Learn Hardcore Croatian: Šef nam je dopustio da sudjelujemo na natječaju, jer misli da je to dobro iskustvo. - The boss allowed us to take part in the competition because he thinks it is a good experience.

If you used the infinitive dopustiti here, it would be ungrammatical in this position. The sentence talks about a completed action in the past, so you need the perfect: je dopustio.

Why do we say da sudjelujemo instead of using an infinitive like in English “to participate”?

Croatian often uses a da + present tense clause where English uses “to + verb”.

After verbs like:

dopustiti (to allow)
željeti (to want)
nadati se (to hope)
odlučiti (to decide) – can take both structures, but da-clause is very common

you can introduce the next action with da plus the present tense of the verb:

dopustio je da sudjelujemo = literally “he allowed that we participate”, functionally = “he allowed us to participate”

So da sudjelujemo here is equivalent in meaning to English “to participate”, even though grammatically it’s a subordinate clause with a finite verb, not an infinitive.

What person and tense is sudjelujemo, and why present tense?

Sudjelujemo is:

1st person plural (“we”)
present tense

In a da-clause like da sudjelujemo, Croatian uses the present tense even when English would use:

an infinitive (to participate)
or sometimes a subjunctive (that we participate)

So structurally:

da sudjelujemo = “that we participate”
Functionally:
very close to English “to participate” or “so that we can participate”

The present in a da + present construction often refers to:

future or intended actions
or actions relative to the main verb, not necessarily happening right now

Could we say Šef nam je dopustio sudjelovati na natječaju instead of da sudjelujemo?

Yes, you can say:

Šef nam je dopustio sudjelovati na natječaju.

Here sudjelovati is the infinitive. This is grammatical and understandable.

However:

da + present (da sudjelujemo) is more typical in modern standard Croatian with verbs like dopustiti, dopustiti nekome da…
dopustiti nekome [infinitive] also exists and is more neutral-formal or slightly bookish.

Both are correct, but in everyday speech da sudjelujemo is probably more natural.

Why is it na natječaju and not u natječaju?

Preposition choice in Croatian is often idiomatic. For events and public activities, na is very common:

na natječaju – in/at a competition, call for applications, tender
na ispitu – at an exam
na koncertu – at a concert
na sastanku – at a meeting

U natječaju would sound wrong or at least very strange in standard Croatian in this meaning. Here na corresponds roughly to English “in/at” when you are taking part in an event.

What exactly does natječaj mean in this context?

Natječaj usually means:

a competition, call for applications, or tender
depending on context.

Common uses:

natječaj za posao – job opening / job competition
natječaj za stipendije – scholarship call
javni natječaj – public tender

In your sentence, it likely means some official competition, job posting, or similar process where you “participate” by applying or competing.

Why is there a comma before jer? Is it always required?

In the sentence:

..., jer misli da je to dobro iskustvo.

the comma marks the beginning of the reason clause introduced by jer (“because”).

In modern standard Croatian:

a comma before jer is normally written because jer introduces a dependent clause that explains the reason.

You will occasionally see it omitted in informal writing, but:

with a comma is the standard, recommended form:
Šef nam je dopustio da sudjelujemo na natječaju, jer misli da je to dobro iskustvo.

Why is there no word for “he” before misli?

Croatian is a pro-drop language: the subject pronoun (like on = he) is usually omitted when the verb ending already shows the person and number.

misli is 3rd person singular (“he/she/it thinks”).
From context, we know it refers to Šef (“the boss”), so the pronoun on is not needed.

So:

(On) misli da je to dobro iskustvo.
Both are grammatically possible, but On is usually dropped if the subject is clear.

What is the function of to in da je to dobro iskustvo?

In da je to dobro iskustvo, the to is a demonstrative pronoun, roughly “that/it”.

It refers back to the whole situation:

our participation in the competition
or the action the boss allowed

So:

misli da je to dobro iskustvo = “he thinks that this/it is good experience.”

Croatian often uses to as a placeholder pronoun in sentences like:

To je dobro. – That/This is good.
To nije lako. – That/This is not easy.
Važno je to iskustvo. – That experience is important.

Why is it dobro iskustvo and not something like “jedno dobro iskustvo” for “a good experience”?

Croatian does not have articles like “a/an/the”. So:

dobro iskustvo = “good experience” / “a good experience” / “the good experience”
depending on context.

Details:

iskustvo is neuter singular
dobro is the neuter singular form of the adjective dobar (good), agreeing with iskustvo

You could say:

jedno dobro iskustvo – “one good experience”, often really emphasizing “one single good experience” or counting But normally you just say dobro iskustvo.

What case is nam, and what does it correspond to in English?

Nam is:

the dative plural form of mi (we)

It typically corresponds to:

“to us” or “for us” in English.

Here:

Šef nam je dopustio... = literally “The boss to-us has allowed...” Meaning:
“The boss allowed us ...”

So nam shows who benefits from or is affected by the action (the indirect object).

Does sudjelovati work like a reflexive verb? I often see sudjelovati u/na something.

Sudjelovati is not reflexive; it doesn’t use se. It’s just an intransitive verb that needs a preposition to show what you participate in.

Common patterns:

sudjelovati na natječaju – participate in a competition
sudjelovati u projektu – take part in a project
sudjelovati u raspravi – take part in a discussion

So you don’t say sudjelovati se, only sudjelovati (u/na) nečemu.

Could the word order Šef nam je dopustio da sudjelujemo be changed, for example to Šef je nama dopustio or Nama je šef dopustio? Do they mean the same?

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but clitic rules still apply.

Some possible variants:

Šef nam je dopustio da sudjelujemo... – neutral word order.
Nama je šef dopustio da sudjelujemo... – emphasizes “to us” (not to others).
Šef je nama dopustio da sudjelujemo... – also adds emphasis on nama, but note that here nama is the stressed (full) form, not the clitic nam.

Important:

If you use the clitic nam, it must stay in the clitic position:
- Šef nam je dopustio... ✔
- Nama je šef dopustio... ✔ (nama is now stressed, not clitic)
- Šef je nam dopustio... ✘ (wrong clitic order)

Meaning stays essentially the same; only emphasis changes.