Learn Hardcore Croatian: Kad vidim malu razliku u svom izgovoru, osjećam da napredujem, koliko god korak bio malen. - When I see a small difference in my pronunciation, I feel that I am making progress, however small the step is.

Kad is simply a shorter, more colloquial form of kada.
Both are grammatically correct here:
- Kad vidim malu razliku…
- Kada vidim malu razliku…

In everyday speech you will hear kad more often; kada can sound slightly more formal or careful, but in many contexts they’re interchangeable.

Why is it malu razliku and not mala razlika?

Because malu razliku is the direct object of the verb vidim (“I see”), so it has to be in the accusative case.

Dictionary form: mala razlika
- mala – nominative feminine singular (adj.)
- razlika – nominative feminine singular (noun)

In the sentence:

vidim (koga? što?) malu razliku → accusative feminine singular
- adjective: malu
- noun: razliku

So mala razlika would be correct as the subject (“A small difference is…”), but as an object after vidim you must say malu razliku.

Why is it u svom izgovoru and not something like u moj izgovor?

Several things are happening here:

The preposition u (“in”) normally requires the locative case when it means “in/inside” a static state:
- u (čemu?) izgovoru → locative singular → izgovoru
The phrase is “in my pronunciation,” but Croatian prefers the reflexive possessive pronoun svoj when the possessor is the subject of the sentence:
- Subject: ja
- Possession: my own pronunciation → svoj izgovor
So you get:
- u svom izgovoru = “in my (own) pronunciation”, locative masculine singular.

u moj izgovor would be accusative (“into my pronunciation”), and it also doesn’t fit the meaning here (it would sound like movement into something, not a state in something). The correct static form is u svom izgovoru.

Why is the pronoun svom and not svojom?

Because it has to agree with izgovoru, which is masculine, singular, locative.

izgovor (pronunciation) → locative singular: izgovoru
Possessive pronoun svoj in masculine singular locative is svom:
- nominative: moj / svoj izgovor
- locative: u mom / u svom izgovoru

Svojom would be the feminine instrumental or locative form (e.g. sa svojom sestrom, “with my sister”). Here the noun is masculine, so svom is the correct form: u svom izgovoru.

Can I say osjećam se da napredujem instead of osjećam da napredujem?

No, osjećam se da napredujem is not natural or grammatical in Croatian.

osjećati (nešto) = “to feel (something)”
- osjećam da napredujem → “I feel that I’m making progress.”
  Here da napredujem is an object clause of the verb osjećam.
osjećati se (nekako) = “to feel (a certain way)”
- osjećam se dobro – “I feel good.”
- osjećam se umorno – “I feel tired.”

So you can say:

Osjećam da napredujem. – “I feel that I’m improving.” or
Osjećam se bolje. – “I feel better.”

But not osjećam se da napredujem.

Why is napredujem in the present tense and not something like napredovao sam?

Napredujem is present tense, and it fits because the idea is about ongoing progress.

osjećam da napredujem = “I feel that I am (currently) making progress.”
This suggests a continuous, developing process.

If you say:

osjećam da sam napredovao = “I feel that I have made progress,”
you shift the focus to completed progress up to now, more like a result.

In this sentence the author wants to emphasize the feeling of ongoing improvement, so napredujem (imperfective aspect, present tense) is the natural choice.

How does the expression koliko god work in this sentence?

Koliko god is a concessive structure meaning roughly “no matter how much / however”.

In koliko god korak bio malen, it links to the adjective malen (“small”) and means:

“no matter how small the step may be,”
“however small the step is.”

Pattern:

koliko god + (subject) + l-participle of “biti” + adjective
- koliko god korak bio malen
- koliko god to bilo teško – “however hard that may be”

So koliko god introduces a clause that concedes something: even if the step is small, I still feel I’m progressing.

Why is it koliko god korak bio malen and not koliko god korak je malen?

Because Croatian uses a special subjunctive‑like form here, not a normal present tense.

korak je malen = simple statement of fact: “the step is small.”
In a concessive clause (“no matter how small the step may be”), Croatian uses the l‑participle of biti:
- korak bio malen

So:

koliko god korak bio malen = “however small the step may be.”

Using je would break this pattern and sound ungrammatical in this structure. The bio form here does not mean past; it’s just the required form after koliko god (and similar expressions) for this kind of meaning.

Could I also say koliko god malen bio korak? What is the difference in word order?

Yes, you can, and it’s also correct:

koliko god korak bio malen
koliko god malen bio korak

Both mean the same thing: “however small the step may be.”

The difference is nuance of emphasis:

korak bio malen (subject first) – slightly more neutral, subject‑focused.
malen bio korak (adjective first) – lightly emphasizes malen (“small”), a bit more stylistic/literary.

In everyday speech, you’ll probably hear the first version more often, but both are fine.

What is the difference between malen and mali?

Both mali and malen mean “small”, and in many contexts they are interchangeable.

mali korak – small step
malen korak – small step

Nuances:

mali is the more common, neutral everyday form.
malen can sound a bit more poetic, expressive, or emphatic, and you often see it in written or more “careful” style.

In this sentence you could say:

koliko god korak bio mali
koliko god korak bio malen

Both are correct; malen just adds a slight stylistic flavor.

Why are the commas placed where they are in this sentence?

The sentence is:

Kad vidim malu razliku u svom izgovoru, osjećam da napredujem, koliko god korak bio malen.

Comma after the “kad” clause
- Kad vidim malu razliku u svom izgovoru,
  This is a dependent time clause. In Croatian, when a subordinate clause comes before the main clause, it is normally followed by a comma.
Comma before the “koliko god” clause
- …, osjećam da napredujem, koliko god korak bio malen.
  Koliko god korak bio malen is a concessive clause (“even though the step is small”). Such clauses are usually separated by a comma, similar to English:
- “I feel I’m making progress, even if the step is small.”

So the commas reflect:

time clause → main clause → concessive clause.

Could I use kako god instead of koliko god here?

You could say kako god korak bio malen, and it would be understandable and not obviously wrong, but the nuance is a bit different.

koliko god focuses more on degree/amount:
- “no matter how (small)” (emphasis on how small).
kako god focuses more on manner/way:
- “however it is / in whatever way.”

In this specific context (size/smallness of the step), koliko god is the more natural and idiomatic choice, because we are really talking about the degree of smallness.

How flexible is the word order in Kad vidim malu razliku u svom izgovoru?

Croatian word order is relatively flexible, so you can move parts around for emphasis, as long as the case endings stay correct.

Some natural alternatives:

Kad u svom izgovoru vidim malu razliku, …
– emphasizes “in my pronunciation.”
Kad vidim u svom izgovoru malu razliku, …
– slightly heavier at the end, but still okay.

Less natural or odd:

Kad vidim malu razliku u izgovoru svom, …
– grammatically possible, but u svom izgovoru is much more natural; putting svom after izgovoru sounds poetic or old-fashioned.

You cannot change the forms (cases), only the order. The original Kad vidim malu razliku u svom izgovoru is the most straightforward and neutral.

Why is the preposition u used with izgovoru, and could I say na svom izgovoru?

U means “in, inside” and is the natural preposition for talking about something that exists within your pronunciation:

u svom izgovoru = “in my pronunciation” (within the way I pronounce things)

Na usually means “on / at” and doesn’t fit well here. Na svom izgovoru would sound strange or might be interpreted as “on my pronunciation” in a very non-standard way.

So for this meaning (a change inside the pronunciation), u svom izgovoru with u + locative (izgovoru) is the correct and idiomatic choice.