto drugačije formal, informal, or neutral?

It’s neutral in style.

Perfectly fine in conversation, writing, and general statements.
For polite requests, especially to strangers (waiter, clerk, teacher), Croatians often prefer a conditional form:
- Želio bih nešto drugačije. / Željela bih nešto drugačije. – I would like something different.
- Htio bih / Htjela bih nešto drugačije. – I’d like something different.

So:

Talking about your wishes in life: Želim nešto drugačije. – very natural.
Ordering in a restaurant: Htio bih / Želio bih nešto drugačije. sounds more polite.