Kad god izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.

Whenever I lose the mouse, I can’t work on the computer.

Breakdown of Kad god izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.

• ne: not
• raditi: to work
• moći: to be able to
• na: on
• računalo: computer
• izgubiti: to lose
• kad god: whenever
• miš: mouse

Questions & Answers about Kad god izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.

What does Kad god mean exactly, and is it different from kad or kada on their own?

Kad (and the longer form kada) means “when” (introducing a time clause).

Kad god / kada god means “whenever / any time (that)”. The particle god adds the idea of “ever, at any time”.

• Kad izgubim miš ≈ “When I lose the mouse (on a given occasion).”
• Kad god izgubim miš ≈ “Whenever I lose the mouse (every time that happens).”

About spelling and variants:

• kad god and kada god (two words) are the normal modern spellings.
• kadgod as one word exists but is rare / more old‑fashioned or stylistic.

Could we leave out god and just say Kad izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu? Does the meaning change?

You can leave out god, but there is a nuance:

• Kad izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.
  Often still understood as a general rule, especially with present tense in both clauses. Context may suggest “whenever”.

• Kad god izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.
  Explicitly says “every time I lose my mouse, without exception”.

So kad god makes the “whenever / every time” meaning clearer and stronger. Without god, it can also mean “when I (happen to) lose my mouse (on that occasion)”, especially if the main clause were in the future or past.

Why is izgubim in the present tense, not in the past or future?

Croatian, like English, uses the present tense to talk about general truths and regular patterns:

• Kad god izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.
  “Whenever I lose my mouse, I can’t work on the computer.”

Both verbs are in the present because we’re describing a habitual relationship:
“Each time event A happens (I lose the mouse), result B follows (I can’t work).”

Other tenses would change the time frame:

• Past habit:
  Kad god sam izgubio miš, nisam mogao raditi na računalu.
  “Whenever I lost my mouse, I couldn’t work on the computer.”

• Specific future situation:
  Kad izgubim miš, neću moći raditi na računalu.
  “When I (eventually) lose my mouse, I won’t be able to work on the computer.”

In your sentence, the plain present is the natural choice for a general rule.

Why do we use izgubim and not gubim here?

This is about aspect:

• izgubiti (here izgubim) = perfective: to lose (as a single, completed event).
• gubiti (here gubim) = imperfective: to be losing, to lose repeatedly or gradually.

With kad god, we are thinking about separate, complete incidents: each time you misplace the mouse. So the perfective izgubim is natural:

• Kad god izgubim miš…
  “Every time I (happen to) lose the mouse…”

Using gubim here (Kad god gubim miš…) would sound strange, as if you were in the ongoing process of losing it (which doesn’t really fit a mouse suddenly going missing).

Compare with a context where gubiti is normal:

• Kad god igram tu igru, gubim.
  “Whenever I play that game, I lose.”
  (ongoing tendency / outcome, not one sharply delimited event)

Why is there no word for “my” before miš? How would I say it if I really wanted to emphasize that it’s my mouse?

Croatian has no articles (no “a / the”), and it often omits possessive words like “my” when it’s obvious from context.

In this situation, everyone assumes it’s your mouse (it’s your computer, your desk, your work), so plain miš is enough.

If you want to emphasize that it’s your own mouse, you can add a possessive:

• Kad god izgubim svoj miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.
  “Whenever I lose my (own) mouse, I can’t work on the computer.”

Here svoj means “one’s own” and refers back to the subject (“I”).
You could also say:

• Kad god izgubim moj miš…

…but with 1st‑person subjects, svoj is usually stylistically better than moj.

Is miš here the animal “mouse” or a computer mouse? How can I make it clear in Croatian?

On its own, miš can mean both:

• an animal (mouse)
• a computer mouse

In your sentence, the second clause ne mogu raditi na računalu (“I can’t work on the computer”) makes it clear that it’s a computer mouse.

If you want to make it explicit, you can say:

• računalni miš – literally “computer(-related) mouse”
• kompjuterski miš – “computer mouse” (with the loanword kompjuter)
• miš za računalo – “a mouse for the computer”

Example:

• Kad god izgubim računalni miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.

What case is miš in here, and why doesn’t its form change?

In this sentence, miš is the direct object of izgubim, so it is in the accusative singular.

For many inanimate masculine nouns in Croatian, the accusative singular has the same form as the nominative:

• Nominative: miš – “a mouse”
• Accusative: miš – “(I lose) the mouse”

However, when miš refers to the animal, it’s usually treated as animate, and many speakers say:

• Vidim miša. – “I see a mouse.” (acc. = miša, same as genitive)

For the computer mouse, people often treat it as an inanimate object, so they say:

• izgubim miš (acc. = miš)

You will also hear speakers who still say izgubim miša even for the device. Both patterns exist in real usage. Your example uses the inanimate pattern (accusative = nominative).

Why is there a comma after miš?

Kad god izgubim miš is a subordinate clause (a time clause: “whenever I lose my mouse”).
ne mogu raditi na računalu is the main clause.

In standard Croatian punctuation, when a subordinate clause comes before the main clause, you separate them with a comma:

• Kad god izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.

If you reverse the order, the comma is usually not written:

• Ne mogu raditi na računalu kad god izgubim miš.

(You might still see a comma in writing for emphasis, but the basic rule is:
subordinate‑first → comma; main‑first → usually no comma.)

Why do we say na računalu and not na računalo?

The preposition na can take two cases, with different meanings:

1. na + locative = on / at a place (no movement)

   • na stolu – on the table
   • na stadionu – at the stadium
   • na računalu – on the computer

2. na + accusative = onto / to a place (movement onto it)

   • staviti knjigu na stol – to put the book onto the table
   • sjesti na stolicu – to sit down on the chair
   • instalirati program na računalo – to install a program onto the computer

Your sentence describes where you work (a position), not movement, so we use na + locative, hence na računalu.

What case is računalu, and how does računalo decline?

Računalo (“computer”) is a neuter noun. In na računalu, it’s in the locative singular, required by na when it expresses location.

A simplified paradigm:

Singular:

• Nominative: računalo – (the) computer
• Genitive: računala – of the computer
• Dative: računalu – to the computer
• Accusative: računalo – (I see) the computer
• Locative: računalu – on/at the computer
• Instrumental: računalom – with the computer

Plural (for orientation):

• Nominative: računala – computers
• Genitive: računala – of computers
• Dative/Locative: računalima – to / at / on computers
• Accusative: računala – (I see) computers
• Instrumental: računalima – with computers

So na računalu = “on the computer” (locative singular).

Can I say raditi s računalom instead of raditi na računalu?

You can, but the meaning shifts slightly.

• raditi na računalu
  Literally “to work on the computer”.
  This is the standard, idiomatic phrase for doing work using a computer (typing, programming, doing office work, etc.).

• raditi s računalom
  Literally “to work with a computer”.
  This can mean “my job involves computers” / “I work with computers as tools” in a more general sense, not necessarily physically sitting at one in that moment.

For “I can’t do my work because I don’t have my mouse plugged into this computer”, raditi na računalu is the natural choice. You’ll also see the same pattern with other activities:

• igrati se na računalu – to play on the computer
• raditi nešto na računalu – to do something on the computer

Can I change the word order, for example to Ne mogu raditi na računalu kad god izgubim miš? Does the meaning change?

Yes, you can change the word order:

• Kad god izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.
• Ne mogu raditi na računalu kad god izgubim miš.

Both are grammatical and have essentially the same meaning.

The difference is mainly in focus:

• Starting with the kad god clause gives extra emphasis to the condition / time (“Whenever I lose my mouse…”).
• Starting with Ne mogu raditi na računalu emphasises the result (“I can’t work on the computer whenever I lose my mouse”).

Croatian word order is fairly flexible, especially with full nouns (not clitics), so both versions are normal.

Is ne mogu raditi the only correct form, or can I also say ne mogu da radim?

In standard Croatian, you should use:

• ne mogu raditi – “I can’t work”

That is: modal verb + infinitive (mogu raditi, moram raditi, želim raditi, etc.).

The structure ne mogu da radim (modal + da + present) is typical for Serbian and some other regional varieties (also common in Bosnian and Montenegrin). Many Croats understand it, but in standard Croatian it’s considered non‑standard / foreign‑sounding.

So, for Croatian:

• ✅ Ne mogu raditi na računalu. – correct, standard
• ❌ Ne mogu da radim na računalu. – sounds Serbian / non‑standard in Croatian.

Are there more natural or more colloquial ways to say this sentence?

Your original sentence is already natural standard Croatian. Here are a few common variations with slightly different tone:

1. More colloquial (slang for “computer”):

   • Kad god izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na kompu.
     (komp = slang for “computer”)

2. Using čim (“as soon as”) instead of kad god:

   • Čim izgubim miš, ne mogu raditi na računalu.
     “As soon as I lose my mouse, I can’t work on the computer.”

3. Stating the situation more generally:

   • Bez miša ne mogu raditi na računalu.
     “Without a mouse I can’t work on the computer.”

All of these are normal; your original version is clear, correct, and idiomatic.