Breakdown of Kad je ljut, on preglasno viče na televizor.
Questions & Answers about Kad je ljut, on preglasno viče na televizor.
Kad means when. It introduces a time clause: Kad je ljut = When he is angry.
Kad and kada mean the same thing in this context. Kada is just a slightly longer, more formal or careful form. You could say:
- Kad je ljut, on preglasno viče na televizor.
- Kada je ljut, on preglasno viče na televizor.
Both are correct and mean the same; in everyday speech people very often use the shorter kad.
Croatian normally uses a comma to separate a dependent clause from the main clause.
Here, Kad je ljut is a dependent time clause (When he is angry), and on preglasno viče na televizor is the main clause (he shouts too loudly at the TV).
So the structure is:
- [Kad je ljut], [on preglasno viče na televizor].
The comma marks the boundary between the two clauses. This is standard Croatian punctuation.
In the dependent clause we say Kad je ljut, not Kad on je ljut, because Croatian usually does not put the short verb je (is) in the second position if a pronoun like on would then be pushed further away.
In other words, Kad je ljut sounds natural; Kad on je ljut sounds awkward.
However, we can say Kad je on ljut, but that would emphasize he (as opposed to someone else): When he is angry… (maybe not someone else). In a neutral sentence, Kad je ljut is the usual form.
Croatian usually doesn’t need a subject pronoun because the verb ending already shows the person: viče clearly means he/she shouts.
So a perfectly natural sentence is:
- Kad je ljut, preglasno viče na televizor.
Adding on is optional. When it appears, it can:
- Add a bit of emphasis to he (not I, not they): When he is angry, he shouts…
- Just sound slightly more explicit or “spelled out.”
It’s not wrong; it’s just not strictly necessary. Many speakers would simply omit on here in everyday speech.
Ljut is an adjective meaning angry. In Croatian, adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they describe.
- on (he) → masculine singular
→ on je ljut (he is angry) - ona (she) → feminine singular
→ ona je ljuta - oni (they, masc. pl.) →
→ oni su ljuti
In this sentence, the subject is on (he), masculine singular, so the correct form of the adjective is ljut.
Yes, there is a nuance:
- biti ljut (je ljut) literally means to be angry – it describes a state:
- On je ljut. = He is angry.
- ljutiti se is a reflexive verb, often meaning to get angry, to be getting angry, or to be angry with someone/about something:
- On se ljuti. = He is angry / He gets angry.
In your sentence, Kad je ljut focuses on his state: When he is angry.
You could also say Kad se ljuti, on preglasno viče na televizor, which is more like When he (gets) angry, he shouts too loudly at the TV. Both are possible, with a slightly different feel.
Glasno means loudly.
Preglasno is too loudly, overly loudly. The prefix pre- often adds the idea of too much / excessively:
- toplo = warm → pretoplo = too warm
- sporo = slowly → presporo = too slowly
- glasno = loudly → preglasno = too loudly
So on preglasno viče = he shouts too loudly (louder than is appropriate or pleasant).
Croatian word order is fairly flexible, so you can move preglasno around, but some positions sound more natural than others.
Most natural options:
- Kad je ljut, on preglasno viče na televizor.
- Kad je ljut, on viče preglasno na televizor.
Both are fine. The first one (preglasno viče) is probably the most neutral and common.
On preglasno na televizor viče is grammatically possible but sounds unusual and a bit clumsy; you’d rarely hear it in everyday speech.
Viče is the 3rd person singular present of the verb vikati = to shout / yell.
- Infinitive: vikati (to shout)
- 3rd person singular: on viče (he shouts / he is shouting)
Other related verbs:
- vrištati / vrištiti → vrišti = to scream, shriek, a higher, more intense sound
- derati se → dere se = to yell (colloquial, often a bit harsh)
In this sentence, viče is neutral shouting/yelling. Vrišti would be more like screams, which would sound stronger and more emotional.
Na televizor here literally means at the television set (the physical device). With na + accusative, it often indicates direction or target:
- viječe na televizor = he shouts at the TV (as if the TV is the person he’s shouting at)
Na televiziji (locative) usually means on TV in the sense of on television as a medium:
- Na televiziji je utakmica. = There is a match on TV.
So:
- viče na televizor = he is yelling at the device
- na televiziji = on TV (what is being broadcast)
Croatian distinguishes:
- televizor = the TV set, the physical object
- televizija = television as a medium / institution (like “TV” in “on TV”, “I work in TV”)
Here, he is shouting at the object that is in front of him, so televizor is correct:
- On viče na televizor. = He shouts at the TV set.
If you said On viče na televiziju, it would sound like he is shouting at the TV station / the concept of television, which is odd in this context.
Croatian, like English, often uses the present tense to describe general or habitual actions.
- Kad je ljut, on preglasno viče na televizor.
= When he is angry, he shouts too loudly at the TV. (any time this situation happens)
This present tense is understood as whenever this condition is true, this is what he does.
You could use other tenses (past, future) to talk about specific times, but for habits and general behavior, the present is standard.