Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ako me boli trbuh, ne jedem puno za doručak. - If my stomach hurts, I don’t eat much for breakfast.

In Croatian, short pronouns like me, te, ga, je, mi, ti are clitics and usually go in the second position in the clause (the so‑called “second‑position clitic rule”).

In practice, all of these are possible and correct:

Ako me boli trbuh
Ako boli me trbuh (less natural)
Ako trbuh me boli (marked, sounds odd)
Trbuh me boli. (neutral, everyday sentence: “My stomach hurts.”)
Boli me trbuh. (also common and natural)

In your sentence, “Ako me boli trbuh” follows the normal pattern of putting the clitic me right after Ako (the first element in the clause). That’s why it’s Ako me boli trbuh, not Ako trbuh boli me etc.

Why is it “me” and not “mene” in “Ako me boli trbuh”?

Me and mene are both forms of “ja” (I) in the accusative case, but:

me is the short, unstressed form (clitic)
mene is the long, stressed form

In normal sentences, you almost always use the short form:

Boli me trbuh. – My stomach hurts.
Ako me boli trbuh… – If my stomach hurts…

You would use mene only when you want to emphasize or contrast:

Boli mene trbuh, a ne njega. – It’s *my stomach that hurts, not his.*

So “Ako me boli trbuh” is the neutral, unmarked, everyday choice.

Who is the grammatical subject in “Ako me boli trbuh”?

Grammatically, the subject is “trbuh” (stomach), not me.

The structure is:

trbuh – subject (3rd person singular)
boli – verb (3rd person singular, to hurt)
me – object (accusative pronoun: “hurts me”)

So the literal grammar is: “The stomach hurts me.”
English expresses the idea differently (“My stomach hurts”), but in Croatian the thing that causes pain is the subject.

Why is the verb “boli” in the present tense, even though we’re talking about a condition that might happen in the future?

In Croatian, it’s very common to use the present tense in if‑clauses (with ako) to talk about both present and future situations.

Your sentence:

Ako me boli trbuh, ne jedem puno za doručak.
– If my stomach hurts, I don’t eat a lot for breakfast.
– If my stomach hurts (on a given day), I won’t eat much for breakfast.

English often uses the present tense in the “if” part but the future in the main part (“If my stomach hurts, I won’t eat much”), while Croatian just keeps the present tense in both parts for this kind of general or typical situation.

Could you also say “Kad me boli trbuh” instead of “Ako me boli trbuh”? What’s the difference?

Yes, you could say:

Kad me boli trbuh, ne jedem puno za doručak.

Difference in nuance:

Ako – “if” (conditional: on the condition that / in case that)
Kad – “when / whenever” (more about time, often for repeated situations)

In everyday speech, kad is very often used where English might say “if”, especially for repeated habits:

Kad me boli trbuh, ne jedem puno za doručak.
– Whenever my stomach hurts, I don’t eat a lot for breakfast.

So both are correct; ako sounds a bit more explicitly conditional, kad a bit more like “whenever / when that happens.”

Why is there a comma before “ne jedem puno za doručak”?

There are two clauses:

Ako me boli trbuh – subordinate (if‑clause)
ne jedem puno za doručak – main clause

In Croatian, a comma is normally used to separate a dependent clause (starting with ako, kad, jer, iako, etc.) from the main clause:

Ako me boli trbuh, ne jedem puno za doručak.

If the order were reversed, you’d usually still keep the comma:

Ne jedem puno za doručak, ako me boli trbuh.

So the comma is there because of the subordinate ako‑clause.

Why is it “ne jedem puno” and not “ne jedem mnogo”? Do puno and mnogo mean the same thing?

Both puno and mnogo can mean “a lot / much / many.”

puno – very common in everyday speech, neutral and frequent
mnogo – also correct, but can sound a bit more formal or bookish in some contexts

In your sentence, both would be acceptable:

Ne jedem puno za doručak. – I don’t eat a lot for breakfast.
Ne jedem mnogo za doručak. – Same meaning; slightly more formal tone.

For everyday spoken Croatian, puno is the more typical choice.

Why is it “za doručak” and not just “doručak” or “na doručku”?

Za doručak literally means “for breakfast” and is the most natural way to express this idea:

Ne jedem puno za doručak. – I don’t eat much for breakfast.

Alternatives:

Ne jedem puno doručka. – “I don’t eat much breakfast” (possible, but less idiomatic than za doručak).
Ne jedem puno na doručku. – Literally “I don’t eat much at (the) breakfast.”
This usually sounds like you’re talking about a specific breakfast event (e.g. a work breakfast meeting) rather than your general habit.

So za doručak is the most natural, general expression for “for breakfast” in habitual statements.

Is there a specific verb “to have breakfast” in Croatian, like “doručkovati”? Could we use it here?

Yes, Croatian has the verb doručkovati – “to have breakfast.”

You could say:

Ako me boli trbuh, ne doručkujem puno.
– If my stomach hurts, I don’t have a big breakfast / I don’t eat much for breakfast.

Or more naturally:

Ako me boli trbuh, slabo doručkujem.
– If my stomach hurts, I barely eat breakfast.

Your original version with “ne jedem puno za doručak” is completely natural, but doručkovati is a good verb to know.

Can you drop the pronoun “ja” in “ne jedem puno za doručak”?

Yes. In fact, it’s more natural to omit it.

Ne jedem puno za doručak. – I don’t eat much for breakfast.
Ja ne jedem puno za doručak. – Same meaning, but with extra emphasis (“I don’t eat much for breakfast,” maybe in contrast to someone else).

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns (ja, ti, on, ona…) are usually omitted unless you want to emphasize them.

Could you replace “trbuh” with “stomak”? What’s the difference?

Yes, but the preference depends on the country/standard:

trbuh – standard in Croatian (also understood everywhere in the region)
stomak – more typical for Serbian and Bosnian standard

In Croatia, you’ll mainly hear trbuh in standard language, though stomak is still understood.
So:

Ako me boli trbuh, ne jedem puno za doručak. – natural in Croatian.
Ako me boli stomak, ne jedem puno za doručak. – natural in Serbian/Bosnian usage.

Is there a more “medical” way to say “I have a stomachache” in Croatian?

Yes, besides “Boli me trbuh.” you might hear:

Imam bolove u trbuhu. – I have pains in my abdomen. (more formal/medical)
Imam bol u trbuhu. – I have pain in my abdomen.
Imam grčeve u trbuhu. – I have cramps in my stomach/abdomen.

But for everyday speech, “Boli me trbuh.” and in your structure “Ako me boli trbuh…” are the most common and natural ways to express “my stomach hurts / I have a stomachache.”