Learn Hardcore Croatian: Mislim da imamo dobru šansu za uspjeh. - I think that we have a good chance for success.

Mislim is “I think” (1st person singular of misliti), and da is the conjunction “that”.
So mislim da imamo… literally = “I think that we have…”.

In Croatian, da is normally required to introduce this kind of subordinate clause:

✅ Mislim da imamo dobru šansu…
Leaving it out (Mislim imamo dobru šansu…) is generally not standard; you might hear it in fast, informal speech, but you should learn and use the version with da.

Why is there no “I” or “we” pronoun in the sentence? Where are ja and mi?

Croatian usually omits subject pronouns, because the verb ending shows the person:

Mislim already tells you it’s “I think” (1st person singular).
Imamo already tells you it’s “we have” (1st person plural).

You can add pronouns for emphasis:

Ja mislim da mi imamo dobru šansu za uspjeh. – “I think that we have a good chance of success.” (stressed “I/we”)
But the neutral, natural version is without ja and mi.

Why is it dobru šansu and not dobra šansa?

Dobra šansa is the dictionary (nominative) form: “a good chance.”

In the sentence, šansu is the direct object of imamo (we have), so it must be in the accusative case:

Feminine singular noun šansa → accusative šansu
The adjective dobra must agree with the noun, so it also changes to feminine accusative singular dobru.

So:

Nominative: dobra šansa (a good chance – subject)
Accusative: dobru šansu (a good chance – object, as in “we have a good chance”).

So is šansu accusative? How can I recognize that?

Yes, šansu is accusative singular feminine.

You can recognize it by:

It’s the object of the verb imati (“to have”), which normally takes a direct object in the accusative.
The -u ending is a very common accusative singular ending for many feminine -a nouns:
- kuća → kuću (house)
- karta → kartu (ticket)
- šansa → šansu (chance).

Why is it za uspjeh and not za uspjeha?

The preposition za usually takes the accusative case when it means “for / in order to / towards”.

za + accusative: za uspjeh – “for success” (goal, purpose)

Uspjeh (masculine, inanimate) has the same form in nominative and accusative (uspjeh → uspjeh), so you don’t see a change in spelling, but grammatically it’s accusative.

Using za uspjeha would sound wrong in this meaning; za + genitive is used in some fixed expressions, but not here.

If uspjeh looks the same in nominative and accusative, how do I know which case it is?

For masculine inanimate nouns like uspjeh, the nominative and accusative singular look identical.

So you determine the case from:

The preposition: za governs the accusative, so uspjeh must be accusative here.
The role in the sentence: after za with this meaning (“for, towards”), you expect the accusative of a goal.

So: form is uspjeh, but function is accusative.

Could I say “Mislim da imamo dobru priliku za uspjeh” instead of šansu? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

Mislim da imamo dobru priliku za uspjeh.

Šansa and prilika are very close in meaning: both can mean “chance / opportunity.”

Nuances (not strict rules):

šansa often feels more like probability / odds (“a chance that something will happen”).
prilika can lean a bit more towards opportunity / occasion (a favorable situation you can use).

In this sentence, both are natural and correct, and many speakers would treat them as interchangeable here.

Is šansa considered an Anglicism, or is it fully normal Croatian?

Šansa ultimately comes from the same Latin/French root as English chance, but it is now fully established and normal in Croatian.

You will see it in everyday speech, media, and formal texts. Prilika is more “native Slavic,” but using šansa is not wrong or “bad Croatian.”

Can I change the word order, for example Mislim da imamo šansu za dobar uspjeh?

You can change word order quite flexibly in Croatian, but you must keep agreement and case correct.

Some natural variants:

Mislim da imamo dobru šansu za uspjeh. (neutral)
Mislim da imamo stvarno dobru šansu za uspjeh. (adding emphasis with an adverb)
Mislim da imamo dobru šansu za veliki uspjeh. (“for great success”)

Your version “šansu za dobar uspjeh” is grammatically possible, but “dobar uspjeh” usually means “good success/grade” (e.g. in school), so it slightly changes the nuance. The original za uspjeh is more general: “for success (in this thing).”

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral in style?

Mislim da imamo dobru šansu za uspjeh. is neutral.

Suitable in conversation, in writing, in semi-formal contexts (meetings, emails).
Not slangy, not overly formal.

To make it more formal, you might rephrase rather than change individual words, e.g.:

Smatram da imamo dobre izglede za uspjeh. (“I consider that we have good prospects of success.”)

How would I say “I think we’ll succeed” instead, and how does it compare?

You could say:

Mislim da ćemo uspjeti. – “I think we’ll succeed.”

Difference in nuance:

Mislim da imamo dobru šansu za uspjeh. – talks about the chance / probability of success.
Mislim da ćemo uspjeti. – directly states the future outcome: you expect success.

Both are common; choose depending on whether you want to emphasize the chance or the prediction of success itself.