Questions & Answers about Volim ovaj kolač.
Volim is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb voljeti “to love / to like”.
In practice:
- It can mean I love: a strong feeling (people, pets, favorite things).
- It can also mean I like, especially with food, music, hobbies, etc.
In Volim ovaj kolač, it’s usually understood as:
- I really like this cake, or
- I love this cake (as in “this cake is great / my favorite”).
Context and tone decide whether it sounds more like “love” or “like” in English.
In Croatian, the personal pronoun (ja = I) is usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person.
- volim = I love / I like
- voliš = you (sg.) love / like
- voli = he/she/it loves / likes
So:
- Volim ovaj kolač. = I like this cake.
- Ja volim ovaj kolač. is also correct, but the ja is only used:
- for emphasis: Ja volim ovaj kolač. (But I like this cake.)
- or in contrasts: Ja volim ovaj kolač, a ti voliš onaj. (I like this cake, and you like that one.)
Croatian has three basic “this/that” words:
- ovaj – this (near the speaker)
- taj – that (near the listener or previously mentioned)
- onaj – that (over there), far from both speaker and listener
So:
- Volim ovaj kolač. – I like this cake here (near me).
- Volim taj kolač. – I like that cake (near you / already mentioned).
- Volim onaj kolač. – I like that cake over there (farther away / pointed at).
In your sentence, ovaj is used because the cake is treated as “this one (here)”.
Kolač is:
- masculine
- singular
- a concrete noun (an object: a cake / piece of cake / pastry)
Croatian adjectives and demonstratives must agree with the noun in:
- gender
- number
- case
Here:
- ovaj is masculine singular
- kolač is masculine singular
- together: ovaj kolač (this cake)
If it were plural:
- ovi kolači = these cakes
Then you would say: - Volim ove kolače. = I like these cakes.
In Volim ovaj kolač, the noun phrase ovaj kolač is the direct object of the verb volim, so it must be in the accusative case.
For masculine inanimate nouns like kolač, the:
- nominative singular = kolač
- accusative singular = kolač (same form)
The demonstrative ovaj:
- nominative masculine singular: ovaj
- accusative masculine singular (inanimate): ovaj (same form)
So even though the form looks like nominative, it is grammatically accusative because it is the object of volim.
Yes, you can say Ovaj kolač volim, and it is grammatically correct.
Croatian word order is more flexible than English. Both:
- Volim ovaj kolač.
- Ovaj kolač volim.
are correct, but the emphasis changes slightly:
- Volim ovaj kolač. – neutral; focuses on what you like.
- Ovaj kolač volim. – emphasizes “this cake”, often contrasting with something else:
Ovaj kolač volim, ali onaj ne volim.
This cake I like, but that one I don’t.
Both can be translated as “I like this cake.”, but they behave differently:
Volim ovaj kolač.
- Verb: voljeti (to love / to like).
- Structure: subject (I) + verb + direct object.
- More direct and simple: “I like / love this cake.”
Sviđa mi se ovaj kolač.
- Verb: sviđati se (to be pleasing).
- Literally: This cake is pleasing to me.
- Grammar:
- ovaj kolač is the grammatical subject.
- mi is to me (dative pronoun).
- It often sounds a bit more neutral, like “I find this cake nice / it’s pleasing to me.”
In everyday speech:
- Both are common.
- volim can feel a bit stronger or more personal;
- sviđa mi se focuses more on your taste or impression.
Yes, volim is present tense, 1st person singular of voljeti.
To say “I loved this cake”, you generally use a past tense form:
- Volio sam ovaj kolač. (male speaker)
- Voljela sam ovaj kolač. (female speaker)
This is the perfect tense:
- volio / voljela – past participle of voljeti
- sam – auxiliary verb “to be” (1st person singular)
So:
- Volim ovaj kolač. – I (currently) like/love this cake.
- Volio sam ovaj kolač. – I used to like/love this cake. / I liked this cake. / I loved this cake.
Approximate pronunciation (English-style):
volim – “VOH-leem”
- v like in victory
- o like in more (shorter)
- l as in English
- i like ee in see
- m as in English
ovaj – “OH-vai”
- o as above
- v as in English
- aj like eye
kolač – roughly “KO-lach”
- ko like co in coffee
- la like la in lava
- č is like ch in church
So the full sentence:
VOH-leem OH-vai KO-lach (with a clear ch at the end).
Kolač is a bit broader than English cake. It typically means:
- A piece of cake
- A slice or small item of sweet pastry
- Often any kind of sweet, cut into pieces and served (bar, slice, square, etc.)
Depending on the context, kolač can be translated as:
- cake
- pastry
- cookie / bar (if it’s a small baked sweet)
So Volim ovaj kolač. could be:
- I like this cake.
- I like this pastry.
- I like this dessert (if the exact type isn’t important).
You need the plural of both the demonstrative and the noun:
- Singular: ovaj kolač – this cake
- Plural: ovi kolači – these cakes
So:
- Volim ove kolače. = I like these cakes.
Here ove is the accusative plural form used with masculine inanimate kolači.
You can use volim for both people and things:
- Volim ovaj kolač. – I like / love this cake.
- Volim te. – I love you.
- Volim svoju obitelj. – I love my family.
- Volim nogomet. – I like / love football.
It’s a general verb for emotional liking/loving, whether it’s a person, an activity, food, or something else.