Ne volim toliko skupe stvari.

not

Breakdown of Ne volim toliko skupe stvari.

• voljeti: to like
• skup: expensive
• stvar: thing

Questions & Answers about Ne volim toliko skupe stvari.

Why is the negation formed as ne volim? Do I need to change the verb form for negation?

In Croatian, present‑tense negation is usually formed simply by putting ne in front of the verb in its normal form.

• volim = I like / I love
• ne volim = I don’t like / I don’t love

You do not change the verb ending; you just add ne before it:

• Razumijem. = I understand.
• Ne razumijem. = I don’t understand.

So ne volim is exactly parallel to volim, just negated.

Where is the word “I” in this sentence? Why is there no pronoun?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person.

• volim clearly indicates I (1st person singular).
• So Ne volim toliko skupe stvari. literally has an unspoken ja (I).

You can say Ja ne volim toliko skupe stvari., but then you are emphasizing I (as in: I don’t like them, maybe someone else does).

Neutral version: just Ne volim …

What exactly does toliko mean here, and what is it modifying?