Learn Hardcore Croatian: Neki ljudi vole park, a drugi vole kafić. - Some people like the park, and others like the café.

Neki is an indefinite adjective meaning “some” (in the sense of “some (but not all) people”). It can also sometimes mean “certain” in other contexts.

Key points:

It agrees in gender, number and case with the noun it describes.
Here neki ljudi = “some people” (masculine plural, nominative).
Singular forms include neki (masc.), neka (fem.), neko/nekoje (neuter), e.g.
- neki čovjek – some man
- neka žena – some woman

In this sentence, neki ljudi introduces one group, which is then contrasted with drugi (another group).

Why is there no word like “the” or “a” before park or kafić?

Croatian does not use articles (no equivalent of English a/an or the), so nouns appear without them.

Whether you interpret park as “the park” or “a park” depends on context, not on a separate word. The same for kafić (“the café / a café”).

So:

Neki ljudi vole park can be understood as “Some people like the park” or “Some people like parks/a park,” depending on what is being talked about in the situation.
Similarly, drugi vole kafić can be “others like the café / café(s).”

Why is ljudi used for “people”? What happened to čovjek?

The basic word for “person / man” is čovjek (singular). Its normal plural is ljudi, which is irregular.

So:

čovjek – one person/man
ljudi – people (more than one person)

You don’t say čovjeci for people; that form doesn’t exist in standard Croatian. For “some people” you say neki ljudi, not neki čovjeci.

Why are park and kafić in these forms? Are they in a particular case?

Yes. Park and kafić are direct objects of the verb vole (“they like”), so they are in the accusative case (used mainly for direct objects).

For masculine inanimate nouns like park and kafić, the accusative singular form is identical to the nominative singular:

Nominative (subject): Park je velik. – The park is big.
Accusative (object): Vole park. – They like the park.

Same with kafić:

Nominative: Kafić je blizu. – The café is nearby.
Accusative: Vole kafić. – They like the café.

So the form doesn’t change here, but its role in the sentence (subject vs object) is different.

Why is the conjunction a used instead of i or ali?

Croatian has several conjunctions that can all be translated as “and” / “but” depending on context:

i – “and” in a neutral, additive sense (just adding information).
a – often translated as “and” or “whereas,” marking a contrast or difference between two things.
ali – “but,” marking a stronger contrast or opposition.

In Neki ljudi vole park, a drugi vole kafić:

a shows a contrast: one group likes the park, whereas the other group likes the café.
i would sound more like just listing facts, without highlighting the contrast.
ali would sound too strong, like a conflict or opposition, which isn’t really meant here.

So a is the natural choice to express “some people like X, while others like Y.”

Is drugi short for drugi ljudi? How do we know that “people” is implied?

Yes. Drugi here stands for drugi ljudi (“other people”).

This is very common in Croatian:

When a noun has already been mentioned (ljudi), you can drop it the second time and keep only the adjective or pronoun, as long as it’s clear what you mean.
Neki ljudi introduces the group “some people.”
drugi is masculine plural nominative and matches ljudi, so it is understood as “other (people).”

You could say the full version:

Neki ljudi vole park, a drugi ljudi vole kafić.
This is grammatically correct but sounds a bit heavier and more repetitive; the shorter version is more natural.

Could I change the word order, like Neki ljudi park vole or Drugi kafić vole?

Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but not all orders sound natural in every situation.

The neutral, most natural order for this sentence is:

Neki ljudi vole park, a drugi vole kafić. (Subject–Verb–Object)

Variations:

Neki ljudi park vole – possible, but sounds marked/emphatic, perhaps stressing park (“it’s the park that they like”). Not a typical beginner pattern.
Drugi kafić vole – same idea: possible for emphasis, but unusual as a default.

A very natural alternative would be:

Neki ljudi vole park, a drugi (vole) kafić.
(Omitting the second vole is also possible in speech: a drugi kafić.)

For everyday use, stick with Subject–Verb–Object until you’re comfortable with Croatian word order and emphasis.

Why is there a comma before a?

In Croatian, when a connects two independent clauses (each with its own subject and verb), you normally put a comma before it.

Here:

Neki ljudi vole park – full clause (subject = neki ljudi, verb = vole).
drugi vole kafić – full clause (subject = drugi, verb = vole).

Because both parts are full sentences, they are separated with a comma:

Neki ljudi vole park, a drugi vole kafić.

If a were joining just words or short phrases (not full clauses), you usually would not use a comma, e.g.:

Vole park i kafić. – They like the park and the café.
(no comma, and here it’s i, not a)

How do you pronounce ć in kafić, and how is it different from č?

Ć and č are two different consonants in Croatian:

ć – a softer sound, similar to very soft “tɕ” (like the “t” + “y” in British “tune” in careful speech, or like Polish ć).
- kafić is pronounced roughly like ka-feech, but with a softer “ch.”
č – a harder “ch” sound, like English ch in “chocolate” or “church”.
- Example: čaj (tea), čovjek (man/person).

They are different letters and can distinguish words, so spelling matters. For learners, it’s enough at first to know both are “ch”-type sounds, but č is harder, ć is softer.

What is the base form of vole, and why is it in this form?

The verb here is voljeti – “to like” or “to love” (depending on context).

Infinitive: voljeti
3rd person plural present (they like/love): vole

Conjugation (present tense, indicative):

(ja) volim – I like
(ti) voliš – you like (singular, informal)
(on/ona/ono) voli – he/she/it likes
(mi) volimo – we like
(vi) volite – you like (plural / formal)
(oni/one/ona) vole – they like

In Neki ljudi vole park, the subject is neki ljudi = oni (they), so the verb is vole.