Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ovaj put ću glasati, jer želim da se čuje naš glas za čišći okoliš. - This time I will vote because I want our voice for a cleaner environment to be heard.

Ovaj put – a bit simpler, fully standard, very common.
Ovoga puta – also fully standard, can sound slightly more formal or stylistic, but in everyday speech they are practically interchangeable here.

Both are correct in this sentence.

Why is the future tense written as "ću glasati" and not something like one single word?

Croatian future tense (Future I) is usually formed with:

the present tense of "htjeti" (to want) as a clitic (ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će)
plus the infinitive of the main verb.

So:

glasa-ti = to vote
ja ću glasati = I will vote

Because "ću" is a clitic, it tends to come right after the first stressed word in the clause:

Ovaj put ću glasati.
You could also say:
Ja ću glasati ovaj put. (less neutral here, more emphasis on I)

You do not merge them into one word in standard Croatian; you keep "ću" and "glasati" separate.

Why is there a comma before "jer"?

"Jer" means "because" and introduces a subordinate clause explaining the reason.

In Croatian, you normally put a comma before "jer" when it connects two clauses:

Ovaj put ću glasati, jer želim da se čuje naš glas...
= This time I will vote, because I want our voice to be heard…

So the comma separates:

Ovaj put ću glasati (main clause)
jer želim da se čuje naš glas za čišći okoliš (subordinate clause of reason)

Leaving out the comma is generally considered incorrect in standard writing.

Why is it "jer želim da se čuje" and not just "jer želim se čuti" or something with an infinitive?

In Croatian, after verbs like željeti (to want), when you express what you want someone/something else to do or to happen, you often use a "da + verb" construction, not an infinitive.

želim da se čuje naš glas
literally: I want that our voice be heard.

This "da" + verb is very common and natural in Croatian. An infinitive construction like:

✗ jer želim se čuti naš glas
is ungrammatical and doesn’t follow Croatian patterns.

Compare:

Želim glasati. – I want to vote. (I myself do the action → infinitive is fine.)
Želim da se čuje naš glas. – I want our voice to be heard. (something else happens → "da" clause)

What is the function of "se" in "da se čuje"?

Here "se" is a reflexive / passive marker.

The verb čuti = to hear.
čuti se can mean:

to be heard (passive-like meaning)
to be audible

So:

da se čuje naš glas
literally: that our voice be heard / that our voice is heard.

Without "se", čuti would be more like "to hear (something)":

čuti glas – to hear a voice
čuti se – to be heard

So "se" turns it into a kind of impersonal/passive meaning, which English expresses as “be heard”.

Why is it "naš glas" and not "našeg glasa"?

"Naš glas" is in the nominative singular, because in this subordinate clause "naš glas" is the subject of the verb "čuje".

Structure of that part:

(da) se čuje naš glas
→ (that) our voice is heard.

In nominative:

tko/što? – naš glas

If you said "našeg glasa", that would be genitive and would not fit the syntax here; there is no preposition or verb requiring genitive in this position. The subject must be nominative, so "naš glas" is correct.

Can I change the word order in "da se čuje naš glas"?

Yes, Croatian word order is quite flexible, but changes can shift emphasis.

Possible options:

da se čuje naš glas – neutral; usual and natural.
da se naš glas čuje – emphasizes "our voice", kind of “that our voice is heard (not someone else’s)”.
da naš glas se čuje – grammatically possible but sounds awkward; clitic "se" usually stays near the verb.

Best choices in normal speech/writing:

da se čuje naš glas (most neutral)
da se naš glas čuje (more focus on our voice)

What exactly does "za čišći okoliš" mean, and why "čišći"?

za = for
čišći = cleaner (comparative of čist = clean)
okoliš = environment, surroundings

So "za čišći okoliš" = for a cleaner environment.

Grammar:

čišći agrees with okoliš (masculine singular) in gender and number.
Since English uses “cleaner” similarly, the structure matches well: cleaner environment → čišći okoliš.

It’s a general phrase used in environmental or ecological contexts.

Is "okoliš" the usual word for "environment" in Croatian?

Yes, "okoliš" is the standard, everyday word for environment in contexts like:

protecting the environment → zaštita okoliša
environmental pollution → onečišćenje okoliša

You might also see:

životna sredina – literally “living environment”, more common in some other ex-Yugoslav varieties; understood in Croatia but "okoliš" is more typical in standard Croatian for the ecological sense.

Could I say "glasovati" instead of "glasati"?

Yes, "glasati" and "glasovati" are very close in meaning: to vote.

glasati (se) – common in colloquial and standard Croatian.
glasovati – also correct and somewhat more “formal” or bookish in some styles.

In this sentence:

Ovaj put ću glasati
Ovaj put ću glasovati

Both are acceptable. "Glasati" is more frequent in everyday speech in Croatia.

Is "željeti" followed by "da" always, or can it take just an infinitive?

"Željeti" can be followed by either:

Infinitive – when you want to do something yourself:
- Želim glasati. – I want to vote.
- Želim spavati. – I want to sleep.
"da" + finite verb – especially when you want someone/something else to do something, or you describe a situation you want:
- Želim da se čuje naš glas. – I want our voice to be heard.
- Želim da dođeš. – I want you to come.

In your sentence, it’s about a situation (“our voice is heard”), so "da" + verb is the natural structure.

Is the subject "ja" implied in "ću glasati"?

Yes. Croatian is a pro-drop language, meaning subject pronouns (ja, ti, on…) are often omitted because the verb ending (and clitic form) already show the person.

Ja ću glasati. – with explicit subject
Ovaj put ću glasati. – subject "ja" is understood from "ću".

Adding "ja" is possible but then you focus more on I:

Ovaj put ću ja glasati. – This time *I will vote (maybe unlike others).*

Is there any difference between using "jer" and "zato što" here?

Both can introduce a reason clause, but they differ slightly in style and structure.

Here:

Ovaj put ću glasati, jer želim da se čuje naš glas… – fully fine and natural.
You could also say:
Ovaj put ću glasati zato što želim da se čuje naš glas…

Nuances:

jer is a simple conjunction = because.
zato što is slightly more emphatic and literally feels like “for that reason that…”.

In everyday usage, they’re often interchangeable in sentences like this. Both are correct.