Learn Hardcore Croatian: Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao. - I have the opportunity to accept a new job offer.

Prilika is a feminine noun. In the sentence Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao, it is the direct object of the verb imam (I have), so it must be in the accusative singular.

Nominative (dictionary form): prilika – an opportunity (subject)
Accusative (direct object): priliku – an opportunity (object)

Because you have something, that something is in the accusative:

Imam knjigu. – I have a book.
Imam priliku. – I have an opportunity.

What is the difference between prilika, šansa, and mogućnost?

All three can sometimes be translated as opportunity or chance, but they have slightly different flavors:

prilika – opportunity, occasion; very common and neutral.
- Imam priliku putovati. – I have the opportunity to travel.
šansa – chance (often more casual, sometimes with a “chance of success” nuance).
- Imam šansu dobiti posao. – I have a chance of getting the job.
mogućnost – possibility, option; more abstract/formal.
- Imam mogućnost prihvatiti ponudu. – I have the possibility/option to accept the offer.

In this sentence, imam priliku sounds natural and neutral; imam šansu would also work, but priliku fits best for a positive “good opportunity”.

Why is prihvatiti used instead of prihvaćati?

Croatian has aspect: verbs come in perfective and imperfective pairs.

prihvatiti – perfective (a single, completed act: to accept once)
prihvaćati – imperfective (repeated/ongoing: to be accepting, to keep accepting)

Here, you are talking about one concrete decision: accepting this specific job offer. That’s a one-time completed action, so you use the perfective form prihvatiti:

Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu. – I have the opportunity to (once) accept the new offer.

If you said prihvaćati, it would sound like some kind of repeated or habitual accepting, which doesn’t fit well here.

Could I say Imam priliku da prihvatim novu ponudu za posao instead of using the infinitive?

Yes, that is also grammatically correct:

Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao.
Imam priliku da prihvatim novu ponudu za posao.

Differences:

Infinitive (prihvatiti) is short, neutral, and common, especially in writing and careful speech.
da + present tense (da prihvatim) is also very common in everyday speech and can feel a bit more colloquial/natural in conversation.

Meaning-wise, in this sentence there is no real difference: both mean I have the opportunity to accept the new job offer.

What case is novu ponudu and why does it look like that?

Novu ponudu is in the accusative singular feminine.

Nominative: nova ponuda – a new offer (as subject)
Accusative: novu ponudu – a new offer (as object)

Here, prihvatiti (to accept) takes a direct object:

prihvatiti (što?) novu ponudu – to accept what? a new offer

The adjective novu and the noun ponudu agree in gender, number, and case:

feminine, singular, accusative: novu ponudu.

Why do we say za posao? What does it literally mean?

Za posao literally means for a job or for work.

The phrase ponuda za posao is a fixed expression meaning job offer:

ponuda – offer
za
- accusative (posao) – for (a) job

So novu ponudu za posao is literally a new offer for a job, which in natural English is simply a new job offer. The preposition za takes the accusative: za posao.

Can I leave out za posao and just say novu ponudu?

You can, but the meaning becomes less specific and depends on context:

Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu. – I have the opportunity to accept a new offer.
(Offer of what? It could be any kind of offer.)

Adding za posao makes it clear that it is specifically a job offer:

Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao.

In isolation, with no context, za posao is important to preserve the meaning job offer.

Why doesn’t Croatian use any articles here, like a or the?

Croatian has no articles like English a/an or the.

So the bare noun phrase can mean a or the depending on context:

Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao.
→ I have the opportunity to accept a new job offer.
→ Or: I have the opportunity to accept the new job offer.

Whether you understand it as a new job offer or the new job offer depends entirely on what has already been mentioned or is known from context. Croatian does not mark that difference with an article.

Can the word order change in this sentence?

Yes. Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and you can move parts around for emphasis. All of these are possible:

Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao. (neutral, default)
Imam priliku novu ponudu za posao prihvatiti. (slightly emphasizes prihvatiti)
Novu ponudu za posao imam priliku prihvatiti. (emphasizes novu ponudu za posao)

However, some orders will sound more natural than others. The original sentence is the most neutral and typical. When in doubt, stick to:

[subject] [verb] [object/infinitive phrase]
→ Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao.

Is prihvatiti used only with an object? Can I just say Imam priliku prihvatiti?

In real usage, prihvatiti almost always takes an object (something that you accept):

prihvatiti ponudu – accept an offer
prihvatiti poziv – accept an invitation
prihvatiti uvjete – accept the conditions

You can say Imam priliku prihvatiti only if the object is very clear from context and was just mentioned:

– Dobili smo novu ponudu za posao. – We’ve received a new job offer.
– Imam priliku prihvatiti. – I have the opportunity to accept (it).

But in a standalone sentence, it sounds incomplete. It’s better to include the object:
Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao.

Could I say Mogu prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao instead of Imam priliku prihvatiti…?

Yes, but the nuance changes:

Mogu prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao.
– I can accept / I am able to accept the new job offer.
– Focus on ability or permission.
Imam priliku prihvatiti novu ponudu za posao.
– I have the opportunity to accept the new job offer.
– Focus on the existence of a (good) opportunity, not just ability.

Both are correct; you choose based on what you want to emphasize.

What exactly does posao mean here? Work or job?

Posao can mean both work (in general) and job (a position). In the expression ponuda za posao, it specifically means job:

posao – work/job
ponuda za posao – job offer
tražiti posao – to look for a job
ići na posao – to go to work

So in this sentence, ponuda za posao is best translated as job offer, not offer for work or similar.