Breakdown of I kad sam zbunjen, pokušavam biti uporan i nastaviti govoriti hrvatski.
biti
to be
i
and
hrvatski
Croatian
kad
when
Questions & Answers about I kad sam zbunjen, pokušavam biti uporan i nastaviti govoriti hrvatski.
Why does the sentence start with I kad? Could I just say Kad sam zbunjen, pokušavam… without I?
Yes, you can say Kad sam zbunjen, pokušavam biti uporan… and it is grammatically correct.
Starting with I kad adds the meaning of even when / and when and strongly links this sentence to what came before it.
- Kad sam zbunjen… = When I’m confused… (neutral)
- I kad sam zbunjen… = And even when I’m confused… / Even when I’m confused…
In real context, I here usually continues a previous idea, like:
- Teško je, učim puno. I kad sam zbunjen, pokušavam biti uporan…
(It’s hard, I study a lot. And even when I’m confused, I try to be persistent…)
So:
- With I – feels like a continuation, often with a nuance of “even then”.
- Without I – a standalone general statement about what happens when you’re confused.
What is the difference between kad and kada? Could I say I kada sam zbunjen?
Kad and kada mean the same thing: when.
- kad – shorter, more informal, very common in speech and in most writing.
- kada – a bit more formal or emphatic; common in careful writing or when you want a slightly “heavier” or more solemn tone.
So you can say:
- I kad sam zbunjen… (most natural in everyday speech)