Ne volim usisavati navečer, jer je usisavač bučan.

I don’t like to vacuum in the evening because the vacuum cleaner is noisy.

Breakdown of Ne volim usisavati navečer, jer je usisavač bučan.

• biti: to be
• ne: not
• jer: because
• voljeti: to like

Questions & Answers about Ne volim usisavati navečer, jer je usisavač bučan.

What does "Ne volim" literally mean, and where does the "ne" go in Croatian negation?

Volim is the 1st person singular of voljeti = to like / to love.
Ne is the basic negation word = not.

So:

• Volim usisavati. = I like vacuuming.
• Ne volim usisavati. = I don’t like vacuuming.

In Croatian, ne normally goes directly in front of the verb it negates:

• Ne radim. – I’m not working.
• Ne spavam. – I’m not sleeping.
• Ne volim kavu. – I don’t like coffee.

The subject pronoun ja (I) is usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person:

• (Ja) ne volim usisavati. – Both are correct; ja is optional here.

Why is the verb "usisavati" (to vacuum) in the infinitive here?