Learn Hardcore Croatian: Uvijek ti savjetujem da najprije slušaš, a tek onda pitaš je li nešto jasno. - I always advise you to first listen, and only then ask whether something is clear.

In Croatian, short unstressed pronouns like ti, mi, mu, joj, im, ga, je etc. are clitics: they normally go in second position in the clause, after the first stressed word.

First stressed word: Uvijek
Then clitic: ti
Then main verb: savjetujem

Other possible word orders:

Ja ti uvijek savjetujem… (also correct; ti is still in the clitic cluster, after Ja)
You generally do not say: Uvijek savjetujem ti… (sounds wrong in standard Croatian).

Why is there no “I” pronoun in Croatian (no ja)?

Croatian usually drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending already shows the person:

savjetujem = “I advise” (1st person singular)
slušaš = “you listen” (2nd person singular)
pitaš = “you ask” (2nd person singular)

So ja (“I”) is normally omitted unless you want to emphasize it:

Ja ti uvijek savjetujem… = I (as opposed to someone else) always advise you…

What tense is savjetujem and why is it used here?

Savjetujem is present tense, 1st person singular of savjetovati (“to advise”).

Present tense in Croatian is used for:

Right now actions
Habitual / repeated actions

Here it is habitual:

Uvijek ti savjetujem… = “I always advise you…” (something I do regularly)

How is the verb savjetovati conjugated, and is there anything irregular about savjetujem?

Savjetovati (“to advise”) is an -ovati verb and shows a stem change in the present.

Present tense:

(ja) savjetujem
(ti) savjetuješ
(on/ona/ono) savjetuje
(mi) savjetujemo
(vi) savjetujete
(oni/one/ona) savjetuju

Past participle (masculine singular): savjetovao
Infinitive: savjetovati

So the pattern -ovati → -ujem in 1st person singular (savjetujem) is normal for this group of verbs, not an exception.

What is the role of da in da najprije slušaš and why isn’t an infinitive used?

In Croatian, after verbs like savjetovati (“to advise”), željeti (“to want”), nadati se (“to hope”), moliti (“to ask, beg”) etc., you very often use da + present tense instead of an infinitive.

savjetujem ti da najprije slušaš
≈ “I advise you to listen first”
literally: “I advise you that you first listen”

The form slušaš here (present, 2nd singular) combined with da functions roughly like the English “to listen” or “(that) you listen”, similar in function to a subjunctive.

Using an infinitive (savjetujem ti najprije slušati) would sound unnatural here; da + present is the normal pattern.

Why is slušaš (present) used even though this advice is about the future order of actions?

In da-clauses, Croatian uses the present tense even when English may use:

an infinitive (“to listen”),
or a future (“that you will listen”).

So:

savjetujem ti da najprije slušaš
literally: “I advise you that you first listen”
meaning: “I advise you to listen first / that you should listen first.”

The timing is understood from context: the listening will happen whenever the situation arises in the future.

What exactly does najprije mean, and how is it different from prvo?

Both najprije and prvo can mean “first” / “first of all” in sequences of actions.

najprije: “first, before anything else,” often slightly more emphatic or order-focused, sometimes a bit more formal or bookish.
prvo: very common, neutral “first(ly)”.

In this sentence, you could also say:

…da prvo slušaš, a tek onda pitaš…

Meaning is basically the same; najprije puts a bit more stress on “do this first of all”.

What does a tek onda mean, and why is a used instead of i?

The segment a tek onda can be broken down as:

a – conjunction often translated as “and” or “but”, with a slight sense of contrast or separation between two actions.
tek – “only, not until”.
onda – “then”.

So a tek onda here means “and only then” or “but only then”, emphasizing the order: first action A, then (and not before) action B.

If you said i onda pitaš (“and then you ask”), it would be weaker, without that strong “only then, not earlier” idea that tek adds.

Why is there a comma before a tek onda?

The sentence has two coordinated clauses:

(da) najprije slušaš
(da) … tek onda pitaš je li nešto jasno

They are joined by the conjunction a, which typically takes a comma before it when linking clauses:

Uvijek ti savjetujem da najprije slušaš, a tek onda pitaš…

The comma visually separates the two actions in the advice: listen first, then ask.

Can the word order inside da najprije slušaš and onda pitaš be changed?

Yes, Croatian word order is relatively flexible, though changes can affect emphasis.

You might see:

da najprije slušaš (neutral: “that you first listen”)
da slušaš najprije (slightly stressing najprije at the end)

For the second part:

a tek onda pitaš (standard, neutral)
a pitaš tek onda (more emphasis on tek onda = “only then [do you] ask”)

The original order is the most natural and neutral in this context.

What does je li mean in pitaš je li nešto jasno, and is it like English “if”?

Je li is a combination of:

je – 3rd person singular of “to be” (biti)
li – enclitic question particle (yes/no)

Used together, je li functions like “is it?” / “whether” in a yes/no question:

Je li nešto jasno? = “Is something clear?”

In an indirect question after pitaš (“you ask”), Croatian still keeps this question form:

pitaš je li nešto jasno
= “you ask whether something is clear”

This is not the same as ako (“if” in a conditional sense).
In indirect yes/no questions, use je li or da li, not ako:

pitaš je li nešto jasno / pitaš da li je nešto jasno
(both acceptable; je li is a bit more standard)

Why is it je li nešto jasno and not je li nešto jasno je or some other order?

In yes/no questions formed with li, the usual pattern is:

Auxiliary or verb
li
Subject
Rest (complements, adjectives, etc.)

So:

Base (statement): Nešto je jasno. – “Something is clear.”
Question: Je li nešto jasno? – “Is something clear?”

In the embedded question:

pitaš je li nešto jasno – “you ask whether something is clear”

You cannot say je li jasno nešto je etc.; the auxiliary je must be before the subject and directly followed by li in this structure.

Why is jasno in the neuter form?

Jasno is the neuter singular form of the adjective jasan (“clear”).

It agrees with nešto (“something”), which in Croatian is grammatically neuter singular:

nešto jasno – “something clear”

So in je li nešto jasno, the adjective must match the gender and number of nešto → neuter singular jasno.

What does nešto mean here, and how is it different from words like što or šta?

In this sentence:

nešto = “something / anything”

Examples:

Je li nešto jasno? – “Is something clear?” / “Is anything clear?”

Differences:

nešto – “something / anything” (indefinite pronoun)
što / šta – “what” (question word), also “that which” in some contexts

So you ask:

Što nije jasno? – “What is not clear?”
Je li nešto jasno? – “Is something (anything) clear?”

Why is it pitaš je li and not pitaš ako je like English “ask if”?

English uses “if” in indirect yes/no questions:

“You ask if something is clear.”

Croatian does not use ako in this way.
Ako means “if” in a conditional sense (if X happens, then Y).

For indirect yes/no questions in Croatian, you use:

je li or da li

So:

pitaš je li nešto jasno / pitaš da li je nešto jasno
= “you ask if / whether something is clear”

Pitaš ako je nešto jasno is incorrect in this meaning.

What is the difference between slušati and čuti in this context?

slušati = “to listen”, to pay attention intentionally.
čuti = “to hear”, to perceive sound (can be passive, not intentional).

The advice here is about actively listening before asking questions, so slušati is the correct verb:

…da najprije slušaš… – “…that you first listen…”

Using čuti would change the meaning to “first hear” (just perceive sounds), which is not what is meant.

Is the sentence addressed to one person or more than one, and how would it change for formal/plural “you”?

The verbs and pronoun are 2nd person singular, informal:

ti – “to you” (singular, informal)
slušaš – “you listen” (singular)
pitaš – “you ask” (singular)

To address you-plural (or polite/formal “you”), you would use plural forms:

Uvijek vam savjetujem da najprije slušate, a tek onda pitate je li nešto jasno.

Here:

vam – “to you (plural/formal)”
slušate – “you listen” (plural/formal)
pitate – “you ask” (plural/formal)