Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ne želim biti previše zabrinut zbog malih problema. - I don’t want to be too worried about small problems.

Putting ne before biti (želim ne biti…) would sound very strange and is almost never used in everyday Croatian. To say I don’t want to be X, the natural pattern is:

Ne želim biti + adjective/noun
- Ne želim biti umoran. – I don’t want to be tired.
- Ne želim biti previše zabrinut. – I don’t want to be too worried.

Is there a difference between Ne želim biti previše zabrinut and Neću biti previše zabrinut?

Yes, there is a nuance difference:

Ne želim biti previše zabrinut.
Focus: your wish/intention.
Literally: I don’t want to be too worried. It talks about what you want or don’t want emotionally or mentally.
Neću biti previše zabrinut.
Neću is the future tense of htjeti (to want), and in practice it just means I will not.
This sounds more like a decision/promise: I will not be too worried.

Both can be translated as “I don’t want to be too worried / I won’t be too worried”, but:

ne želim = I don’t want
neću = I will not (future tense, often with a hint of refusal or firm decision)

Why is biti in the infinitive here?

The verb želim (I want) normally takes another verb in the infinitive, just like English “want to do / want to be”:

želim jesti – I want to eat
želim spavati – I want to sleep
želim biti – I want to be

So in Ne želim biti previše zabrinut, biti is in the infinitive because it depends on želim.

Croatian could also express the same idea with a da-clause, but that’s more typical with some other verbs. Here, the infinitive is the normal and most natural choice.

What exactly is zabrinut here – is it a verb, an adjective, or something else?

Zabrinut is formally a participle (past passive participle of zabrinuti), but in modern Croatian it usually behaves like an adjective meaning “worried”.

In the sentence:

biti zabrinut = to be worried (state)

So the structure is:

biti (to be) + zabrinut (worried) → “to be worried”

You can also use zabrinut attributively, like a normal adjective:

zabrinut čovjek – a worried man
zabrinuta majka – a worried mother

Why is it zabrinut and not zabrinuta or zabrinuto?

The form of zabrinut must agree in gender and number with the subject.
Here, the implied subject is ja (I).

If the speaker is male, he says:
Ne želim biti previše zabrinut.
If the speaker is female, she says:
Ne želim biti previše zabrinuta.
Talking about a neuter subject, e.g. dijete (child – neuter):
Dijete ne želi biti previše zabrinuto.

So:

masculine singular → zabrinut
feminine singular → zabrinuta
neuter singular → zabrinuto
plural forms: zabrinuti, zabrinute, zabrinuta depending on gender

What does previše mean exactly, and what is it modifying in this sentence?

Previše is an adverb meaning “too / too much / excessively”.

In previše zabrinut, it modifies the adjective zabrinut:

zabrinut – worried
previše zabrinut – too worried / overly worried

You can also use previše with verbs or nouns:

previše raditi – to work too much
previše posla – too much work

In this sentence, it is placed directly before the adjective it intensifies, which is the usual position.

Why is the preposition zbog used here instead of something like o or za?

Zbog is the natural choice because it expresses cause/reason: “because of / due to / on account of”.

zbog malih problema – because of small problems

Other prepositions have different main uses:

o (+ locative) = about, on the topic of
- Razgovaramo o problemima. – We’re talking about problems.
za (+ accusative) = for, in favor of, intended for
- Lijek za glavobolju. – Medicine for headache.

If you said Ne želim biti previše zabrinut o malim problemima, it would sound incorrect; o doesn’t express cause here. Zbog is the standard preposition for “worried because of something”.

Why is it malih problema and not mali problemi in this sentence?

Because the preposition zbog always takes the genitive case.

Base (nominative plural) form:

mali problemi – small problems

Genitive plural:

malih problema

So:

mali → malih (adjective, genitive plural masculine)
problemi → problema (noun, genitive plural)

With zbog, you must use genitive:

zbog kiše – because of the rain
zbog njega – because of him
zbog malih problema – because of small problems

Could I also say Ne želim se previše brinuti zbog malih problema? Is that the same thing?

Yes, that sentence is correct and very natural, and it’s very close in meaning, but there is a small nuance:

biti zabrinut = to be in a state of being worried
- Ne želim biti previše zabrinut. – I don’t want to be too worried (as a state).
brinuti se = to worry, the ongoing process/activity
- Ne želim se previše brinuti. – I don’t want to worry too much.

In everyday use, both can translate to “I don’t want to be too worried / I don’t want to worry too much”, but:

biti zabrinut focuses on the state
brinuti se on the process of worrying

Can I change the word order, for example move previše or zbog malih problema?

You have some flexibility, but not every permutation sounds natural.

Most natural are:

Ne želim biti previše zabrinut zbog malih problema.
Ne želim zbog malih problema biti previše zabrinut. (slight emphasis on “because of small problems”)

Less natural or awkward:

Ne želim biti zbog malih problema previše zabrinut. – understandable, but clunky.
Splitting previše from zabrinut is generally bad:
- ✗ Ne želim biti zabrinut previše zbog malih problema.

General rule:

Keep previše directly before the word it modifies (zabrinut).
Zbog malih problema (the cause) can usually move earlier or later in the clause for emphasis, but without breaking up tight units like previše zabrinut.

How would this sentence change if the speaker were clearly female?

Only the adjective needs to change gender:

Male speaker:
Ne želim biti previše zabrinut zbog malih problema.
Female speaker:
Ne želim biti previše zabrinuta zbog malih problema.

Everything else (ne želim biti previše … zbog malih problema) stays the same; only zabrinut → zabrinuta changes to match the speaker’s gender.