Najprije učimo hrvatski, onda gledamo film.

First we study Croatian, then we watch a movie.

Breakdown of Najprije učimo hrvatski, onda gledamo film.

• hrvatski: Croatian
• gledati: to watch
• film: movie
• učiti: to study
• najprije: first
• onda: then

Questions & Answers about Najprije učimo hrvatski, onda gledamo film.

What is the word‑for‑word breakdown of Najprije učimo hrvatski, onda gledamo film?

• Najprije – first, first of all, before anything else (adverb)
• učimo – we learn / we are learning
  
  • from the verb učiti = to learn, to study
  • present tense, 1st person plural (“we”)
• hrvatski – literally Croatian
  
  • here it means the Croatian language
  • grammatically: an adjective used as a noun, accusative (direct object)
• onda – then, after that (adverb)
• gledamo – we watch / we are watching
  
  • from gledati = to watch
  • present tense, 1st person plural
• film – a film, a movie
  
  • masculine noun, accusative (direct object; same form as nominative)

So literally: “First we learn Croatian, then we watch (a) film.”

Why is učimo used instead of the infinitive učiti?

Croatian (like most Slavic languages) normally uses a conjugated verb in a sentence, not the infinitive.

• učiti = to learn (infinitive, dictionary form)
• učimo = we learn / we are learning (present tense, 1st person plural)

In English you say “We learn Croatian,” not “We to learn Croatian.”
Same idea in Croatian: Najprije učimo hrvatski, not Najprije učiti hrvatski.

Why is the present tense used to talk about the future here?

In Croatian, the present tense is often used for planned or scheduled future actions, especially when the time order is made clear by words like najprije (first) and onda (then).

So:

• Najprije učimo hrvatski, onda gledamo film.
  = First we’ll learn Croatian, then we’ll watch a film.

This is very natural, especially in:

• instructions,
• schedules,
• informal planning.

You can use the future tense, but it isn’t necessary.

Could I use the future tense instead? How would the sentence look?

Yes. A version with explicit future tense would be:

• Najprije ćemo učiti hrvatski, onda ćemo gledati film.

Breakdown:

• ćemo – future auxiliary for we (from htjeti)
• učiti / gledati – infinitives

Meaning is essentially the same, but:

• With present tense: sounds like an immediate plan or instruction.
• With future tense: can sound a bit more formal or more clearly future, especially if the actions are not happening right now.

Both are correct; the original sentence is very natural in everyday speech.

Why is there no word for “we”? Why not Mi najprije učimo hrvatski…?

Croatian is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns (ja, ti, on, mi, vi, oni) are usually omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• učimo = “we learn” (the -mo ending shows “we”)
• So mi is normally unnecessary:
  Najprije učimo hrvatski… is the default.

You add mi only for emphasis or contrast, e.g.:

• Mi najprije učimo hrvatski, a oni gledaju film.
  We first study Croatian, but they watch a film.

Why is it hrvatski and not something like hrvatskog or hrvatski jezik?

Three points here:

1. Case (grammar form):
   The verb učiti takes a direct object in the accusative.

   • For adjectives used as nouns (like language names), the accusative singular masculine often looks the same as the nominative.
   • So hrvatski can be both:
     • nominative: Croatian (language) is hard – Hrvatski je težak.
     • accusative: We’re learning Croatian (language) – Učimo hrvatski.

   hrvatskog would be genitive, which isn’t correct after učiti.

2. Adjective used as a noun:
   hrvatski is originally an adjective (Croatian), but in practice it commonly stands for “the Croatian language”. Very common with language names.

3. Full form is possible:
   You can say:

   • učimo hrvatski jezik – we’re learning the Croatian language
     This is correct, just a bit longer. Everyday speech usually just says hrvatski.

Why is film in this form? Shouldn’t it change for the object?

Film does function as the direct object, so it is in the accusative.

However, for masculine, inanimate nouns, the accusative singular often looks identical to the nominative.

• nominative: film – A film is good. – Film je dobar.
• accusative: film – We’re watching a film. – Gledamo film.

So it is the accusative; it just happens to look the same in this case.

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

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

• najprije – slightly more formal/neutral; very common in spoken and written language.
• prvo – also “first”; maybe a bit shorter and more casual in some contexts.

In this sentence, you could say:

• Najprije učimo hrvatski, onda gledamo film.
• Prvo učimo hrvatski, onda gledamo film.

Both are correct and natural. The nuance difference is small; in everyday speech they’re almost interchangeable here.

What does onda mean, and can I replace it with something else?

onda means “then,” “after that,” “next” in the sense of time sequence.

Other options:

• zatim – then, afterwards (slightly more “bookish” or formal, but also used in speech)
• poslije – later, afterwards (often needs a bit different structure)

You can say:

• Najprije učimo hrvatski, zatim gledamo film.
• Najprije učimo hrvatski, poslije gledamo film.

All are understandable; onda and zatim are the most direct equivalents of “then” in a sequence.

Can I change the word order, like in English, and still sound natural?

Yes, but some orders sound more natural than others. The original:

• Najprije učimo hrvatski, onda gledamo film.
  is the most typical neutral order.

Possible variations:

• Učimo hrvatski najprije, onda gledamo film. – acceptable, but najprije usually sounds better at the beginning.
• Učimo najprije hrvatski, onda gledamo film. – okay; slightly different emphasis (we first learn Croatian, rather than something else).
• Onda gledamo film, najprije učimo hrvatski. – sounds odd logically; “then” usually comes after “first,” so this order is not natural.

General rule: adverbs of time like najprije, onda often appear near the beginning of the clause.

Why is it gledamo and not something like pogledamo?

Croatian verbs come in aspect pairs:

• gledati – imperfective (ongoing, process: to watch, be watching)
• pogledati – perfective (completed event: to watch through / to finish watching once)

In your sentence:

• gledamo film focuses on the activity: we watch a film.
• pogledamo film would focus on the completion: we (will) watch a film and finish it.

For a simple schedule of activities, gledamo film (imperfective) is completely natural and usual.
You could say in a more “completed-task” sense:

• Najprije učimo hrvatski, onda ćemo pogledati film.

but that adds a nuance of “we’ll watch it to the end” and uses the future auxiliary.

How is this sentence pronounced? Where is the stress?

Approximate pronunciation with stressed syllables in caps:

• Najprije – NAJ-pri-ye
  
  • NAJ as in English “nigh”
  • stress on the first syllable: NAJ
  • j = English y
• učimo – OO-chee-mo
  
  • stress on the first syllable: U-či-mo
• hrvatski – HR-vats-kee
  
  • cluster hrv is pronounced together; h is a voiceless sound, r rolled, v as in English “v”
  • main stress usually on HR: HR-vat-ski
• onda – ON-da
  
  • stress on ON
• gledamo – GLE-da-mo
  
  • stress on GLE
• film – like English “film,” but the l is clear (not dark), and the i is like the ee in “see.”

Very roughly: NAJ-pri-ye OO-chee-mo HR-vats-kee, ON-da GLE-da-mo film.