Learn Hardcore Croatian: Imam novu aplikaciju za učenje jezika i svaki dan je otvaram na mobitelu. - I have a new app for language learning and every day I open it on my phone.

Imam novu aplikaciju za učenje jezika i svaki dan je otvaram na mobitelu.

I have a new app for language learning and every day I open it on my phone.

Breakdown of Imam novu aplikaciju za učenje jezika i svaki dan je otvaram na mobitelu.

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Questions & Answers about Imam novu aplikaciju za učenje jezika i svaki dan je otvaram na mobitelu.

Where is the word I in the Croatian sentence? Why is it not written?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns (like ja = I) when the subject is clear from the verb ending.

Imam already tells us the subject is I, because:
- imam = I have
- imaš = you (sg.) have
- ima = he/she/it has

So writing Ja imam novu aplikaciju… is possible, but it’s only used:

for emphasis (e.g. contrast: Ja imam aplikaciju, a ti je nemaš – I have the app, and you don’t), or
in very careful / formal speech.

In normal conversation, Imam novu aplikaciju… without ja is the natural version.

Why is it novu aplikaciju and not nova aplikacija?

This is about case and agreement.

The basic form is nova aplikacija (a new app), with:
- nova – feminine singular, nominative
- aplikacija – feminine singular, nominative

But in the sentence:

Imam novu aplikaciju… – I have a new app…
- aplikaciju is the direct object of imam → it must be in the accusative case (feminine singular: -u).
- The adjective nova must agree with the noun in gender, number and case → novu (feminine, singular, accusative).

So:

nova aplikacija – a new app (subject)
novu aplikaciju – a new app (object, after imam, vidim, etc.)

What exactly does za učenje jezika mean, and which cases are used there?

Za učenje jezika literally means for learning (of) a language / languages.

Grammatically it contains two important parts:

za učenje
- za is a preposition meaning for.
- za takes the accusative case.
- Here, the accusative noun is učenje (learning), which is the verbal noun from učiti (to learn).
učenje jezika
- učenje is followed by jezika in the genitive case.
- Many verbal nouns in Croatian take a genitive complement:
  - učenje jezika – learning of a language / languages
  - čitanje knjiga – reading of books
  - kupnja auta – purchase of a car

So the structure is:

za
- učenje (accusative, because of za) + jezika (genitive, governed by učenje).

Why is it jezika and not jezik in za učenje jezika?

Jezika is the genitive singular form of jezik (language).

The reason is that učenje (learning) behaves like a noun that governs the genitive:

učenje + GENITIVE → learning of X
- učenje jezika – learning of a language / learning languages
- učenje matematike – learning of mathematics

If you said za učenje jezik, that would be wrong, because jezik would then be in the nominative and it would not fit the pattern učenje + genitive.

What is the word je doing in svaki dan je otvaram?

Here je is a clitic object pronoun meaning her/it, referring back to aplikaciju.

aplikaciju is feminine singular, so the corresponding unstressed object pronoun is je (or colloquially ju):
- Vidim aplikaciju. Vidim je. – I see the app. I see it.
- Otvaram aplikaciju. Svaki dan je otvaram. – I open the app. I open it every day.

Key points:

je replaces aplikaciju to avoid repetition.
It is unstressed and must appear in a special position in the sentence (the so‑called second position for clitics).

Why does je appear between svaki dan and otvaram? Can it move?

Croatian clitic pronouns like je have strict word‑order rules. They usually go into the second position in the clause – after the first stressed word or phrase.

In Svaki dan je otvaram na mobitelu:

First stressed phrase: Svaki dan
Then immediately: je (clitic pronoun)
Then the main verb: otvaram

Some common variants and what’s natural:

Svaki dan je otvaram. – perfectly natural.
Otvaram je svaki dan. – also natural; here Otvaram is first, so je follows it.
Svaki dan otvaram je. – unnatural, because je is not in the clitic slot; it’s stranded at the end.

So je can move, but only in a way that respects the second‑position rule:

Either Svaki dan je otvaram…
Or Otvaram je svaki dan…, etc., depending on what you put first.

What’s the difference between otvaram and otvorim? Why is otvaram used here?

This is the aspect difference: imperfective vs. perfective.

otvaram – imperfective, present tense
- Focus on ongoing / repeated / habitual action: I open (something), I am opening, I open it regularly.
otvorim – perfective, present‑form with future / single‑completion meaning
- In practice: I will open (it), I open it (once, successfully).

In the sentence:

svaki dan je otvaram – I open it every day → a repeated, habitual action → needs the imperfective form otvaram.

If you said:

Svaki dan je otvorim. – This sounds odd, as if you are emphasizing each opening as a completed event every day; it’s not the usual way to talk about a habit. Perfective is typically used for single events or sequences of completed events, not general routines.

Why is it na mobitelu and not na mobitel?

The difference comes from the case after the preposition na:

na + locative → location / place where something is
- na mobitelu – on the phone (location)
na + accusative → direction / movement onto something
- na mobitel – onto the phone, to the phone (rare in this concrete sense; more common with places: na stol, na autobusnu stanicu)

In the sentence:

…je otvaram na mobitelu. – I open it on the phone.
There is no movement to the phone; you’re simply describing where you open it → location → locative case (mobitelu).

Could I say na telefonu instead of na mobitelu?

Yes, that’s possible, but there is a nuance in usage:

mobitel – specifically mobile phone / cell phone; common in everyday Croatian.
telefon – more general telephone; can be any type, but often feels a bit more neutral or old‑fashioned for a mobile.

So:

…je otvaram na mobitelu. – natural, everyday way to say I open it on my mobile phone.
…je otvaram na telefonu. – understandable and correct; might sound slightly more formal or generic.

Grammatically, both mobitelu and telefonu here are locative singular.

What is the difference between svaki dan and svakog dana?

Both mean every day, and both are correct.

svaki dan
- svaki – adjective in nominative singular masculine
- dan – noun in nominative singular
- Very common, neutral: Svaki dan je otvaram.
svakog dana
- svakog – genitive singular of svaki
- dana – genitive singular of dan
- Slightly more formal / literary feel: Svakog dana je otvaram.

In everyday speech, svaki dan is more frequent. Meaning-wise, there’s no real difference in this context.

Could the sentence be split into two sentences instead of using i?

Yes. You could say:

Imam novu aplikaciju za učenje jezika. Svaki dan je otvaram na mobitelu.

This is perfectly natural. The original:

Imam novu aplikaciju za učenje jezika i svaki dan je otvaram na mobitelu.

just uses i (and) to join two closely related statements:

I have a new app.
I open it every day on my phone.

Splitting it makes the rhythm a bit simpler and emphasizes each statement separately, but the meaning stays the same.

Why do imam and otvaram both end in -am? Are they the same type of verb?

They look similar but come from different infinitives and different verb classes:

imam – from imati (to have), a common -ati verb.
- Present tense:
  - ja imam – I have
  - ti imaš – you have
  - on/ona ima – he/she has, etc.
otvaram – from otvarati (to open – imperfective).
- Present tense:
  - ja otvaram – I open / am opening
  - ti otvaraš
  - on/ona otvara, etc.

For many -ati verbs, ja (I) in the present ends in -am:

raditi → radim (exception: -iti verbs)
imati → imam
gledati → gledam
otvarati → otvaram

So the shared -am here simply marks 1st person singular present, not that the verbs are otherwise the same.