Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ne želim predugo čekati autobus. - I don’t want to wait too long for the bus.

In Croatian, the verb čekati already includes the idea of "waiting for" something.
It is a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object in the accusative case:

čekati autobus = to wait (for) the bus
čekati vlak = to wait (for) the train
čekati prijatelja = to wait (for) a friend

You don’t normally add a preposition like za or na here in standard Croatian.
So the English "for" is simply built into čekati and not translated separately.

Could I say "čekati na autobus" with na? Is that wrong?

You may hear čekati na autobus in speech, and people will understand you, but:

In standard Croatian, the most natural and preferred form is čekati autobus (without na).
čekati na + accusative is more typical in some regional usages or under influence from other languages, and it often means "wait for something to happen" in a more abstract sense, e.g. čekati na odgovor = "wait for an answer."

For a physical object like a bus, stick with čekati autobus.

Why is there no word for "I"? Shouldn't it be "Ja ne želim..."?

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns like ja (I), ti (you), etc. are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.

(Ja) želim = I want
(Ti) želiš = You want
(On/ona) želi = He/she wants

So Ne želim predugo čekati autobus naturally means "I don't want to wait too long for the bus."

You can say Ja ne želim predugo čekati autobus, but then ja adds emphasis, like:

Ja ne želim… = I don’t want to… (maybe someone else does, but not me).

Why is čekati in the infinitive and not čekam, like "Ne želim predugo čekam autobus"?

After željeti ("to want"), you normally use the infinitive of the second verb:

Želim jesti. = I want to eat.
Ne želim čekati. = I don’t want to wait.

Using a finite form (čekam) directly after želim is ungrammatical in Croatian in this structure.
So:

✅ Ne želim predugo čekati autobus.
❌ Ne želim predugo čekam autobus.

What exactly does predugo mean, and can it be written as "pre dugo"?

Predugo is an adverb meaning "too long" (excessively long in time).

It is made of:

pre- = too, overly
dugo = long (for a long time)

But in standard spelling, these are written together as one word:

predugo, previše (too much), prekasno (too late)

Pre dugo separated would be considered a spelling mistake in this meaning.

Can I change the position of predugo? For example: "Ne želim čekati autobus predugo"?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and both of these are possible:

Ne želim predugo čekati autobus.
Ne želim čekati autobus predugo.

They both mean "I don't want to wait too long for the bus."

Subtle differences:

Ne želim predugo čekati autobus. – The adverb predugo is closer to čekati, so it slightly emphasizes the action of waiting as being too long.
Ne želim čekati autobus predugo. – Puts autobus and predugo together at the end; for many speakers it sounds a bit more colloquial, but still fine.

What you should avoid is splitting čekati and autobus with predugo in a strange way, like:

❌ Ne želim čekati predugo autobus. (this sounds wrong)

Why is the negation ne placed before želim and not before čekati?

The main verb of the clause is želim ("I want").
The structure is:

ne želim = I do not want
predugo čekati autobus = to wait too long for the bus (infinitive phrase = object of "want")

So we are negating the wanting, not the waiting:

Ne želim predugo čekati autobus. = I don’t want to wait too long for the bus.

If you put ne before čekati, you would get:

Želim ne čekati autobus.

This is grammatically odd and not natural; it would literally mean something like "I want not to wait for the bus," which is not how speakers would express this idea. You negate the matrix verb (želim), not the infinitive.

What is the difference between Ne želim predugo čekati autobus and Neću predugo čekati autobus?

Both can be translated as "I won't wait too long for the bus," but the nuance is different:

Ne želim predugo čekati autobus.
- Literally: "I don't want to wait too long for the bus."
- Focus on desire / willingness. It talks about what you want or are willing to do.
Neću predugo čekati autobus.
- Neću is the 1st person sg. future of htjeti (to want) and is used as "I will not" / "I'm not going to".
- This sounds more like a decision or promise about what you will (not) do:
  - "I'm not going to wait too long for the bus."

Both are correct; ne želim is about your wish; neću is about your future action.

Why does autobus look the same as in the dictionary? Shouldn’t the case ending change?

The noun autobus is masculine and inanimate.
In Croatian, for masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular form is the same as the nominative singular:

Nominative: autobus (subject)
- Autobus dolazi. = The bus is coming.
Accusative: autobus (direct object)
- Čekam autobus. = I’m waiting for the bus.

So even though the form autobus doesn’t change, in this sentence it’s in the accusative case, because it’s the object of čekati.

Can I say "Ne želim dugo čekati autobus" instead of "predugo"? Is there a difference?

Yes, both are correct, but they are not identical in meaning:

Ne želim dugo čekati autobus.
- "I don't want to wait long for the bus."
- dugo = long (neutral; just a long time).
Ne želim predugo čekati autobus.
- "I don't want to wait too long for the bus."
- predugo = too long (longer than is acceptable).

So predugo adds the idea of excess ("more than I’m willing to tolerate"), while dugo is just "for a long time" without explicitly saying it’s too much.

Could I use a different verb instead of čekati, like sačekati or pričekati?

Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly:

čekati – to wait (general, ongoing action).
sačekati / pričekati – to wait a bit, to wait until something happens, often more bounded in time.

Examples:

Ne želim predugo čekati autobus.
- I don't want to (keep) waiting too long for the bus.
Ne želim sačekati autobus.
- I don't want to wait (for the bus to arrive at all) – this sounds a bit odd in isolation and would usually need more context.

In your exact sentence, čekati is the most natural choice and the one to learn as the default.