Learn Hardcore Croatian: Koliko god je zadatak težak, pokušavamo učiti bez stresa. - However difficult the task is, we try to study without stress.

koliko – how much / how many / how (to what degree)
god – a particle meaning ever / at all (as in tko god = whoever, što god = whatever, gdje god = wherever)

Together koliko god means something like:

“however (much)” / “no matter how”

So Koliko god je zadatak težak ≈ “However difficult the task is / No matter how difficult the task is”.

It’s a concessive clause, very close in meaning to iako je zadatak težak (although the task is difficult), but:

iako simply states a fact that’s in contrast to the main clause.
koliko god emphasizes the degree of something: no matter how difficult / to whatever extent it is difficult.

I’ve also seen Koliko god da je zadatak težak. Why is there no da here, and are both versions correct?

Both forms are used in Croatian:

Koliko god je zadatak težak, …
Koliko god da je zadatak težak, …

Points to know:

Meaning
There is no real difference in meaning: both mean “However difficult the task is / No matter how difficult the task is”.
With or without da
- In standard Croatian, without da is perfectly correct and quite common.
- With da is also used; for many speakers it feels a bit more colloquial or emphatic, but it is not wrong.
Learner takeaway
You can safely use both:
- If you want to keep things simple, just remember:
  Koliko god je + [subject] + [adjective] …

Can you give me a literal, word‑for‑word breakdown of the sentence?

Sure:

Koliko god – however (much) / no matter how
je – is (3rd person singular of biti = to be)
zadatak – (the) task
težak – difficult / hard
pokušavamo – we try / we are trying (1st person plural of pokušavati)
učiti – to study / to learn (imperfective infinitive)
bez – without
stresa – of stress (genitive singular of stres)

Literal-ish:
“However (much) is task difficult, we-try to-study without of-stress.”
Natural English:
“However difficult the task is, we try to study without stress.”

Why is je before zadatak? Could I say Koliko god zadatak je težak or Koliko god je težak zadatak?

This is about word order and clitics.

Why je is there
je is a clitic (a short, unstressed verb form). In Croatian, clitics usually want to be in the second position in their clause.
In Koliko god je zadatak težak:
- The clause starts with Koliko god (treated as one unit).
- Then the clitic je comes immediately after it → second position.
- Then zadatak težak finishes the clause.
Is Koliko god zadatak je težak correct?
No, that sounds ungrammatical / very strange in Croatian. The clitic je should not be pushed later like that.
What about Koliko god je težak zadatak?
This is possible:
- Koliko god je zadatak težak, … – neutral, focus on the fact that the task is difficult.
- Koliko god je težak zadatak, … – word order puts a bit more emphasis on zadatak (the task itself).

For learners, the safest pattern here is:

Koliko god je + [subject] + [adjective], …

Why is zadatak in the nominative case here?

zadatak is in the nominative singular because:

It is the subject of the verb je.
The structure inside the clause is essentially:
zadatak je težak – the task is difficult.

With the verb biti (to be), when you say “X is Y (an adjective)”, X is in the nominative, and the adjective agrees with it in gender, number, and case:

zadatak je težak – the task is difficult
lekcija je teška – the lesson is difficult
pitanje je teško – the question is difficult

So zadatak is nominative because nothing in the clause is forcing any other case.

What form is težak, and how would it change with other nouns?

težak is an adjective meaning “difficult, heavy, hard”.

In the sentence:

zadatak is masculine singular, nominative,
so the adjective is also masculine singular, nominative: težak.

Some key forms in the nominative:

Masculine singular: težak
- težak zadatak – a difficult task
- težak ispit – a difficult exam
Feminine singular: teška
- teška lekcija – a difficult lesson
- teška vježba – a difficult exercise
Neuter singular: teško
- teško pitanje – a difficult question
Masculine plural: teški
- teški zadaci – difficult tasks
Feminine plural: teške
- teške lekcije – difficult lessons
Neuter plural: teška
- teška pitanja – difficult questions

In Koliko god je zadatak težak, težak simply agrees with zadatak.

What tense/aspect is pokušavamo, and how is it different from pokušamo?

pokušavamo is:
- present tense, 1st person plural,
- of pokušavati – an imperfective verb.
pokušamo is:
- formally also present tense, 1st person plural,
- of pokušati – a perfective verb.

Imperfective (pokušavati) focuses on process, repetition, or habit:

pokušavamo učiti bez stresa
= we are trying / we try (as a general habit) to study without stress.

Perfective (pokušati) focuses on a single, complete attempt, often with a future meaning:

Pokušat ćemo učiti bez stresa.
= We will try to study without stress.
Ako pokušamo učiti bez stresa, bit će lakše.
= If we (make an attempt to) study without stress, it will be easier.

In your sentence, pokušavamo is natural because it expresses a general ongoing effort / habit.

Why is učiti (infinitive) used here and not učimo? Could I say pokušavamo da učimo?

Why infinitive?
After many verbs of wanting, needing, trying, etc., Croatian uses the bare infinitive:
- pokušavamo učiti – we try to study
- volim učiti – I like to study
- moramo učiti – we must study
So pokušavamo učiti is the standard construction:
[pokušavamo] + [infinitive].
Why not pokušavamo učimo?
Two finite verbs (pokušavamo učimo) in a row is ungrammatical in Croatian.
What about pokušavamo da učimo?
- pokušavamo da učimo is common in Serbian.
- In standard Croatian, this da-clause after pokušavati is usually avoided; pokušavamo učiti is preferred.
- In everyday speech near the Serbian border you might hear pokušavamo da učimo, but for learning Croatian, stick with pokušavamo učiti.

So for correct standard Croatian, use:

pokušavamo učiti – we try to study.

Could I also say pokušavamo naučiti bez stresa? What’s the difference between učiti and naučiti?

Yes, you can say pokušavamo naučiti bez stresa, but the nuance changes:

učiti – imperfective, focuses on the process: to study / to be learning.
naučiti – perfective, focuses on the result: to learn (successfully), to master.

So:

pokušavamo učiti bez stresa
= we are trying to study without stress
(emphasis on the ongoing activity of studying).
pokušavamo naučiti bez stresa
= we are trying to (successfully) learn it without stress
(emphasis on eventually knowing / having learned the material).

Both are grammatically fine; choose the one that matches the idea you want: process (učiti) vs result (naučiti).

What case is stresa, and why does it look like that?

stresa is the genitive singular of stres.

That’s because of the preposition bez:

bez (without) always takes the genitive.

Examples:

bez šećera – without sugar
bez novca – without money
bez prijatelja – without (a) friend / without friends
bez kišobrana – without an umbrella
bez stresa – without stress

So stres → stresa in the genitive singular, giving bez stresa.

What’s the difference between Koliko je zadatak težak? and Koliko god je zadatak težak?

They are different types of clauses:

Koliko je zadatak težak?
- This is a direct question.
- Meaning: “How difficult is the task?”
  → You’re asking about the degree of difficulty.
Koliko god je zadatak težak, …
- This is a subordinate concessive clause.
- It cannot stand alone; it must be followed by a main clause:
  - Koliko god je zadatak težak, pokušavamo učiti bez stresa.
- Meaning: “However difficult the task is / No matter how difficult the task is, …”

So:

Use Koliko je zadatak težak? when you want to ask about difficulty.
Use Koliko god je zadatak težak, … when you want to say “even if it’s very difficult, still …”.

Is the comma before pokušavamo obligatory? How would the intonation work when saying this sentence?

Comma
Yes, in standard Croatian the comma is obligatory here:
- Koliko god je zadatak težak, pokušavamo učiti bez stresa.
Reason: Koliko god je zadatak težak is a subordinate clause that comes before the main clause. Such clauses are normally separated by a comma.
Intonation
When spoken:
- You say Koliko god je zadatak težak with a slight fall in pitch at the end.
- Then a small pause (matching the comma).
- Then start pokušavamo učiti bez stresa with a new, slightly higher pitch, and fall again at the sentence end.

This mirrors the idea:
[Concession], [main statement].
→ However difficult the task is, (small pause) we try to study without stress.