Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ne želim se previše brinuti zbog ispita. - I don’t want to worry too much because of the exam.

The reflexive se doesn’t usually translate into a separate English word here; it just shows that the subject is experiencing the feeling, not causing it in someone else.

Why is se after želim and not right next to brinuti, like in Ne želim previše brinuti se?

This is because of the clitic-second rule in Croatian.

Words like se, sam, si, ću, ga, mi, etc. are clitics: short unstressed words that normally go in the second position in the sentence (or clause).

In Ne želim se previše brinuti zbog ispita:

Ne (negative particle) – doesn’t count as a “full” stressed word.
želim – first stressed word.
The clitic se must come immediately after that first stressed word.

So the natural order is:

Ne želim se previše brinuti...

Forms like:

Ne želim previše brinuti se ❌
Ne se želim previše brinuti ❌

are ungrammatical in standard Croatian. Se must appear early in the clause, not stranded at the end.

You can move other elements around se, for example:

Ne želim se brinuti previše zbog ispita. ✅ (less neutral, but possible)

but se itself must obey the clitic-second position rule.

Why is brinuti in the infinitive here?

After verbs of wanting, needing, being able, and so on, Croatian typically uses the infinitive.

Common pattern:

želim + infinitive = I want to ...
moram + infinitive = I must ...
mogu + infinitive = I can ...

So:

(Ne) želim se previše brinuti
= (I) (don’t) want to worry too much

Compare:

Želim jesti. – I want to eat.
Ne želim raditi danas. – I don't want to work today.

So brinuti is in the infinitive because it depends on želim (I want to worry).

What is the difference between brinuti se and brinuti without se?

They are related but not the same:

brinuti se (za / oko / zbog nečega)
- Meaning: to worry (about something) or to take care (of someone/something)
- Example: Brinem se zbog ispita. – I’m worried about the exam.
brinuti nekoga (no se)
- Meaning: to worry someone, to be a cause of concern to someone
- Example: To me brine. – That worries me. / That is a concern to me.

In your sentence we are talking about the subject’s own worrying, so we need the reflexive form brinuti se, and therefore we need se:

Ne želim se previše brinuti... ✅
Ne želim previše brinuti zbog ispita. – would sound like I don’t want to worry (someone) too much because of the exam, which is not what you mean.

What does zbog mean here, and why not use o or za?

Zbog means because of, on account of, due to. It introduces the cause of something and takes the genitive case.

In this sentence:

zbog ispita ≈ because of the exam / over the exam
(the exam is the cause of the worrying)

Why not:

brinuti se o ispitu – o usually means about in the sense of talking/reading/thinking about a topic. With brinuti se, o is not the normal preposition for “worry about”.
brinuti se za ispit – za with brinuti se is more like to take care of / be responsible for something, or be concerned for someone’s well-being. It doesn’t naturally mean be worried because of the exam.

Typical collocation for “worry about X” as a cause is:

brinuti se zbog X

What case is ispita, and why does ispit change to ispita?

Ispita is the genitive singular of ispit (“exam”).

The preposition zbog always requires the genitive case:

zbog koga? / zbog čega? = because of whom? / because of what?

So:

ispit → ispita (genitive singular)
zbog ispita = because of the exam

A few more examples with zbog + genitive:

zbog posla – because of work
zbog njega – because of him
zbog kiše – because of the rain

Can previše move to other positions, and does that change the meaning?

Previše means too much / excessively and is an adverb of degree. It can move somewhat freely, but word order can affect emphasis and naturalness.

Common options:

Ne želim se previše brinuti zbog ispita.
– Neutral, very natural. Focus on worrying too much.
Ne želim se brinuti previše zbog ispita.
– Also possible; a slight shift of focus, but meaning is basically the same.
Ne želim previše se brinuti zbog ispita. ❌
– Unnatural/wrong because se must stay in clitic position (after the first stressed word).

In general, keep previše close to the verb phrase it modifies (se brinuti) and don’t separate se from its clitic position.

Are there other natural ways to say the same idea in Croatian?

Yes, several variants are possible, with slightly different nuances:

Ne želim se previše opterećivati ispitom.
– I don’t want to burden myself too much with the exam. (More about mental load/stress.)
Ne želim se živcirati zbog ispita.
– I don’t want to get worked up / stressed out because of the exam. (More colloquial, emotional.)
Ne bih se želio previše brinuti zbog ispita.
– I wouldn’t like to worry too much about the exam. (More polite/softened.)

But the original Ne želim se previše brinuti zbog ispita. is perfectly natural and neutral.

Can I say Ne želim da se previše brinem zbog ispita instead of using the infinitive?

You can hear and read this structure, but from a standard Croatian perspective there are some nuances.

Ne želim se previše brinuti zbog ispita.
– Standard, preferred in Croatian (infinitive after želim).
Ne želim da se previše brinem zbog ispita.
– Literally: I don’t want that I worry too much...
This da + present construction is very common in speech and is fully grammatical in Serbian and Bosnian standards. In Croatian, it is also used in everyday speech but is sometimes considered less formal or less “standard” than the infinitive construction.

So, as a learner of Croatian, it’s best to prioritize:

(Ne) želim + infinitive: Ne želim se previše brinuti...

How would this sentence look in the past and in the future?

Present (original):

Ne želim se previše brinuti zbog ispita.
– I don’t want to worry too much about the exam.

Past (I didn’t want to):

Nisam se želio previše brinuti zbog ispita. (male speaker)
Nisam se željela previše brinuti zbog ispita. (female speaker)

Structure:
nisam (aux.) + se (clitic) + želio/željela (past participle) + previše brinuti...

Future (I won’t want to / I’m not going to want to):

In practice, people often just say I won’t worry:

Neću se previše brinuti zbog ispita. – I won’t worry too much about the exam.

If you insist on “I will not want to”, then:

Neću se željeti previše brinuti zbog ispita.
– Grammatically possible, but this is a bit unnatural; in real life, Neću se previše brinuti... is what you’d normally say.