Learn Hardcore Croatian: Osjećam tugu kad se posvađamo, ali i ponos kad zajedno riješimo problem. - I feel sadness when we quarrel, but also pride when we solve a problem together.

Here, ponos is the direct object of osjećam (understood from the first part), so it’s in the accusative, which happens to look like nominative.

Other forms you might see:

ponosa – genitive (of pride):
Bez ponosa. – Without pride.
ponosom – instrumental (with pride):
Gledam te s ponosom. – I look at you with pride.

So in … ali i ponos …, it’s the direct object: (I feel) pride.

Why is it osjećam tugu and not osjećam se tugu?

In Croatian, you distinguish:

osjećati + noun (direct object)
- Osjećam tugu. – I feel sadness.
  You feel something (a thing, a state) as an object.
osjećati se + adjective/adverb (reflexive)
- Osjećam se tužno. – I feel sad.
  Literally I feel myself sad.

So:

osjećam tugu = I feel sadness, focusing on the emotion as a thing.
osjećam se tužno = I feel sad, describing how you are/feel.

Saying osjećam se tugu is ungrammatical; se doesn’t go with a noun object like that.

What does se do in kad se posvađamo? Why is it reflexive?

Se is a reflexive pronoun/clitic. In posvađati se, it’s part of the verb itself and changes the meaning:

svađati (se) / posvađati se – to argue, to have an argument, to quarrel (with each other)

Many Croatian verbs form a reflexive version to express actions that are:

done to oneself: smijati se – to laugh (literally to laugh oneself)
reciprocal (each other): svađati se – to argue (with each other)

Here, posvađamo se means we get into an argument / we quarrel with each other.
Without se, posvađati by itself is either unidiomatic or has a different feel; in everyday language, people always say posvađati se for to have a quarrel.

Why is it posvađamo and not svađamo? What’s the difference?

Croatian distinguishes imperfective and perfective aspects:

svađati se – imperfective, to be arguing / to argue (as an ongoing or repeated process)
posvađati se – perfective, to get into an argument, to end up having a quarrel (single complete event)

In kad se posvađamo, the focus is on the moment you end up in a quarrel (a complete event). It corresponds roughly to:

when we get into a fight / when we end up arguing

If you said kad se svađamo, it would sound more like:

when we are (in the middle of) arguing / whenever we argue (as a state)

Both can be correct, but the nuance is different: posvađamo highlights the start/completion of the quarrel.

Why is the present tense used in posvađamo and riješimo if this talks about repeated situations?

Croatian uses the present tense both for:

Things happening right now
- Sad se svađamo. – We are arguing now.
General, repeated, or typical situations (like English when we… I feel…)
- Osjećam tugu kad se posvađamo. – I feel sadness when we (ever) argue.

In this sentence, the present is habitual/general: it’s about what usually / generally happens whenever that situation arises, not a single event.

So:

kad se posvađamo = whenever we get into an argument
kad zajedno riješimo problem = whenever we solve a problem together

What is the difference between riješimo problem and rješavamo problem?

Again, it’s about verbal aspect:

rješavati – imperfective, to be solving / to solve repeatedly
- rješavamo problem – we are solving the problem (process)
riješiti – perfective, to solve, to resolve (completely)
- riješimo problem – we (manage to) solve the problem (event with a result)

In kad zajedno riješimo problem, the speaker focuses on the successful completion of the task – the moment the problem is solved.
If you said kad zajedno rješavamo problem, that would emphasize the process of working on it together, not so much the final result.

What is the role of kad here? Could you also say kada?

Kad means when (in the sense of whenever / at the time when).

kad se posvađamo – when(ever) we get into an argument
kad zajedno riješimo problem – when(ever) we solve a problem together

Kad and kada are essentially the same word:

kad – more common, shorter, very typical in everyday speech and writing
kada – slightly more formal or emphatic, often used in written or careful speech

You could say:

Osjećam tugu kada se posvađamo, ali i ponos kada zajedno riješimo problem.

The meaning is unchanged; kad vs kada is mostly style and rhythm.

Why is se placed after kad in kad se posvađamo, and not right after the verb?

In Croatian, short pronouns like se are clitics. They tend to appear in second position in the clause, not necessarily right next to “their” verb.

In kad se posvađamo:

kad – first word in the clause
se – moves to the second position (after kad), following the “Wackernagel” rule
posvađamo – main verb

So the natural order is kad se posvađamo, not kad posvađamo se.

This rule applies to other clitics too (e.g. mi, ti, ga, mu, će, sam, si, je), which tend to bunch up in second position.

What exactly does ali i mean? Why not just ali or just i?

ali = but
i = and / also

When they appear together as ali i, it’s like saying “but also” in English.

In the sentence:

Osjećam tugu… ali i ponos…
= I feel sadness… but also pride…

This structure:

contrasts something (with ali = but),
while adding another element (with i = also).

You could theoretically say just ali ponos, but ali i ponos feels more natural here because it adds pride as an additional, somewhat surprising emotion: not only sadness, but pride too.

Can the word order kad zajedno riješimo problem be changed? For example, is kad riješimo problem zajedno okay?

Yes, Croatian word order is relatively flexible, especially with adverbs like zajedno (together).

These are all grammatically correct:

kad zajedno riješimo problem
kad riješimo problem zajedno
kad riješimo zajedno problem (less common, but possible if you want to stress zajedno)

Nuances:

kad zajedno riješimo problem – neutral, smooth, common. Slight emphasis on doing it together as part of the solving.
kad riješimo problem zajedno – a little more focus on we solve the problem (and we do that together). The difference is subtle.

The original version is probably the most natural-sounding default.

Why is it problem and not problema?

Problem is a masculine inanimate noun.

In Croatian:

Masculine inanimate nominative singular: problem
Masculine inanimate accusative singular: problem (same form)

In riješimo problem, problem is the direct object, so it’s in the accusative. For this type of noun, the form happens to be identical to the nominative.

You would see problema in other cases, for example:

Genitive: nema problema – there is no problem
Genitive plural: puno problema – a lot of problems

What’s the difference between saying Osjećam tugu and Tužan sam / Tužna sam?

Both express that you’re sad, but they do it differently:

Osjećam tugu. – I feel sadness.
- Uses a noun (tuga, sadness).
- Slightly more abstract, like you’re aware of the emotion as a thing you’re experiencing.
- Stylistically a bit more “literary” or introspective.
Tužan sam. / Tužna sam. – I am sad.
- Uses an adjective (tužan/tužna, sad).
- Describes your state in a straightforward way.
- Very common, neutral everyday way to say I’m sad.

You can also combine patterns:

Osjećam se tužno. – I feel sad. (using osjećati se
- adjective)

How are ć in osjećam and riješimo pronounced? Are they like English “ch”?

Croatian ć is not exactly like English “ch.”

č (with a “hat”) – a hard “ch”, like in chocolate, church.
ć (with an accent) – a softer, palatal sound, a bit like a softened “tʲ” or “ch” said with the tongue closer to the palate.

Approximate guide:

osjećam – roughly o-sye-cham, but with a softer ch.
riješimo – roughly ri-ye-shi-mo, with š like English sh and ć in related forms (like riješiti) also soft.

English doesn’t have a perfect equivalent for ć, but aiming for a “soft ch” (less forceful, tongue more forward) is closer than a strong English “ch.”