Learn Hardcore Croatian: Korak po korak učimo hrvatski bez stresa. - Step by step we are learning Croatian without stress.

The pattern is noun + po + the same noun. Leaving out the second korak (korak po) would sound incomplete and ungrammatical in standard Croatian.

Which case is korak in here, and why doesn’t it change form?

In korak po korak, both korak forms are nominative singular on the surface, but this is really a fixed expression.

In other uses, po can be followed by other cases (often locative or accusative), but in this idiomatic pattern “X po X”, the noun typically appears in its base/nominative form and is not declined in the usual way.

So you don’t say:

❌ korak po koraku in this expression
You say:
✅ korak po korak (fixed phrase “step by step”).

What does po mean in this sentence, and where else is it used like this?

Here, po has a distributive meaning: “step by step,” “one step at a time.”

This “one by one / little by little” use of po appears in many similar phrases:

malo po malo – little by little
stranica po stranica – page by page
dan po dan – day by day

In other contexts, po can mean:

per / each:
- Po jedan bombon za svako dijete. – One candy each for every child.
around / along:
- Šetamo po gradu. – We’re walking around the town.

What exactly does učimo mean here in terms of tense and person?

učimo is:

from the verb učiti = to learn / to study / to teach (depending on context)
1st person plural, present tense = “we learn / we are learning”
imperfective aspect (ongoing, repeated, or incomplete action)

So učimo here means “we are learning” in the ongoing sense:

Korak po korak učimo hrvatski. = We are learning Croatian step by step.

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

Učimo hrvatski. = We are learning Croatian.
Mi učimo hrvatski. – also correct, but adds emphasis on we (as opposed to someone else).

What’s the difference between učimo and naučimo?

Both are from related verbs:

učiti – imperfective: to be learning / studying / teaching (process)
naučiti – perfective: to learn something to completion, to have learned it (result)

Compare:

Korak po korak učimo hrvatski.
Step by step, we are (in the process of) learning Croatian.
Korak po korak naučit ćemo hrvatski.
Step by step, we will learn Croatian (and eventually know it).

So učimo focuses on the ongoing process, while naučit ćemo focuses on the final achievement.

Why is hrvatski not capitalized here, even though it means “Croatian”?

In Croatian, names of languages are not capitalized.

hrvatski – Croatian (language, lower-case)
engleski – English (language, lower-case)

However, nationalities and country names are capitalized:

Hrvat – a Croat (male person)
Hrvatica – a Croat (female person)
Hrvatska – Croatia (the country)

So the sentence correctly uses lower-case:

učimo hrvatski – we are learning Croatian (the language).

What case is hrvatski in, and why does it look the same as the basic form?

Here, hrvatski is accusative masculine singular (direct object of učimo).

For inanimate masculine nouns/adjectives, the accusative and nominative have the same form in the singular:

Nominative:
- Hrvatski je težak. – Croatian is difficult.
Accusative:
- Učimo hrvatski. – We are learning Croatian.

The form hrvatski happens to be identical in both cases, so you only know it’s accusative from its role in the sentence (object of “learn”).

What does bez stresa mean grammatically, and why is it stresa and not stres?

bez stresa means “without stress.”

Grammar:

bez = without
bez always takes the genitive case
stres (stress) → stresa in the genitive singular

So:

stres (nominative) – stress
bez stresa (genitive after “bez”) – without stress

This pattern is very regular:

bez šećera – without sugar
bez novca – without money
bez ideje – without an idea

Can the word order be changed, or must it be Korak po korak učimo hrvatski bez stresa exactly?

Croatian word order is flexible, and several versions are natural, with slight shifts in emphasis:

Korak po korak učimo hrvatski bez stresa.
Neutral, initial focus on step by step.
Učimo hrvatski korak po korak bez stresa.
Starts with the action we are learning Croatian, then adds step by step.
Učimo hrvatski bez stresa, korak po korak.
Adds bez stresa earlier, with korak po korak almost as an afterthought/emphasis.

All are acceptable. The original version sounds like a slogan or course tagline, which is why Korak po korak comes first.

How do you pronounce Korak po korak učimo hrvatski bez stresa?

Approximate pronunciation for English speakers (stressed syllables in CAPS):

KOR-ak po KOR-ak U-chee-mo HRVAT-ski bez STRE-sa

Details:

k – always like English k in kite
o – like o in or but shorter
č in učimo – like ch in chocolate
r – rolled or tapped (like Spanish r in pero)
a – like a in father
i – like ee in see
s – always like s in snake, never like z

Stresses (roughly): Kòrak po kòrak učȋmo hrvatskī bez strèsa (you don’t need to memorize this exactly as a beginner, but knowing that each word has one main stressed syllable helps).

Can I also say Korak po koraku učimo hrvatski instead of Korak po korak?

You will sometimes hear forms like korak po koraku, but in the idiomatic “step by step” expression, the standard and most natural form is:

✅ korak po korak

Korak po koraku can appear in other, more literal contexts (e.g. “a step on each step,” “step on step”), but as a set phrase meaning “step by step” you should stick to:

Korak po korak.

Is bez stresa like saying “stress-free” in English? Are there other similar ways to say it?

Yes, bez stresa corresponds closely to “without stress / stress-free.”

Other similar expressions:

opušteno učimo hrvatski – we’re learning Croatian in a relaxed way
učimo hrvatski lagano – we’re learning Croatian easily / in an easy-going way
učimo hrvatski bez ikakvog stresa – we are learning Croatian without any stress at all

But in short, bez stresa is the most direct, common equivalent of “stress-free.”

Should there be a comma after Korak po korak, like Korak po korak, učimo hrvatski bez stresa?

Both forms are possible in practice:

Korak po korak učimo hrvatski bez stresa.
Korak po korak, učimo hrvatski bez stresa.

In a short sentence like this, the comma is not required and is usually left out. Writers sometimes add a comma for rhythm or emphasis, especially in more stylistic or poetic texts, but grammatically the version without the comma is fully correct and common.