Danas imam lagan zadatak.

Today I have an easy task.

Breakdown of Danas imam lagan zadatak.

• imati: to have
• danas: today
• zadatak: task
• lagan: light

Questions & Answers about Danas imam lagan zadatak.

Why is the word order “Danas imam lagan zadatak” and not like in English “Imam lagan zadatak danas”? Is the Croatian order fixed?

Croatian word order is more flexible than English.

• Danas imam lagan zadatak is neutral and very natural: it slightly emphasizes danas (“today”).
• You can also say:
  • Imam danas lagan zadatak.
  • Imam lagan zadatak danas.

All three are grammatically correct. The differences are subtle in emphasis and style:

• Putting danas first slightly stresses when the situation applies.
• Putting danas later can lightly emphasize the having or the task instead.

Unlike English, Croatian doesn’t rely on word order for basic grammar (subjects/objects are marked by case endings), so you can move words around more freely for nuance and rhythm.

Why is it imam and not something like ima or imamo?

Imam is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb imati (“to have”):

• (ja) imam – I have
• (ti) imaš – you have (singular, informal)
• (on/ona/ono) ima – he/she/it has
• (mi) imamo – we have
• (vi) imate – you have (plural or polite)
• (oni/one/ona) imaju – they have

The subject “I” is built into the ending -m in imam, so “ja imam” and “imam” both mean “I have”. Adding ja just adds emphasis: Ja danas imam lagan zadatak (“I have an easy task today” – in contrast to someone else).

Why is there no word for “an” in lagan zadatak? How do you say “a task” vs “the task” in Croatian?

Croatian has no articles (no “a/an” or “the”).

• zadatak can mean task, a task, or the task depending on context.
• lagan zadatak can be understood as an easy task or the easy task, again from context.

You show indefinite/definite meaning by:

• Context and previous mention in the conversation.
• Sometimes word order or emphasis.
• Sometimes using demonstratives:
  • taj zadatak – that task / the task
  • ovaj zadatak – this task

But there is no direct equivalent of the English article “a/an” in front of zadatak.

What case is zadatak in here, and why doesn’t it change form?

In Danas imam lagan zadatak, zadatak is in the accusative singular case, because it is the direct object of imam (“I have what? → an easy task”).

For masculine inanimate nouns like zadatak, the accusative singular has the same form as the nominative singular:

• Nominative: zadatak (subject)
• Accusative: zadatak (object, inanimate)

So even though the function changes (subject vs. object), the form zadatak stays the same in the singular for an inanimate masculine noun.

How do I know that zadatak is masculine, and how does that affect the sentence?

You mostly learn a noun’s gender by vocabulary practice and patterns:

• Many masculine nouns end in a consonant, like zadatak, grad, stol, pas.
• Feminine often end in -a (kuća, knjiga).
• Neuter often end in -o, -e, -je (selo, more, pitanje).

zadatak is masculine, and that affects:

1. Adjective agreement
   The adjective must match the noun in gender, number, and case.

   • masculine, singular, accusative → lagan zadatak

2. Case endings
   It declines using a masculine pattern:

   • Nominative: zadatak
   • Genitive: zadatka
   • Dative: zadatku
   • Accusative: zadatak
   • Locative: zadatku
   • Instrumental: zadatkom

Why is it lagan zadatak and not lagani zadatak or lagano zadatak?

All three forms you see come from the adjective lagan (“easy, light”), but they are not interchangeable:

1. lagan zadatak

   • “lagan” is the basic masculine singular form.
   • Accusative masculine inanimate (like zadatak) looks the same as nominative.
   • This is the form you expect in lagan zadatak.

2. lagani zadatak

   • lagani is the so‑called long/definite form of the adjective.
   • In modern standard Croatian, both lagan zadatak and lagani zadatak are used; lagani can sound a bit more formal or stylistic.
   • In everyday speech, you will hear both; context and style decide which one people prefer.

3. lagano zadatak

   • lagano is neuter or adverbial form (“easily, lightly”).
   • It cannot modify zadatak (masculine noun) in this position.
   • lagano je = “it is easy / it’s light” (neuter “it”).
   • radim lagano = “I work gently / lightly”.

So in this sentence, lagan zadatak (or stylistically lagani zadatak) is correct, but lagano zadatak is not.

Why isn’t the adjective lagan changed in the accusative, like in some other sentences?

For masculine singular adjectives, the accusative ending depends on whether the noun is animate (a person/animal) or inanimate (a thing):

• Masculine animate (person/animal):
  • Nominative: lagan čovjek – an easygoing man
  • Accusative: vidim laganog čovjeka – I see an easygoing man
• Masculine inanimate (thing):
  • Nominative: lagan zadatak – an easy task
  • Accusative: imam lagan zadatak – I have an easy task

With inanimate nouns like zadatak, the adjective in accusative singular looks the same as nominative: lagan.

Is there any difference between lagan and lak? I’ve seen both.

Both lagan and lak can mean “easy” or “light”, and in many contexts they are synonyms:

• lagan zadatak / lak zadatak – an easy task
• lagan posao / lak posao – easy job

Nuances:

• lagan is often preferred in standard Croatian for “light in weight” and “easy”:
  • lagan kofer – a light suitcase
  • lagan ručak – a light lunch
• lak is also common and standard; in some regions or styles you’ll hear one more than the other.

In your sentence, Danas imam lagan zadatak, you could also say lak zadatak and still be correct and natural.

Can danas go somewhere else in the sentence, and does that change the meaning?

Yes, danas (“today”) is a fairly free adverb; it can move around without changing the core meaning:

• Danas imam lagan zadatak. – Neutral, today is slightly emphasized.
• Imam danas lagan zadatak. – Emphasizes that today (not some other day) you have an easy task.
• Imam lagan zadatak danas. – Slightly emphasizes the task; stylistically fine, maybe a bit more spoken.

All are grammatically correct. The difference is mostly in rhythm and focus, not in basic meaning.

How do you pronounce Danas imam lagan zadatak?

Approximate pronunciation using English-like hints and IPA:

• Danas – DAH-nahs – /ˈdanas/
• imam – EE-mahm – /ˈimam/
• lagan – LAH-gahn – /ˈlaɡan/
• zadatak – zah-DAH-tahk – /zaˈdatak/

Main stresses are on the first syllable of each word. All vowels are short and clear, one sound per letter:

• a like in “father”
• i like “ee” in “see”

Croatian spelling is very phonetic, so what you see is very close to what you say.