Breakdown of Polako učim kako se bolje izražavati na hrvatskom jeziku.
Questions & Answers about Polako učim kako se bolje izražavati na hrvatskom jeziku.
Polako is an adverb meaning slowly / gradually. It modifies učim (I am learning).
In this sentence, Polako učim… emphasizes that the process is slow or step-by-step.
You can move polako around a bit without changing the meaning much:
- Polako učim kako se bolje izražavati… (most natural)
- Učim polako kako se bolje izražavati… (also fine)
- Ja polako učim kako se bolje izražavati… (adding ja = I, for emphasis)
The difference is mostly in rhythm and slight emphasis, not in grammar.
Both učim and učim se exist, but they’re used differently:
- učiti (učim) = to learn (something)
- Polako učim hrvatski. = I’m slowly learning Croatian.
- učiti se (učim se) = to learn (how to do something) / to learn for oneself / to study (reflexive)
- Polako se učim kuhati. = I’m slowly learning to cook.
In Polako učim kako se bolje izražavati na hrvatskom jeziku, učim already has a content clause after it (kako se bolje izražavati… = how to express myself better). Using učim se here would sound less natural and a bit redundant.
You might hear Polako se učim bolje izražavati…, but the given sentence with učim is simpler and more standard.
Se is a reflexive pronoun and is required by the verb izražavati se = to express oneself.
- izražavati = to express (something)
- izražavati se = to express oneself
In English you say express myself, express yourself, etc. Croatian usually uses one reflexive form for all persons: se.
- Izražavam se na hrvatskom. = I express myself in Croatian.
- Kako se bolje izražavati… = how to express myself better…
If you removed se, izražavati would expect a direct object (what is being expressed), and the meaning would feel incomplete or wrong here.
No, kako bolje se izražavati is incorrect.
Se is a clitic (an unstressed pronoun) and Croatian clitics have strict word-order rules. They usually want to be in second position in the clause.
In kako se bolje izražavati:
- kako = first element in the clause
- se = clitic in (roughly) second position
- bolje izražavati = the rest
That’s why:
- kako se bolje izražavati ✅
- kako bolje se izražavati ❌
Word order around clitics is one of the trickier parts of Croatian.
Izražavati is the infinitive (to express), while izražavam is 1st person singular present (I express).
After verbs like učiti (to learn), Croatian normally uses an infinitive to express what you are learning to do:
- učim govoriti hrvatski = I’m learning to speak Croatian
- učim voziti auto = I’m learning to drive a car
- učim kako se bolje izražavati = I’m learning how to express myself better
Using izražavam here would change the meaning to something like:
Polako učim kako se bolje izražavam – I’m slowly learning how I express myself better (describing an existing habit), which is odd and not what’s intended.
Both are correct verbs but differ by aspect:
- izražavati se – imperfective: to be expressing oneself, to express oneself (as an ongoing ability or repeated action)
- izraziti se – perfective: to express oneself (once, completely, successfully)
Your sentence is about developing a general skill or ability, so the imperfective is more natural:
- učim kako se bolje izražavati = I’m learning how to express myself better (in general, as a skill).
You could say:
- učim kako se bolje izraziti na hrvatskom jeziku
This would focus more on expressing yourself better in particular situations / individual acts. It’s not wrong, but the original with izražavati se sounds more like long-term skill-building.
Kako here means how and introduces a content clause:
- učim kako se bolje izražavati = I’m learning how to express myself better
You can say:
- Učim da se bolje izražavam.
But that sounds more like I’m studying so that I express myself better (focus on purpose/result, similar to so that).
Kako keeps the sense of learning a method / way of doing something, which matches the English how to express myself better more closely.
When talking about doing something in a language, Croatian usually uses:
na + locative:
- na hrvatskom (jeziku) = in Croatian
- na engleskom (jeziku) = in English
- na njemačkom (jeziku) = in German
So:
- izražavati se na hrvatskom jeziku = to express oneself in the Croatian language
Hrvatskom jeziku is locative case (after na in this meaning).
Forms:
- nominative: hrvatski jezik (Croatian language – dictionary form)
- locative: na hrvatskom jeziku (in the Croatian language)
You would not say na hrvatski jezik here; na + accusative is used for direction (onto, to), not for language.
Both words are in the locative singular masculine case, because:
- The preposition na (in the sense of in a language) requires the locative.
- Jezik (language/tongue) is masculine, and the adjective has to agree with it in gender, number, and case.
Declension:
- hrvatski jezik (nominative, basic form)
- na hrvatskom jeziku (locative)
So:
- hrvatski → hrvatskom
- jezik → jeziku
The same pattern happens with other languages:
- engleski jezik → na engleskom jeziku
- talijanski jezik → na talijanskom jeziku
Yes. This is very common and sounds completely natural:
- Polako učim kako se bolje izražavati na hrvatskom.
Everyone understands na hrvatskom as in Croatian (language); jeziku is often left out in everyday speech and writing.
Croatian does not have a special continuous/progressive tense like English I am learning.
The present tense (učim) can cover both:
- I learn (habitual, general)
- I am learning (ongoing, now, or over a period)
So učim here corresponds to I am learning in English, based on context:
- Polako učim… clearly suggests an ongoing process, not a one-time habit, even though the form is just present simple.
You can say:
- Polako učim bolje govoriti hrvatski.
This is correct and natural, but the meaning is slightly different:
- izražavati se na hrvatskom (jeziku) = to express oneself in Croatian (includes speaking, choosing words, style, nuance, etc.)
- govoriti hrvatski = to speak Croatian (more focused on speaking the language itself)
Your original sentence Polako učim kako se bolje izražavati na hrvatskom jeziku emphasizes expressing yourself well (not just being able to speak, but speaking in a more precise, natural, or nuanced way).
Both are good; which one you choose depends on whether you want to stress speaking the language or expressing yourself (style, clarity, nuance).
Two things here:
Dropping kako:
- Polako učim bolje izražavati se na hrvatskom jeziku is possible and understandable.
- But kako makes the sentence smoother and clearly marks how to:
- učim kako se bolje izražavati feels more natural in standard Croatian.
Position of se:
- učim se bolje izražavati is grammatically possible, but then učiti se is treated as the reflexive verb (I’m learning myself).
In your original sentence, it’s more natural to keep učim non-reflexive and attach se to izražavati se:
- ✅ Polako učim kako se bolje izražavati na hrvatskom jeziku.
- ✅ Polako učim kako se bolje izražavati na hrvatskom.
- ⚠️ Polako učim se bolje izražavati… – understandable, but less standard-feeling and more confusing for learners.
So the original structure is the clearest and most idiomatic for standard Croatian.