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Learn Hardcore Croatian: Volim ovaj kolač. - I like this cake.

Hardcore Croatian
/Lesson 20
/Volim ovaj kolač.

Volim ovaj kolač.

Volim ovaj kolač.

I like this cake.

Breakdown of Volim ovaj kolač.

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Questions & Answers about Volim ovaj kolač.

What does volim mean exactly? Is it I like or I love?

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.

Why don’t we say Ja volim ovaj kolač? Where is the I?

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.)

Why is it ovaj kolač and not taj kolač or onaj kolač?

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)”.

What is the gender and number of kolač, and how does ovaj agree with it?

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.

Why is ovaj kolač in this form? What case is it?

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.

Could I say Ovaj kolač volim instead? Is the word order fixed?

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.

What is the difference between volim ovaj kolač and sviđa mi se ovaj kolač?

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.

Is volim present tense? How would I say “I loved this cake”?

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.

How do I pronounce volim ovaj kolač?

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).

Does kolač always mean “cake”? Could it also mean “cookie” or “pastry”?

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).

How would the sentence change if I liked these cakes instead of this cake?

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.

Is volim only used for things, or also for people?

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.

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