Learn Hardcore Croatian: Kad god osjetim strah, sjetim se da napredujem malo po malo. - Whenever I feel fear, I remember that I am progressing little by little.

kad on its own = when (often one specific time or context-dependent).
kad god = whenever / any time that (emphasizes “every time this happens, the other thing happens”).

So:

Kad osjetim strah = When I feel fear (on that occasion)
Kad god osjetim strah = Whenever I feel fear / Any time I feel fear

In this sentence we want a general rule/habit, so kad god is natural.

Why is it osjetim and not osjećam?

Both come from different verbs:

osjećati (imperfective) – to feel (ongoing state)
- osjećam strah = I feel fear (in general / continuously).
osjetiti (perfective) – to feel, to sense (one specific moment of feeling something)
- osjetim strah = I (suddenly) feel fear / I notice fear in myself (at that moment).

With kad god, we’re talking about repeated moments when fear appears. Each time, there is one “hit” of fear. That’s why the perfective osjetim is used: whenever I (start to) feel fear.

You could say kad god osjećam strah, but it sounds more like “whenever I am (already) in a state of feeling fear,” and is less idiomatic here.

What case is strah in, and why does it look like the nominative?

The verb osjetiti takes a direct object in the accusative.

strah = fear (masculine noun)
- Nominative singular: strah
- Accusative singular (for inanimate masculine nouns): also strah

So in osjetim strah, strah is actually accusative, even though it looks the same as the nominative because of the noun’s declension pattern.

Why do we say sjetim se and not just sjetim?

Because sjetiti se is a reflexive verb that means “to remember / to recall.”

sjetiti without se is a different verb (to gather, to collect) and is not used here.
The reflexive pronoun se is part of the verb’s dictionary form: sjetiti se.

So:

sjetim se = I remember / I recall (one specific act of remembering).

What’s the difference between sjetim se and sjećam se?

Again, it’s an aspect pair:

sjećati se (imperfective) – to remember (as an ongoing state or general ability)
- Sjećam se toga. = I remember that (in general / right now).
sjetiti se (perfective) – to remember / to recall (one act of recalling)
- Sjetim se toga. = I (suddenly) remember that / It comes back to me (in one moment).

In Kad god osjetim strah, sjetim se…, each time you feel fear, there is a new act of remembering. That repeated “click” of recalling is why the perfective sjetim se fits very well.

What does da do in sjetim se da napredujem malo po malo?

da introduces a subordinate clause, similar to English “that”:

sjetim se da napredujem
= I remember that I am making progress.

Structure:

Main clause: sjetim se (I remember)
Subordinate “that”-clause: da napredujem malo po malo (that I am making progress little by little).

Why is napredujem in the present tense and not something like a future or perfect tense?

The verb napredovati (to make progress, to advance) is imperfective. The present tense of an imperfective verb often describes:

ongoing action: I am making progress
habitual action: I (generally) make progress

In da napredujem malo po malo, you are reminding yourself of a continuing process: your progress over time. The present tense fits this idea well: that I’m (gradually) making progress.

Is napredovati perfective or imperfective?

napredovati is imperfective.

It talks about process and ongoing / repeated progress, not a single completed event.
There is no very commonly used perfective pair that you would use in normal speech (you might see napredovati used in perfect forms like sam napredovao to mean “I have progressed / I advanced,” but the base verb is still imperfective).

So napredujem = I’m progressing / I make progress in a general or ongoing sense.

What does malo po malo literally mean, and how is it used?

Literally:

malo = little
po = by / per
malo = little

So malo po malo = “little by little”.

It’s an idiomatic phrase used exactly like English little by little, to describe slow, gradual progress or change:

Učim hrvatski malo po malo.
I’m learning Croatian little by little.

Could malo po malo go somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible. Some options:

Sjetim se da malo po malo napredujem.
Sjetim se da napredujem malo po malo. (very natural)
Malo po malo, sjetim se da napredujem. (changes the emphasis)

Putting malo po malo after napredujem is probably the most neutral here, because it clearly modifies how you’re progressing.

Moving it earlier can change the rhythm or emphasis but is still grammatically correct.

Why are both main verbs in the 1st person singular present (osjetim, sjetim se, napredujem) if the meaning is general (“whenever”)?

In both English and Croatian, the simple present is used for general truths, habits, and repeated events:

English: Whenever I feel fear, I remember that I make progress little by little.
Croatian: Kad god osjetim strah, sjetim se da napredujem malo po malo.

So even though the meaning is “every time / whenever (in the future, in general),” the present tense is the normal choice for describing this kind of repeated pattern.

Could I say Kad god osjetim strah, podsjetim se da napredujem malo po malo instead of sjetim se?

Yes, but the nuance changes slightly:

sjetim se = I remember / I recall (it comes to my mind).
podsjetim se = I remind myself (I actively tell myself).

So:

sjetim se da napredujem malo po malo
= I remember that I’m making progress little by little.
podsjetim se da napredujem malo po malo
= I remind myself that I’m making progress little by little.

Both are correct; sjetim se sounds a bit more like a natural mental reaction, while podsjetim se suggests a more deliberate inner pep-talk.

Is there another way to say kad god with a similar meaning?

Yes, common alternatives are:

Svaki put kad osjetim strah, sjetim se da napredujem malo po malo.
= Every time I feel fear, I remember that I’m making progress little by little.
Kad god and svaki put kad are very close in meaning.
- kad god = whenever / any time that
- svaki put kad = every time when… (slightly more explicit but very natural).

Both sound good in everyday speech.