Learn Hardcore Croatian: Za mene je svaka osoba važna kad govori istinu mirnim glasom. - For me every person is important when they speak the truth in a calm voice.

za + accusative (mene) often means
- for (the benefit of): Ovo je za mene. (= This is for me.)
- as far as X is concerned: Za mene je to dovoljno. (= For me, that is enough.)
meni is dative and usually expresses to me / for me in a more indirect, personal way:
- Meni je svaka osoba važna. (= Every person is important to me.)
  – very close in meaning, but it sounds more like a personal feeling than a perspective or evaluation.

In this sentence Za mene je svaka osoba važna… emphasizes my personal view or criteria: In my eyes, every person is important…

Why is je in the position Za mene je svaka osoba važna and not after svaka osoba?

In Croatian, short forms of the verb “to be” (je, sam, si, smo, ste, su) are clitics. Clitics normally want to be in second position in a clause, usually after the first stressed word or phrase.

Here, the first phrase is Za mene, so the clitic je comes right after it:

Za mene je svaka osoba važna.
first phrase → Za mene
second position clitic → je

If you start with the subject, you get:

Svaka osoba je važna za mene.
first phrase → Svaka osoba
second position clitic → je

Both are correct, but word order changes what is emphasized:

Za mene je svaka osoba važna. – emphasis on for me / in my view.
Svaka osoba je važna za mene. – emphasis on every person being important.

Why is it svaka osoba and not svaku osobu or svake osobe?

Because svaka osoba is the subject of the sentence, so it must be in the nominative case.

svaka osoba – nominative singular feminine
svaku osobu – accusative singular feminine (direct object)
svake osobe – genitive singular or genitive plural, depending on context

In this sentence:

Svaka osoba (subject, nominative)
je važna (predicate)

If you used svaku osobu, it would sound like a direct object, which doesn’t fit the structure here.

Can I also say Svaka je osoba važna za mene? Is it different from Za mene je svaka osoba važna?

Yes, Svaka je osoba važna za mene is perfectly correct. The differences are mainly in word order and emphasis:

Za mene je svaka osoba važna kad govori istinu mirnim glasom.
- Emphasis: Za mene (for me, in my view) comes first, so the speaker’s perspective is highlighted.
Svaka je osoba važna za mene kad govori istinu mirnim glasom.
- Emphasis: Svaka osoba (every person) comes first, so the universality (every person) stands out a bit more.

All of these are grammatical and natural:

Za mene je svaka osoba važna.
Svaka je osoba važna za mene.
Svaka osoba je važna za mene.

The choice is mostly about nuance and rhythm, not right vs wrong.

What is the difference between kad and kada here? Are both correct?

Yes, both kad and kada are correct here.

kada is the full form, a bit more formal or neutral.
kad is the shortened form, very common in everyday speech and also fine in writing.

Meaning-wise, in this sentence they are the same: when (whenever) someone speaks the truth in a calm voice.

So you can say:

…važna kad govori istinu mirnim glasom.
…važna kada govori istinu mirnim glasom.

No change in meaning.

Why is govori in the present tense if we’re talking about a general rule, not just right now?

In Croatian, the present tense is used not only for actions happening right now, but also for general truths, habits, and rules, much like English uses the simple present.

Examples:

Volim kavu kad je vruća. (= I like coffee when it is hot.)
On poštuje ljude kad slušaju. (= He respects people when they listen.)

So:

kad govori istinu
= when (whenever) he/she/they speak the truth
– a general condition, not one specific moment.

English also uses the simple present in such general statements:
Every person is important to me when they speak the truth…

There is no subject pronoun: who is govori referring to?

Croatian is a pro‑drop language, which means subject pronouns (on, ona, oni…) are often omitted when they’re clear from context.

Here, the subject of govori is the same as the subject of the main clause:

Main clause: svaka osoba je važna
Subordinate clause: (svaka osoba) govori istinu mirnim glasom

So kad govori istinu… implicitly means kad svaka osoba govori istinu…
In English you need a pronoun (when they speak the truth), but Croatian does not.

Why is it istinu and not istina?

Istina is a feminine noun:

nominative: istina
accusative: istinu

In govori istinu, istinu is the direct object of the verb govoriti (to speak, to say).

govoriti + what? → istinu (accusative)

This is similar to:

govoriti istinu – to speak the truth
govoriti laž – to tell a lie
čitam knjigu – I am reading a book
vidim osobu – I see a person

Nominative istina would be used if truth were the subject, e.g.:

Istina je važna. (= The truth is important.)

Why is mirnim glasom in this form? What case is that, and what does it express?

Mirnim glasom is in the instrumental case.

mirni glas – nominative (calm voice)
mirnim glasom – instrumental singular masculine

The instrumental case can express the means, manner, or instrument by which something is done. Here it shows the manner of speaking:

govoriti mirnim glasom – to speak in a calm voice / with a calm voice
pisati kemijskom olovkom – to write with a pen
putovati vlakom – to travel by train

You could also say s mirnim glasom, but in this particular collocation, mirnim glasom without s is more idiomatic.

Is there a difference between kad govori istinu and ako govori istinu?

Yes, there’s a nuance:

kad govori istinu – when / whenever they speak the truth
- It sounds like a time-based or habitual situation.
- Implies that this does happen, and whenever it does, the statement applies.
ako govori istinu – if they speak the truth
- Clearly conditional, like if it happens that they speak the truth.
- Focus is on the condition being fulfilled or not.

So:

Za mene je svaka osoba važna kad govori istinu…
– Every person is important to me whenever they speak the truth…
Za mene je svaka osoba važna ako govori istinu…
– Every person is important to me if they speak the truth…
(more of a general rule with a clear condition)

Could you drop je and say Za mene svaka osoba važna kad…?

In standard Croatian, you should not drop je here. The verb biti (to be) is required in this type of sentence:

Za mene je svaka osoba važna… – correct
Za mene svaka osoba važna… – sounds incomplete or very non‑standard.

In very colloquial speech, people sometimes omit je in some contexts, but learners should treat this as non‑standard and keep je in such structures.

Why is there no comma before kad in važna kad govori istinu…?

In Croatian, the comma before conjunctions like kad/kada, dok, jer, ako depends on sentence structure and style.

Here, the clause is short and tightly linked:

…važna kad govori istinu mirnim glasom.

You can write it with or without a comma:

…važna kad govori istinu… – very common, especially when it feels like one continuous thought.
…važna, kad govori istinu… – possible, but the comma adds a slight pause and separation.

In many modern texts, the comma is often omitted in short, tightly bound kad-clauses like this one, especially when they define when the statement is true rather than adding extra, optional information.