Learn Hardcore Croatian: Učenje jezika nikad nije savršeno, ali svaki mali pokušaj utječe na naš napredak i daje nam razlog za ponos. - Learning a language is never perfect, but every small attempt affects our progress and gives us a reason for pride.

Učenje jezika nikad nije savršeno, ali svaki mali pokušaj utječe na naš napredak i daje nam razlog za ponos.

Learning a language is never perfect, but every small attempt affects our progress and gives us a reason for pride.

Breakdown of Učenje jezika nikad nije savršeno, ali svaki mali pokušaj utječe na naš napredak i daje nam razlog za ponos.

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Questions & Answers about Učenje jezika nikad nije savršeno, ali svaki mali pokušaj utječe na naš napredak i daje nam razlog za ponos.

What exactly is učenje here – is it a verb or a noun, and how is it formed?

Učenje is a noun, not a verb. It corresponds to English “learning” or “the learning”.

It is formed from the verb učiti (to learn / to study) by adding the suffix -nje to the verb stem:

učiti → stem uči- → učenje (learning)

This -nje formation is very common in Croatian. It usually creates an abstract noun that refers to the action:

pisati (to write) → pisanje (writing)
čitati (to read) → čitanje (reading)

Grammatically, učenje is:

neuter gender,
singular,
in the nominative case (it is the subject of the sentence).

Why is it učenje jezika and not učenje jezik? What case is jezika?

Jezika is the genitive singular of jezik (language).

In Croatian, when you say “learning of something”, that “something” is normally put in the genitive:

učenje jezika – learning of (a) language / learning languages
učenje matematike – learning of mathematics
učenje povijesti – learning of history

So the pattern is:

učenje + genitive = learning of X

Učenje jezik would be incorrect, because jezik would be nominative, and you need genitive after such a noun of action.

What is the difference between nikad and nikada? Could I say nikada nije savršeno instead?

Nikad and nikada mean the same thing: never.

nikada – a bit more formal or complete
nikad – a shorter, more colloquial form

Both are perfectly correct in standard Croatian, and in this sentence you could say:

Učenje jezika nikada nije savršeno...

The meaning does not change. The choice is mostly about style and rhythm.

Is nikad nije some kind of “double negative”? How does negation work here?

Croatian uses negative concord, which is normal in many Slavic languages. That means:

a negative adverb/pronoun like nikad (never), nitko (nobody), ništa (nothing)
must be combined with a negated verb.

Here:

nikad = never
nije = is not (ne
- je)

So nikad nije savršeno literally looks like “never is-not perfect”, which in English would be “never is perfect”. But in Croatian this is the only correct way to say it. You cannot say:

✗ nikad je savršeno
That would be ungrammatical.

More examples:

Nitko me ne razumije. – Nobody understands me.
Ništa ne funkcionira. – Nothing works.

Negative word + negated verb is the rule.

Why is it nikad nije savršeno, not nikad ne je savršeno?

The verb biti (to be) has its own special negative forms:

je (is) → nije (is not)
su (are) → nisu (are not)
sam (I am) → nisam (I am not), etc.

You do not put ne separately in front of je:

✗ ne je – incorrect
✓ nije – correct

So the correct combination is:

nikad
- nije = never is not → “is never”

Why is the adjective phrase svaki mali pokušaj in that order? Could it be mali svaki pokušaj?

The natural and standard order in Croatian is:

determiner / quantifier (like svaki)
+
adjective(s) (like mali)
+
noun (like pokušaj)

So:

svaki mali pokušaj – every small attempt

Svaki and mali both agree with pokušaj in:

gender: masculine
number: singular
case: nominative

You would not say mali svaki pokušaj in normal Croatian; that sounds very odd and ungrammatical in this context.

More examples:

svaka dobra ideja – every good idea
sve važne odluke – all important decisions

What form is pokušaj, and why is it singular?

Pokušaj is a noun meaning attempt / try. Here it is:

masculine gender,
singular,
nominative (it is the subject of the second clause: svaki mali pokušaj utječe... i daje...).

It’s singular because we say svaki (every, each), which takes a singular noun in Croatian:

svaki dan – every day
svaki čovjek – every person
svaki mali pokušaj – every small attempt

Even though in meaning it refers to all attempts in general, grammatically it stays singular after svaki.

What verb is utječe, and why do we say utječe na plus naš napredak?

Utječe is the 3rd person singular present of the verb utjecati (to influence / to affect).

Pattern:

infinitive: utjecati
ja: utječem
ti: utječeš
on/ona/ono: utječe
mi: utječemo
vi: utječete
oni/one/ona: utječu

The verb utjecati is normally followed by na + accusative to express what is being affected:

utjecati na nešto – to influence / affect something

So:

utječe na naš napredak = it affects our progress

Here, napredak is masculine singular accusative, and naš agrees with it (our progress).

Why is it na naš napredak and not something like u našem napretku?

The preposition na with accusative is the standard choice with utjecati:

utjecati na + accusative = to have an influence on something

Using u + locative (u našem napretku) would not fit with the verb utjecati. It would sound like you are saying “inside our progress” rather than “on our progress”.

So:

utječe na naš napredak – it affects our progress (correct, idiomatic)
✗ utječe u našem napretku – incorrect with utjecati

Why is it daje nam razlog, and how does the pronoun nam work here?

Daje is the 3rd person singular present of dati (to give).
Nam is the clitic form of nama (to us).

In Croatian, short pronoun forms like mi, ti, mu, joj, nam, vam, im are clitics and usually stand in or near the second position in the clause.

In this clause:

svaki mali pokušaj (first position – subject)
daje (main verb)
nam (clitic pronoun, usually immediately after the first stressed element)
razlog (the direct object)

So:

svaki mali pokušaj daje nam razlog – every small attempt gives us a reason

You might also see word orders like:

svaki nam mali pokušaj daje razlog – also possible, but with slightly different emphasis

However, placing nam at the very beginning or end is not natural:

✗ nam svaki mali pokušaj daje razlog
✗ svaki mali pokušaj daje razlog nam

Why is it razlog za ponos and not razlog ponosa?

Both structures can exist in Croatian, but they are not used in the same way.

razlog za ponos – literally “reason for pride”
- za
  - accusative (ponos)
- Very natural, idiomatic way to say that something is a legitimate cause of pride, something you can be proud of.
razlog ponosa – literally “reason of pride”
- sounds more abstract or bookish, and is much less common in everyday speech in this meaning.

In this motivational sentence, razlog za ponos is the normal, idiomatic expression:
“gives us a reason to be proud”.

What case is ponos in razlog za ponos, and does it change form?

After za (when it means “for” as in “reason for X”), the following noun is in the accusative case.

Ponos is a masculine inanimate noun. For many such nouns, the nominative and accusative singular forms are identical:

nominative singular: ponos
accusative singular: ponos

So the word looks the same, but its grammatical role here is accusative because of za.

Why are the verbs utječe and daje both in the present tense? Could we use a different aspect or tense?

Both utječe (from utjecati) and daje (from dati, but here as the imperfective davati → daje) are imperfective verbs in the present tense.

In Croatian, the present tense of imperfective verbs is typically used for:

general truths,
habits,
repeated or ongoing actions.

This sentence expresses a general truth:

“Learning a language is never perfect, but every small attempt affects our progress and gives us a reason for pride.”

So we use:

utječe – it (generally) affects
daje – it (generally) gives

Using perfective forms (like utjecát će, dat će) or past tense would change the meaning to specific, completed actions, which is not what this sentence wants to say.

Could the order of utječe na naš napredak i daje nam razlog za ponos be changed? For example, can I say ...daje nam razlog za ponos i utječe na naš napredak?

Yes, you can change the order of the two verb phrases without changing the basic meaning:

...ali svaki mali pokušaj utječe na naš napredak i daje nam razlog za ponos.
...ali svaki mali pokušaj daje nam razlog za ponos i utječe na naš napredak.

Both are grammatically correct. The difference is only in emphasis and rhythm:

In the original, the sentence ends with razlog za ponos, which puts a bit more emotional weight on “a reason for pride.”
In the alternative, it ends on naš napredak, emphasizing “our progress” more.

Croatian word order is relatively flexible; as long as:

subject–verb agreement is correct, and
clitics (like nam) are in acceptable positions,

you can move phrases for emphasis or style.