Želim dati taj poklon.

to want

Breakdown of Želim dati taj poklon.

• poklon: gift
• taj: that
• dati: to give

Questions & Answers about Želim dati taj poklon.

What exactly does želim mean, and what form is it?

Želim is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb željeti – “to want, to wish, to desire.”

• željeti = to want / to wish
• želim = I want / I wish

So Želim dati taj poklon. literally means “I want to give that present.”

Why is there no separate word for “to” before dati, like in English “to give”?

Croatian does not use a separate particle like English to for the infinitive.

• English: to give
• Croatian: dati (the infinitive form by itself)

So želim dati corresponds to “I want to give”, and the to is “built into” the infinitive form dati, not a separate word.

Is dati conjugated here? Why is it in this form?

Dati is in the infinitive form, not conjugated.

In Croatian, when one verb follows another verb like želim (I want), the second verb usually appears in the infinitive:

• Želim jesti. – I want to eat.
• Želim spavati. – I want to sleep.
• Želim dati taj poklon. – I want to give that present.

So želim is the conjugated verb (I want), and dati stays in the infinitive (to give).

What’s the difference between želim and hoću here? Could I say Hoću dati taj poklon?

You can say Hoću dati taj poklon, but there is a nuance:

• želim – “I want / I wish.” Often slightly more neutral or “polite,” can sound less pushy.
• hoću – also “I want,” but can sound more determined or blunt, depending on tone and context (“I will / I’m going to / I want (and I insist)”).

In many everyday situations they overlap, but Želim dati taj poklon. is the more neutral and slightly more polite-sounding option.

What does taj mean exactly, and how is it different from ovaj or onaj?

Taj is a demonstrative adjective meaning “that” (near the listener or previously mentioned).

Roughly:

• ovaj poklon – this present (near the speaker)
• taj poklon – that present (near the listener, or already known from context)
• onaj poklon – that present over there / that one (further away or more abstractly “that one we both know about”)

In Želim dati taj poklon., taj points to a specific present that is already known from the situation or conversation.

Why is it taj poklon and not poklon taj?

In standard Croatian, demonstratives like ovaj / taj / onaj normally come before the noun:

• taj poklon – that present
• ovaj čovjek – this man
• onaj stol – that table

You might see poklon taj in poetry, song lyrics, or very expressive speech, but in normal, neutral sentences the natural order is taj poklon.

What case is poklon in, and why does it look the same as the dictionary form?

Poklon here is in the accusative singular (direct object of the verb dati – to give).

For many masculine nouns ending in a consonant, the nominative (dictionary form) and accusative singular are identical when the noun is inanimate:

• Nominative: poklon – (the) present (as subject)
• Accusative: poklon – (the) present (as object)

So the form poklon doesn’t change, but its function in the sentence is accusative: it is the thing being given.

How would I say “I want to give you that present” in Croatian?

You add the indirect object in the dative case, usually as a clitic pronoun before dati:

• Želim ti dati taj poklon. – I want to give you that present.
  (ti = to you, singular informal)

Other pronouns:

• Želim mu dati taj poklon. – I want to give him that present.
• Želim joj dati taj poklon. – I want to give her that present.
• Želim im dati taj poklon. – I want to give them that present.

The pronoun normally goes right after želim in this kind of sentence.

Can I change the word order, for example Želim taj poklon dati? Does it sound different?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and you can say:

• Želim dati taj poklon. – neutral, natural order.
• Želim taj poklon dati. – still correct; slightly more emphasis on taj poklon (as opposed to some other present).
• Taj poklon želim dati. – stronger emphasis on that present (“It’s that present that I want to give”).

All are grammatically correct; the differences are mainly in emphasis and style. The original Želim dati taj poklon. is the most straightforward and neutral.

What’s the difference between dati and davati?

They are aspectual pairs (perfective vs imperfective):

• dati – perfective: to give (as a single, complete action, result-focused).
  
  • Želim dati taj poklon. – I want to (go ahead and) give that present.
• davati – imperfective: to give (repeatedly, habitually, or in progress).
  
  • Volim davati poklone. – I like giving presents (in general).
  • Počeo je davati poklone. – He started giving presents (ongoing or repeated).

In your sentence, you are talking about one concrete act of giving, so dati is the natural choice.

How would I say this more politely, like “I would like to give that present”?

You use the conditional with željeti:

• Želio bih dati taj poklon. – I would like to give that present. (speaker male)
• Željela bih dati taj poklon. – I would like to give that present. (speaker female)

This is more polite and softer than Želim dati taj poklon., which is straightforward “I want to give that present.”

How do I say “I don’t want to give that present”?

You add ne in front of the conjugated verb želim:

• Ne želim dati taj poklon. – I don’t want to give that present.

The ne always goes right before the verb it negates:

• Ne želim. – I don’t want to.
• Ne želim dati taj poklon. – I don’t want to give that present.