Learn Hardcore Croatian: Dok god treniramo redovito, ostajemo u dobroj formi i rjeđe se razbolimo. - As long as we train regularly, we stay in good shape and get sick less often.

Dok treniramo redovito, ostajemo u dobroj formi.
= While / As long as we train regularly, we stay in good shape.
Dok god treniramo redovito, ostajemo u dobroj formi.
= As long as we train regularly (for as long as that condition holds), we stay in good shape.

The little word god is the same element you see in tko god (whoever), kad god (whenever), gdje god (wherever). It adds the idea of “ever / no matter when/which”.

Why is the verb in the present tense (treniramo, ostajemo, razbolimo) if the meaning is general or future (“as long as we exercise, we will stay…”)?

In Croatian, time clauses with dok / dok god that refer to the future normally use the present tense, not the future tense.

So where English says:

As long as we exercise regularly, we will stay in good shape…

Croatian says:

Dok god treniramo redovito, ostajemo u dobroj formi…

Even though logically this can include the future, the present tense is used:

treniramo = we exercise / we train (present, imperfective)
ostajemo = we stay / we remain (present, imperfective)
razbolimo (se) = we get sick / fall ill (present, perfective)

You could also say:

Dok god budemo trenirali, ostat ćemo u dobroj formi…

Here there is an explicit future form (budemo trenirali, ostat ćemo), but in everyday speech the shorter present-tense version is very common and completely correct.

What exactly does treniramo mean here? Is it “train”, “exercise”, “practice”…?

Treniramo is the 1st person plural present of trenirati.

Its meaning depends on context:

In a sports/fitness context (as here), it usually means “we train / we work out / we exercise”.
It can also mean “we practice” (e.g. Treniramo nogomet – We train/practice football).

So in this sentence it corresponds best to English “exercise / train (physically)”.

Can the word order Dok god redovito treniramo be used instead of Dok god treniramo redovito?

Yes, both are correct:

Dok god treniramo redovito, ostajemo…
Dok god redovito treniramo, ostajemo…

The change in word order doesn’t change the basic meaning. It only slightly shifts the emphasis:

treniramo redovito – neutral, default order.
redovito treniramo – you slightly stress “regularly”, as if contrasting with not regular training.

Croatian word order is relatively flexible, but adverbs like redovito most often come after the verb in neutral statements. Putting it before the verb is mainly a stylistic/emphasis choice.

Why is there a comma after redovito?

The comma separates a subordinate clause from the main clause.

Subordinate (introduced by dok god):
Dok god treniramo redovito,
= As long as we train regularly,
Main clause:
ostajemo u dobroj formi i rjeđe se razbolimo.
= we stay in good shape and get sick less often.

In Croatian, a dependent clause introduced by conjunctions like dok, kad, ako, iako etc. is normally separated from the main clause by a comma when they are in this order (subordinate first, then main).

Why is there no “we” (mi) in the Croatian sentence?

Croatian is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns (ja, ti, on, mi, vi, oni) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

treniramo = we train
ostajemo = we stay
razbolimo (se) = we get sick

So mi is understood from the verb forms; saying Mi treniramo, mi ostajemo… would sound redundant in a neutral statement. The pronoun is only added for emphasis or contrast:

Mi treniramo redovito, ali oni ne.
We train regularly, but they don’t.

What case is u dobroj formi, and why do we have those endings?

U dobroj formi is in the locative singular (feminine):

forma (Nominative singular) = shape, form
u formi → “in (good) shape”
- u
  - locative case → formi (locative singular of forma)
dobroj is the feminine singular locative form of the adjective dobar (good):
- Nominative: dobra forma – good shape
- Locative: u dobroj formi – in good shape

So the structure is:

u
- dobroj (adj, fem. sg. locative) + formi (noun, fem. sg. locative)
  = in good shape.

Why is it dobroj and not dobra or dobru?

The adjective must agree in case, gender, and number with the noun it describes:

Noun: forma – feminine, singular, locative (formi after u)
Therefore adjective dobar must also be:
- feminine
- singular
- locative

The feminine singular locative of dobar is dobroj:

Nominative: dobra forma – good shape (subject)
Accusative: vidim dobru formu – I see good shape
Locative: govorimo o dobroj formi / u dobroj formi – we talk about good shape / in good shape

So u dobroj formi is grammatically required by u (+ locative).

What does rjeđe mean exactly, and how is it formed?

rjeđe means “more rarely / less often”.

It is the comparative form of the adverb rijetko (rarely):

rijetko = rarely, infrequently
rjeđe = more rarely, less often

The pattern is:

Adjective: rijedak (rare) → comparative: rjeđi (rarer)
Adverb: rijetko (rarely) → comparative: rjeđe (more rarely)

So rjeđe se razbolimo literally:
we get sick more rarely = we get sick less often.

Could you also say manje često se razbolimo instead of rjeđe se razbolimo?

Yes, you could say:

manje često se razbolimo – we get sick less often

This is understandable and grammatically fine. However:

rjeđe is shorter and more natural for “less often / more rarely”.
manje često is a bit more wordy and slightly heavier stylistically.

In everyday speech and writing, rjeđe se razbolimo is the more idiomatic choice.

Why do we say se razbolimo and not just razbolimo?

The verb is razboljeti se = to get sick / to fall ill.
It’s a reflexive verb, and the reflexive particle se is part of the verb’s normal form.

So:

razboljeti se – to get sick
razbolimo se – we get sick

Without se, razboljeti on its own is either not used or sounds incomplete/odd in the sense of “get sick”. So in practice:

razbolio sam se – I got sick
Djeca su se razboljela. – The children got sick.

Think of se here as part of the dictionary form, not as an optional extra.

Why is se placed after rjeđe in rjeđe se razbolimo, and not before it?

se is a clitic (an unstressed word) and Croatian has a strong tendency to place clitics in second position in the clause.

In rjeđe se razbolimo:

The first stressed element is rjeđe.
The clitic se comes right after it, in “second position”.
Then comes the full verb razbolimo.

So:

Rjeđe se razbolimo. – correct, natural
Se rjeđe razbolimo. – incorrect word order
Rjeđe razbolimo se. – possible but sounds marked/unnatural; native speakers strongly prefer the clitic in that second position.

This “second position clitic rule” affects se, si, sam, će, bi, mi, ti, ga, je, etc.

Why is razbolimo (se) perfective if we are talking about a repeated, habitual situation?

Aspect in Croatian and English do not always line up one-to-one.

razboljeti se is perfective – it describes a complete event: the moment you become sick.
In this sentence, rjeđe se razbolimo refers to how often that complete event happens.

So even though the situation is habitual / repeated, what is repeated is the whole event of “getting sick”. Croatian often uses perfective verbs in such frequency statements:

Rjeđe se razbolimo. – We get sick less often.
Često se posvađamo. – We often end up arguing. (each argument is a complete event)

You could theoretically use razboljevati se (imperfective) to talk about a repeated process, but:

razboljevati se sounds more like “be frequently getting sick / be often falling ill”.
It’s much less common and stylistically heavier here. The natural choice is perfective razbolimo se when you’re comparing frequency.

Are redovito and redovno both correct, and is there any difference?

Both are correct and mean “regularly”:

redovito treniramo
redovno treniramo

Differences:

redovito is a bit more standard / neutral in many contexts.
redovno is also very common, and in some regions it might be preferred.

In practice, they are near-synonyms, and you’ll hear both in everyday language. In this sentence, you can safely use either without changing the meaning:

Dok god treniramo redovito, …
Dok god treniramo redovno, …

Can I say Dok treniramo redovito without god, and does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Dok treniramo redovito, ostajemo u dobroj formi…

This is still fine. The difference is mostly in emphasis:

dok treniramo redovito – while / as long as we train regularly (quite general)
dok god treniramo redovito – as long as we train regularly, for however long that is; slightly stronger, more explicitly conditional.

In everyday speech, both are common, and the nuance is subtle. The version with god just adds a bit of “for as long as this condition holds” flavour.