Volim i knjige i filmove.

I like both books and movies.

Breakdown of Volim i knjige i filmove.

• knjiga: book
• film: movie
• voljeti: to like
• i: even

Questions & Answers about Volim i knjige i filmove.

Why is there no word for "both" in the Croatian sentence?

Croatian often expresses “both X and Y” with the pattern i X i Y, literally “and X and Y.”
So:

• Volim i knjige i filmove. = I like both books and movies.
• The two i’s together (i X i Y) carry the meaning of “both … and …”, so no extra word like “both” is needed.

If you say just Volim knjige i filmove, it usually means the same in everyday speech, but i knjige i filmove highlights the “both” idea more strongly.

What is the function of the first i in Volim i knjige i filmove?

The first i works like “also / too / even” in English, linking back to something already known or implied.

• If the context is: Volim glazbu. Volim i knjige i filmove.
  = I like music. I also like both books and movies.

So:

• The first i: adds “also” (an additive meaning).
• The second i (before filmove): completes the “both X and Y” pattern.

Without wider context, the sentence can just be read as “I like both books and movies.”

Why are knjige and filmove in these forms? What case are they?

Both knjige and filmove are in the accusative plural, used for direct objects of the verb.

• The verb voljeti (to love/like) takes its object in the accusative.
• knjiga (book) – nominative singular
  
  • plural nominative: knjige
  • plural accusative (for inanimate feminine nouns): knjige (same form as nominative plural)
• film (film/movie) – nominative singular
  
  • plural nominative: filmovi
  • plural accusative: filmove (notice -ove ending for masculine animate/inanimate in many cases)

So Volim i knjige i filmove literally:
I-like also books (acc.pl.) and films (acc.pl.).

Could I just say Volim knjige i filmove? What’s the difference?

Yes, Volim knjige i filmove is completely correct and very natural.

Nuance:

• Volim knjige i filmove.
  = I like books and movies. (neutral coordination, no special emphasis)

• Volim i knjige i filmove.
  = I like both books and movies / I like books and also movies.
  There is slightly more emphasis that each of them is included and liked.

In everyday conversation, both can often be used with almost no difference, but i knjige i filmove is a bit more explicit and emphatic.

Why is there no subject pronoun like ja in the sentence?

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: the subject pronoun is usually omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• volim = I like / I love (1st person singular)

• Adding ja (I) is only needed for emphasis or contrast:

  • Ja volim i knjige i filmove, ali on voli samo filmove.
    I like both books and movies, but he likes only movies.

So the default, neutral version is simply Volim i knjige i filmove.

What is the infinitive form of volim, and what does its conjugation look like?

The infinitive is voljeti (to love, to like).

Present tense (singular):

• ja volim – I love / I like
• ti voliš – you love / you like (sg., informal)
• on/ona/ono voli – he/she/it loves / likes

Plural:

• mi volimo – we love / we like
• vi volite – you love / you like (pl. or polite)
• oni/one/ona vole – they love / like

So volim clearly marks 1st person singular, making ja unnecessary.

Is volim closer to “like” or “love” in English?

It can mean both, depending on context and object:

• With things like knjige, filmove, čokoladu, sport:
  volim usually feels like “I like / I’m fond of”.

  • Volim čokoladu. – I like chocolate.

• With people or strong emotions:
  volim is usually “love”.

  • Volim te. – I love you.

So in Volim i knjige i filmove, the natural translation is “I like both books and movies.”

How would I say “I don’t like either books or movies”?

You use negation plus ni … ni … (= neither … nor …):

• Ne volim ni knjige ni filmove.
  = I don’t like either books or movies / I like neither books nor movies.

Pattern:

• Ne + verb + ni X ni Y
  Similar to: “I don’t VERB either X or Y.”

Can i … i … be used with other parts of speech, not just nouns?

Yes. The i … i … structure is general and can link many kinds of elements:

• I pametan i vrijedan. – Both smart and hardworking.
• Volim i čitati i pisati. – I like both reading and writing.
• I jučer i danas radim. – I’m working both yesterday and today. (Context-dependent, but grammatically fine.)

So i knjige i filmove is just one example of a very flexible pattern.

Can I change the word order to Volim knjige i filmove i?

No, that would be ungrammatical. The coordinating conjunction i must appear before the element it links, not after.

Correct patterns:

• Volim knjige i filmove.
• Volim i knjige i filmove.
• Volim i knjige i dobre filmove.

But you cannot move the final i to the end like in English intonation patterns; Croatian word order for i … i … is quite fixed.

If I want to emphasize that I like books more than movies, how could I adapt this sentence?

You can keep the structure but add emphasis or an adverbial phrase:

• Više volim knjige nego filmove.
  – I like books more than movies.

If you still want the i … i … pattern but show a preference, you can combine sentences:

• Volim i knjige i filmove, ali više volim knjige.
  – I like both books and movies, but I like books more.