Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu.

I don’t want to ignore the teacher.

Breakdown of Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu.

• ne: not
• željeti: to want
• učiteljica: teacher
• ignorirati: to ignore

Questions & Answers about Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu.

Why is there no word for I in Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Želim is 1st person singular (I want).
• Because that ending clearly indicates I, the pronoun ja is normally omitted.

You can say Ja ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu, but it usually adds emphasis, like I don’t want to ignore the teacher (but maybe someone else does).

Why does učiteljicu end in -u and not -a like the dictionary form učiteljica?

Učiteljica (female teacher) is the nominative singular form (used for the subject).

In this sentence, učiteljicu is the direct object (the person being ignored), so it must be in the accusative singular:

• Nominative (subject): učiteljica – Učiteljica govori. (The teacher is speaking.)
• Accusative (object): učiteljicu – Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu. (I don’t want to ignore the teacher.)

For most feminine nouns in -ica, the accusative singular changes -a → -u.

Why is ignorirati in the infinitive? Could we say Ne želim ignoriram učiteljicu?

After verbs like željeti (to want), Croatian normally uses the infinitive:

• Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu. = I don’t want to ignore the teacher.

Saying Ne želim ignoriram učiteljicu is ungrammatical. You either:

1. Use the infinitive:

   • Želim ignorirati učiteljicu.

2. Or use a da + finite verb construction (more colloquial):

   • Ne želim da ignoriram učiteljicu.

Both are possible, but for a learner the infinitive after željeti is the cleanest pattern to follow.

Why is the negation on želim (ne želim) and not on ignorirati (like ne ignorirati)?

In Croatian, when you negate a sentence with a modal or a verb of wanting/liking, you usually put ne in front of the conjugated verb, not the infinitive:

• Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu. – I don’t want to ignore the teacher.

If you say Želim ne ignorirati učiteljicu, it sounds very awkward and overly logical, like I want to not ignore the teacher; it’s technically possible but rarely used and stylistically odd. The natural way is Ne želim + infinitive.

What’s the difference between Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu and Neću ignorirati učiteljicu?

The nuance is different:

• Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu.
  Focus: desire / will – I don’t want to ignore the teacher (I have no wish to do that; I oppose the idea).

• Neću ignorirati učiteljicu. (from htjeti = to want / will)
  Usually translates as I will not ignore the teacher – a decision or promise about the future action.

So:

• ne želim = I don’t want (expressing internal desire/attitude)
• neću = I won’t / I will not (commitment or refusal about what will happen)

Why is it ne želim as two words and not neželim written together?

The negative particle ne is a separate word before most verbs:

• ne želim, ne radim, ne znam, ne volim

It merges into a single word only with a small group of verbs, like:

• ne + imati → nemam
• ne + biti → nisam, nisi, nije…
• ne + htjeti → neću, nećeš, neće…

With željeti, it stays separate, so you must write ne želim, not neželim.

If the teacher is male, how does the sentence change?

For a male teacher (učitelj), the forms are:

• Nominative: učitelj
• Accusative: učitelja

So the sentence becomes:

• Ne želim ignorirati učitelja. – I don’t want to ignore the (male) teacher.

The verb and negation stay the same; only the noun changes to the appropriate masculine accusative form.

Can I change the word order, for example Ne želim učiteljicu ignorirati or Učiteljicu ne želim ignorirati?

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible, but the default / neutral order here is:

• Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu.

Other possibilities:

1. Ne želim učiteljicu ignorirati.
   – Still correct. Slight emphasis shift towards učiteljicu; sounds a bit more marked, less textbook‑neutral.

2. Učiteljicu ne želim ignorirati.
   – Emphasises učiteljicu strongly:
   It’s the teacher that I don’t want to ignore (maybe I could ignore someone else).
   Often used for contrast or focus.

For learning, keep the original word order as your main model.

How would I say I don’t want to ignore my teacher?

You just add a possessive adjective in front of učiteljicu:

• Ne želim ignorirati svoju učiteljicu.

Notes:

• svoju refers back to the subject (I) and is the most natural here.
• You can also say moju učiteljicu, and it will be understood; svoju is just stylistically preferred when the subject is the possessor.

For a male teacher:

• Ne želim ignorirati svog učitelja.

Is ignorirati commonly used in Croatian, or is there a more natural verb?

Ignorirati is a perfectly common and understood verb, especially in modern, informal, and media language. It often directly mirrors English to ignore.

However, you’ll also hear:

• zanemariti / zanemarivati – to neglect, to disregard
• praviti se da netko ne postoji – to act as if someone doesn’t exist

In the context of ignoring a person, ignorirati is very natural and idiomatic:

• Ne želim ignorirati učiteljicu. – sounds normal and contemporary.

How do you pronounce želim and učiteljicu?

Key sounds:

• ž – like s in measure or vision.
• lj – a palatal l, somewhat like the lli in Italian figlio; not exactly English ly, but close.
• č – like ch in church, but a bit harder/cleaner.

So approximately:

• želim ≈ zhe-lim (both syllables short)
• učiteljicu ≈ oo‑chee‑te‑lyi‑tsoo
  
  • u = oo in food
  • č = ch in church
  • lj = soft ly
  • c = ts in cats

Stress in standard Croatian here is typically on the first syllable of each word: Nè, žèlim, ignòrirati, učìteljicu.