Volim poeziju, ali ovaj put biram roman na hrvatskom.

I like poetry, but this time I am choosing a novel in Croatian.

Breakdown of Volim poeziju, ali ovaj put biram roman na hrvatskom.

• hrvatski: Croatian
• ali: but
• voljeti: to like
• ovaj: this
• na: in
• put: time
• birati: to choose
• poezija: poetry
• roman: novel

Questions & Answers about Volim poeziju, ali ovaj put biram roman na hrvatskom.

Why is there no separate word for I? Why is it just Volim and not Ja volim?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns like ja (I), ti (you), etc., because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Volim = I like / I love
  
  • -m at the end tells you the subject is ja (I).

You can say Ja volim poeziju, but:

• With Ja volim…, you are emphasizing I (e.g. I like poetry, maybe others don’t).
• With just Volim poeziju, it’s a neutral statement.

So the sentence uses the normal, neutral form: Volim poeziju…

Why is it poeziju and not poezija?

Poezija is a feminine noun that changes its ending depending on the case. After the verb voljeti (to love/like), the object is in the accusative case.

Voljeti + accusative:

• Volim poeziju. – I like poetry.
• Volim kavu. – I like coffee.
• Volim glazbu. – I like music.

Declension of poezija (singular):

• Nominative (who/what?): poezija – Poetry is beautiful. (Poezija je lijepa.)
• Accusative (whom/what?): poeziju – I like poetry. (Volim poeziju.)

So poeziju is correct because it’s the direct object of volim.

What is the difference between Volim poeziju and Sviđa mi se poezija?

Both can translate as I like poetry, but they’re built differently and have a slightly different feel.

1. Volim poeziju.

   • Uses the verb voljeti (to love / to like).
   • Structure: [subject] volim + accusative object
   • Feels a bit stronger and more direct: “I (really) like / love poetry.”

2. Sviđa mi se poezija.

   • Literally: Poetry is pleasing to me.
   • Structure: Sviđa se + dative person (+ nominative subject)
     
     • poezija (subject, nominative)
     • mi (to me, dative)
   • Feels a bit more neutral, like “I find poetry pleasing / I like poetry.”

Both are correct. In everyday speech, voljeti is very common for things you like in general:

• Volim kavu.
• Volim filmove.
• Volim poeziju.

What exactly does ovaj put mean? Doesn’t put mean “road”?

Yes, put can mean road / way / path, but it also has another common meaning: time / occasion.

• ovaj put = this time / on this occasion
• drugi put = another time / next time
• prvi put = the first time
• svaki put = every time

So in this sentence:

• ali ovaj put biram… = but this time I’m choosing…

This is an idiomatic and very natural way to say this time in Croatian.

What tense and meaning does biram have here?

Biram is:

• Present tense
• 1st person singular
• From the verb birati (imperfective) – to choose, to be choosing

So ovaj put biram roman… = this time I choose / I am choosing a novel…

Croatian doesn’t separate “simple present” and “present continuous” like English. Biram can cover both:

• I choose a novel
• I am choosing a novel (now / on this occasion)

There is also a perfective partner: izabrati / odabrati (to pick out, choose once and completely):

• Ovaj put ću izabrati roman. – This time I will choose a novel. (focus on the completed act)

Why is roman used here and not knjiga?

In Croatian:

• roman = novel (a specific type of book: long, fictional narrative)
• knjiga = book (very general, any book)

So:

• Volim poeziju, ali ovaj put biram roman…
  → I like poetry, but this time I’m choosing *a novel…*

If you said:

• biram knjigu – I’m choosing a book (could be any type of book)
• biram roman – I’m choosing a novel (specifically a novel, not poetry, not a textbook, etc.)

Here, roman contrasts nicely with poeziju (poetry vs. a novel).

Why is it na hrvatskom, and not u hrvatskom?

For languages, Croatian uses na + locative:

• na hrvatskom – in Croatian
• na engleskom – in English
• na njemačkom – in German
• na francuskom – in French

So:

• biram roman na hrvatskom = I’m choosing a novel in Croatian (language).

Using u hrvatskom would usually mean inside the Croatian (something) and feels wrong here.

Think of na hrvatskom as a fixed phrase: “in Croatian [language]”.

Why does hrvatskom end in -om?

Hrvatski is an adjective meaning Croatian. In na hrvatskom, it is:

• Masculine, singular
• Locative case
• Short adjective form: hrvatski → hrvatskom

The pattern (masculine adjective, short form):

• Nominative: hrvatski (Croatian)
• Locative (after na with language): na hrvatskom

Other examples:

• na engleskom (in English)
• na talijanskom (in Italian)
• na španjolskom (in Spanish)

The -om ending here marks locative masculine singular in the short adjective form.

What is really meant by na hrvatskom here? Is a word like “language” missing?

Yes, there is an understood noun in the background.

Literally, it’s something like:

• biram roman na hrvatskom (jeziku)
  → I’m choosing a novel in the Croatian (language).

But jezik (language) is almost always dropped:

• Čitam na hrvatskom. – I’m reading in Croatian.
• Govorim na engleskom. – I speak in English.
• Pjevaju na talijanskom. – They are singing in Italian.

So na hrvatskom by itself naturally means “in Croatian (language)”.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Volim poeziju, ali biram ovaj put roman na hrvatskom?

Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but not every order sounds equally natural.

Most natural in this sentence is:

• Volim poeziju, ali ovaj put biram roman na hrvatskom.

Other acceptable variations (with slight changes in emphasis):

• Volim poeziju, ali biram ovaj put roman na hrvatskom.
  – Possible, but ovaj put sounds a bit pulled away from biram; less natural.
• Volim poeziju, ali biram roman na hrvatskom ovaj put.
  – Emphasizes this time at the end: “I like poetry, but I’m choosing a novel in Croatian this time.”
• Volim poeziju, ali biram ovaj put roman na hrvatskom.
  – OK but a bit clunky; learners are safer keeping ovaj put right after ali.

As a learner, the safest and most natural is the original:

• … ali ovaj put biram roman na hrvatskom.

What does ali mean here, and could I use something else like nego or no?

Ali = but (simple contrast).

• Volim poeziju, ali ovaj put biram roman…
  → I like poetry, but this time I’m choosing a novel…

Other contrast words:

1. nego

   • Often means but rather / but instead.
   • Typically used after a negation:
     • Ne volim poeziju, nego romane. – I don’t like poetry, but rather novels.
   • In your sentence, ali is better, because the first part is not negative.

2. no

   • More literary or formal, also roughly but / however.
   • Example: Volim poeziju, no ovaj put biram roman.
   • Sounds a bit more literary than ali, but it is grammatically fine.

For everyday speech, ali is the most common and natural here.

Does Volim poeziju sound like “I love poetry” (very strong) or just “I like poetry”?

Voljeti can cover both to love and to really like, depending on context.

• With people or very strong feelings:
  Volim te. – I love you.
• With things/activities:
  Volim poeziju. – I like / love poetry.
  Volim kavu. – I like / love coffee.
  Volim putovati. – I like travelling.

In this sentence, it naturally sounds like: “I like poetry” (could be strong liking, but doesn’t have to be as intense as romantic “love”).

Could I make it clearly future, like “but this time I will choose a novel in Croatian”?

Yes. You can add the future auxiliary ću with a perfective verb:

• Volim poeziju, ali ovaj put ću izabrati roman na hrvatskom.

Breakdown:

• ću – future auxiliary (I will)
• izabrati – perfective verb “to choose (once, completely)”

This sounds like a specific decision about the future (this time I will choose a novel), instead of a general present-time choice. The original biram can already refer to a decision in the near future (especially when context is clear), but ću izabrati makes the future meaning explicit.