Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ona ne voli lagati i svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi. - She does not like to lie and quickly forgets every little lie.

The verb voljeti (here: voli) literally means “to like / to love.”
In this sentence, ne voli lagati means “she doesn’t like to lie” or “she doesn’t like lying.”

In Croatian, when you express liking or disliking an activity, you normally use:

voljeti + infinitive
- volim čitati – I like to read / I like reading
- ne voli lagati – she doesn’t like to lie / she doesn’t like lying

So lagati is just the infinitive “to lie” after voli.

What’s the difference between lagati and laž?

lagati is a verb: “to lie” (to tell lies).
laž is a noun: “a lie.”

In this sentence you see both:

lagati – to lie
svaku malu laž – every little lie

So the sentence contrasts the activity (lagati) with individual instances (laž).

Why is it svaku and not svaka in svaku malu laž?

Svaku is the accusative singular feminine form of svaki (“every / each”).

The noun laž (“lie”) is feminine.
It’s the direct object of the verb zaboravi (“she forgets”), so it must be in the accusative case.

Agreement:

Nominative:
- svaka mala laž – every little lie (as the subject)
Accusative (object):
- svaku malu laž – every little lie (as an object, like here)

Because laž is the object, you need svaku, not svaka.

What case is svaku malu laž, and how do the words agree?

Svaku malu laž is in the accusative singular feminine.

laž – noun, feminine singular (accusative = nominative for this noun)
mala → malu – adjective “small / little,” feminine singular accusative
svaka → svaku – determiner “every,” feminine singular accusative

In Croatian, adjectives and determiners must agree with the noun in:

gender (feminine)
number (singular)
case (accusative)

So all three are feminine singular accusative.

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” in svaku malu laž?

Croatian has no articles like English “a/an” or “the.”

The phrase svaku malu laž can correspond to:

“every little lie”
“each little lie”

Croatian relies on:

context
words like svaki (every), taj (that), ovaj (this), etc.

rather than using articles. So there’s simply no direct equivalent to “a” or “the.”

Why do we use zaboravi and not zaboravlja?

Both are possible, but they differ in aspect and nuance:

zaboravljati (imperfective) → zaboravlja
- Focus on an ongoing or habitual process:
  - …svaku malu laž brzo zaboravlja.
    = she (generally / habitually) quickly forgets every little lie.
zaboraviti (perfective) → zaboravi
- Focus on each act of forgetting as a complete event.
- In gnomic/general statements like this one, it can mean something like:
  - every little lie, she (ends up) quickly forgets.

So zaboravi presents each forgetting as a completed outcome;
zaboravlja would highlight the habitual nature of the action more explicitly. The given sentence is still a general truth, just with a slightly more result‑focused flavor.

What tense is voli and zaboravi, and how do they relate in time?

Both voli and zaboravi are in the present tense:

(ona) ne voli lagati – she does not like to lie (present, general fact)
(ona) svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi – she quickly forgets every little lie (present, general pattern)

In Croatian, the present tense is used for:

actions happening now
general truths and habits, just like the English “she likes… / she forgets…”

So the sentence describes her general character and behavior, not a one‑time event.

Why is it Ona ne voli lagati i svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi, with ona only once? Does the second part still refer to “she”?

Yes, the second clause still refers to the same subject ona (“she”), even though ona is not repeated.

Structure:

Ona ne voli lagati – She doesn’t like to lie
(ona) svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi – (she) quickly forgets every little lie

Croatian commonly omits repeated subjects if they’re clear from context.
You could say:

Ona ne voli lagati i ona svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi.

but that usually sounds heavier and is used only for emphasis or contrast. The original sentence is the natural default.

Can I leave out ona completely and just say Ne voli lagati i svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi?

Grammatically, yes. Croatian is a pro‑drop language, so subject pronouns are often omitted if the person is clear from the verb endings:

Ne voli lagati i svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi.

This would usually be understood as “He/She doesn’t like to lie and quickly forgets every little lie,” depending on context.
Including ona:

adds clarity (definitely “she,” not “he”)
can add a bit of emphasis on her in contrast to others

Why is the conjunction i used here, and could we use a instead?

i means “and”, simply joining two closely connected statements:

Ona ne voli lagati
i
svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi.
= She doesn’t like to lie and (she) quickly forgets every little lie.

You could use a in some contexts, but a usually expresses a contrast or slight shift (“while / whereas / but”):

Ona ne voli lagati, a svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi.
This might sound more like contrasting her dislike of lying with the fact that she (nevertheless) quickly forgets any small lie.

In the neutral, straightforward version, i is the natural choice.

Could I change the word order, for example: Ona ne voli lagati i brzo zaboravi svaku malu laž?

Yes, Croatian word order is relatively flexible, especially for adverbs and objects. These versions are all grammatical:

Ona ne voli lagati i svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi.
Ona ne voli lagati i brzo zaboravi svaku malu laž.

Both mean essentially the same, but:

svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi – slightly stronger focus on “every little lie” (put first).
brzo zaboravi svaku malu laž – slightly stronger focus on “quickly forgets.”

The differences are subtle and mostly about emphasis and rhythm, not about basic grammar.

Where should the adverb brzo go, and does its position change the meaning?

Brzo (“quickly”) is an adverb modifying zaboravi (“forgets”). Common placements:

svaku malu laž brzo zaboravi
brzo zaboravi svaku malu laž

Both are correct and both mean she quickly forgets every little lie.

General rule:

Adverbs like brzo, često, uvijek often appear before the verb or between the object and the verb, with slight differences in emphasis but the same basic meaning.