Learn Hardcore Croatian: Jedan volonter voli fotografirati pse, a drugi volontira u uredu udruge. - One volunteer likes to photograph dogs, and another volunteers in the association’s office.

The first part says jedan volonter (“one volunteer”).
In the second part we already know we’re talking about volunteers, so it’s enough to say drugi (“the other one”).

If you wanted, you could say:

Jedan volonter voli fotografirati pse, a drugi volonter volontira u uredu udruge.

but that sounds a bit heavier and more repetitive. The shorter version is more natural.

What is the difference between volonter and volontira? They look similar.

They’re related but different parts of speech:

volonter = a volunteer (noun, masculine)
volontira = (he/she) volunteers (verb, 3rd person singular present of volontirati)

So:

Jedan volonter = One volunteer (a person)
drugi volontira = the other volunteers (what he/she does)

Literally:
Jedan volonter voli fotografirati pse, a drugi volontira u uredu udruge.
= One volunteer likes photographing dogs, and the other volunteers in the association’s office.

Why is it voli fotografirati and not something like voli da fotografira?

Both structures exist in Croatian, but with voljeti (“to like/love”), the infinitive is very common and natural:

voli fotografirati = likes to photograph / likes photographing

Using da + finite verb would be:

voli da fotografira

This is also possible in some dialects or styles, but in standard usage with verbs of liking, wanting, etc., the infinitive is preferred and sounds more neutral:

voli čitati – likes to read
voli jesti sladoled – likes to eat ice cream
voli fotografirati pse – likes to photograph dogs

So voli fotografirati is the standard and most natural form here.

Why is it pse and not psi or psa?

Pas = “dog” (singular, nominative).
In voli fotografirati pse, dogs are the direct object of the verb “to photograph”, so they must be in the accusative case.

pas — dog (nominative singular)
psa — dog (accusative singular)
psi — dogs (nominative plural)
pse — dogs (accusative plural)

The sentence talks about more than one dog, and they are being photographed (object), so we use:

fotografirati pse = “to photograph dogs” (accusative plural)

Why is it u uredu and not u ured?

The preposition u changes the case depending on movement vs. location:

u
- accusative → movement into something
  - Idem u ured. – I am going into the office.
u
- locative → location in/inside something
  - Radim u uredu. – I work in the office.

In our sentence, the volunteer is volunteering in a location, not moving into it:

volontira u uredu = “(he/she) volunteers in the office”

So ured (“office”) must be in the locative case:

nominative: ured
locative: u uredu

What does u uredu udruge literally mean, and why is udruge in that form?

Breakdown:

u – in
uredu – office (locative singular of ured)
udruge – of the association (genitive singular of udruga = association)

So u uredu udruge = “in the office of the association” or more naturally, “in the association’s office.”

The genitive case is used for possession or close relation, like:

ured udruge – the office of the association
auto prijatelja – the car of (my) friend / my friend’s car

Here, udruge is genitive singular, showing that the office belongs to the association.

What is the function of a here? Is it just “and”? Why not i?

Croatian has several conjunctions:

i – “and” (adds, no contrast)
a – “and / whereas / while / but” (often contrasting two things)
ali – “but” (strong contrast)

In this sentence:

Jedan volonter voli fotografirati pse, a drugi volontira u uredu udruge.

a contrasts the two volunteers and what they do:

one likes photographing dogs, while the other volunteers in the office.

You could technically use i, but a is more natural because it highlights that they do different things.

Can the word order be changed? For example, could I say Drugi volontira u uredu udruge, a jedan volonter voli fotografirati pse?

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible, but it affects emphasis and flow.

The original:

Jedan volonter voli fotografirati pse, a drugi volontira u uredu udruge.

is natural: it introduces “one volunteer” and then contrasts with “the other”.

Your version:

Drugi volontira u uredu udruge, a jedan volonter voli fotografirati pse.

is grammatically correct, but less natural, because drugi (“the other”) normally refers back to something already mentioned. Starting with drugi feels like you’re referring to a previous volunteer who hasn’t been explicitly introduced yet in this sentence.

More natural variations that keep the same meaning:

Jedan volonter voli fotografirati pse, a drugi u uredu udruge volontira. (slightly different emphasis)
Jedan volonter voli fotografirati pse, a drugi volontira u udruzi, u uredu. (stylistic variation)

Is there a feminine form of volonter for a female volunteer?

Yes. Croatian usually has masculine and feminine forms for professions and roles.

volonter – male volunteer (or generic)
volonterka – female volunteer

So you could say:

Jedna volonterka voli fotografirati pse, a druga volontira u uredu udruge.
→ One (female) volunteer likes photographing dogs, and the other (female) volunteers in the association’s office.

In mixed-gender or gender-neutral contexts, volonter is often used generically for “volunteer”, but when you specifically refer to a woman, volonterka is common.

Why is there no word for “he” or “she” before voli and volontira?

Croatian is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns (on, ona = he, she) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject.

voli – (he/she) likes
volontira – (he/she) volunteers

Since we already know the subject from context (jedan volonter, drugi), it’s natural to leave out the pronouns.

You could say:

On voli fotografirati pse, a on volontira u uredu udruge.

This is grammatically correct but sounds unnecessary, unless you’re stressing he for some reason.

Does voli mean “likes” or “loves”? How strong is it here?

Voljeti can mean both “to like” and “to love”, depending on context.

Volim sladoled. – I like ice cream.
Volim te. – I love you.

In voli fotografirati pse, the natural English translation is “likes photographing dogs”, not “loves,” because we’re talking about a hobby/activity. It expresses that this is something the volunteer enjoys doing, possibly regularly.

Does the present tense here mean they are doing it right now, or that they do it regularly?

The Croatian present tense can express:

Right now:
- Sada volontira u uredu. – He/she is volunteering in the office right now.
Habitual / regular action (like English “usually/regularly does”):
- Volontira u uredu udruge. – He/she volunteers in the association’s office (as a regular activity).
- Voli fotografirati pse. – He/she likes photographing dogs (in general).

In this sentence, the context suggests general/habitual meaning:
it describes what each volunteer typically does, not a one-time moment.