Želim dobiti mali poklon.

I want to get a small gift.

Breakdown of Želim dobiti mali poklon.

• mali: small
• željeti: to want
• poklon: gift
• dobiti: to get

Questions & Answers about Želim dobiti mali poklon.

Why is dobiti used here instead of something like imati or primiti?

In this sentence, dobiti means “to get / to receive” (a completed action in the future or as a wish).

• dobiti = to get, to receive (one specific event, perfective verb)
• imati = to have (describes possession, not the act of receiving)
• primiti = to receive, to accept (often more formal, used e.g. with letters, guests, official matters)

So:

• Želim dobiti mali poklon. = I want to get/receive a small gift.
• Želim imati mali poklon. = I want to have a small gift. (focus on having it, not necessarily on the act of receiving)
• Želim primiti mali poklon. = understandable, but sounds more formal or context‑specific (e.g. in an official speech).

Dobiti is the most natural choice for “I want to get a small present.”

What verb form is dobiti here, and why is it used after želim?

Dobiti is the infinitive form of the verb (“to get / to receive”).

In Croatian, after verbs of wanting, liking, being able, etc., you normally use the infinitive:

• želim dobiti – I want to get
• moram učiti – I must study
• mogu pomoći – I can help

So želim + infinitive is a very common and standard pattern, just like “I want to + verb” in English.

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Želim mali poklon dobiti?

The neutral and most natural word order is:

• Želim dobiti mali poklon.

You can say Želim mali poklon dobiti, but it sounds unusual and slightly poetic or emphatic. Normal spoken Croatian would almost never place dobiti at the end in this sentence.

Other natural variations:

• Ja želim dobiti mali poklon. (adding ja for emphasis: I want to get a small gift.)
• Želim dobiti jedan mali poklon. (adding jedan for emphasis on “one small gift”.)

So, for everyday use, stick to:

• Želim dobiti mali poklon.

What case is mali poklon, and why isn’t it malog poklona?

Mali poklon is in the accusative singular (direct object of the verb).

• poklon (gift) is a masculine noun.
• For a masculine inanimate noun like poklon, the nominative and accusative singular have the same form:
  • nominative: mali poklon (subject)
  • accusative: mali poklon (object)

Malog poklona is the genitive singular, used for things like:

• Želim malog poklona. – ungrammatical here, because želim wants a direct object (accusative), not genitive.
• Nemam malog poklona. – I don’t have a small gift. (negation often uses genitive: nemam + genitive)

So in your sentence, mali poklon is correct as the object (accusative).

How does mali agree with poklon? What are the other forms?

In Croatian, adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, and case.

• poklon is masculine, singular, accusative (inanimate).
• For masculine inanimate singular accusative, the adjective looks like the nominative masculine form: mali.

Some forms of the adjective mali (“small”):

• Masculine singular:
  • mali – nominative/accusative (inanimate): mali poklon
  • malog – genitive/accusative (animate): Vidim malog psa. (I see a small dog.)
• Feminine singular:
  • mala – nom./acc.: mala kuća (small house)
• Neuter singular:
  • malo – nom./acc.: malo dijete (small child)

So mali poklon is masculine-singular-accusative and the adjective fully agrees with the noun.

What’s the difference between mali, mala, and malo?

All three mean “small”, but they match different genders:

• mali – masculine: mali poklon (a small gift), mali stol (small table)
• mala – feminine: mala kuća (small house), mala knjiga (small book)
• malo – neuter: malo dijete (small child), malo selo (small village)

So you always choose mali/mala/malo according to the noun’s gender, not the speaker’s preference.

Could I just say Želim poklon or Želim mali poklon without dobiti? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

• Želim poklon. – I want a gift.
• Želim mali poklon. – I want a small gift.

These are perfectly grammatical. The nuance:

• Želim dobiti mali poklon. – focuses on the act of receiving a gift.
• Želim (mali) poklon. – focuses on wanting a gift as a thing.

In many real contexts they overlap and can be interchangeable, but želim dobiti sounds more like “I want to get/receive...”, explicitly talking about the event of receiving.

Croatian doesn’t have articles. How do I know that mali poklon means “a small gift” and not “the small gift”?

Croatian has no articles (a/an, the), so mali poklon can correspond to:

• a small gift
• the small gift

Which one it is depends entirely on context:

• If you’re speaking generally: Želim dobiti mali poklon. → likely “I want to get a small gift.”
• If both speakers know which gift you mean (e.g. you’ve been discussing a specific one): then it could be “I want to get the small gift.”

The Croatian form doesn’t change; only the English translation does.

Is dobiti perfective or imperfective, and is that important here?

Dobiti is a perfective verb. Perfective verbs describe completed, one-time actions.

Its imperfective counterpart is:

• dobivati – to be getting, to get repeatedly / habitually.

In a wish like Želim dobiti mali poklon, you’re expressing a desire for one completed event (to receive a gift), so the perfective dobiti is exactly what you want.

Compare:

• Želim dobiti mali poklon. – I want (once) to receive a small gift.
• Želim dobivati male poklone. – I want to be receiving small gifts (repeatedly, over time).

So yes, aspect (perfective vs imperfective) matters, and dobiti is the right aspect for this meaning.

How would I say this more politely, like “I would like to get a small gift”?

More polite / softer versions typically use a conditional form:

• Htio bih dobiti mali poklon. – I would like to get a small gift. (said by a man)
• Htjela bih dobiti mali poklon. – I would like to get a small gift. (said by a woman)

Pattern:

• htio bih / htjela bih + infinitive

Želim dobiti mali poklon. is neutral and not rude, but htio/htjela bih sounds more polite and less direct, similar to the difference between “I want” and “I would like” in English.

Can I use dar instead of poklon? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Želim dobiti mali dar.

Both dar and poklon mean “gift / present”, and in most everyday situations they are practically interchangeable.

Subtle differences:

• poklon – very common in everyday speech; neutral.
• dar – a bit more formal, poetic, or used in set phrases: božićni dar (Christmas gift), dar prirode (gift of nature).

In your sentence, both mali poklon and mali dar are correct; mali poklon is probably more frequent in casual conversation.

Why is the subject “I” not written? Could I say Ja želim dobiti mali poklon?

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.

• želim → clearly means “I want”, so ja is not needed.

You can say:

• Ja želim dobiti mali poklon.

That is grammatically correct. Adding ja usually gives emphasis, like:

• Ja želim dobiti mali poklon. – I want to get a small gift (maybe implying “not someone else”).

So both are possible; the version without ja is more neutral.

How do I pronounce Želim dobiti mali poklon?

Approximate pronunciation (in simplified English-like spelling, not exact):

• Želim – “ZHEH-leem”

  • ž = like the s in measure
  • stress usually on the first syllable: ŽE-lim

• dobiti – “DOH-bee-tee”

  • stress on DO

• mali – “MAH-lee”

  • stress on MA

• poklon – “POH-klon”

  • o is like in more (shorter)
  • stress on PO

So roughly: ŽE-lim DO-bi-ti MA-li PO-klon, with each syllable clearly pronounced and no silent letters.