Želim razgovarati s njim u parku.

I want to talk with him in the park.

Breakdown of Želim razgovarati s njim u parku.

• u: in
• s: with
• park: park
• željeti: to want
• razgovarati: to talk
• njim: it

Questions & Answers about Želim razgovarati s njim u parku.

Why is it želim and not something like ja želim?

In Croatian, subject pronouns (ja, ti, on, etc.) are usually dropped because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Želim = I want (the ending -im shows it's 1st person singular).
• Ja želim is also correct, but you normally use ja only for emphasis:
  
  • Ja želim razgovarati s njim. = I (as opposed to someone else) want to talk to him.

So želim razgovarati s njim u parku is the normal, neutral way to say it.

What’s the difference between želim and hoću?

Both can be translated as I want, but there is a nuance:

• želim – literally I wish / I desire. Sounds a bit more neutral or polite, especially in more formal speech or writing.
• hoću – I want / I will. Often sounds stronger, more direct, sometimes even demanding, depending on tone:
  
  • Hoću razgovarati s njim. can sound like I insist on talking to him.

In everyday conversation, both are common, but želim is generally softer and slightly more polite.

Why is razgovarati in the infinitive here?

After verbs of desire, intention, ability, etc., Croatian normally uses the infinitive, similar to English want to do, can do:

• želim razgovarati – I want to talk
• mogu razgovarati – I can talk
• moram razgovarati – I must talk

So razgovarati is the infinitive meaning to talk / to have a conversation.

What’s the difference between razgovarati, govoriti, and pričati?

All are related to speaking, but they’re used differently:

• razgovarati (s nekim) – to talk / to have a conversation with someone (two-way communication)

  • Želim razgovarati s njim. – I want to talk with him (have a conversation).

• govoriti – to speak / to talk in a more general sense, or to give a speech, or to speak a language:

  • Govori engleski. – He speaks English.
  • Govorio je pred publikom. – He gave a speech in front of an audience.

• pričati (s nekim) / (o nečemu) – to tell, to chat, to talk, often more informal or about stories, experiences:

  • Pričati priču. – To tell a story.
  • Pričali smo sat vremena. – We chatted for an hour.

In this sentence, razgovarati s njim emphasizes a mutual conversation.

Why is it s njim and not sa njim?

Both are correct and mean with him:

• s njim – shorter form
• sa njim – longer form

In practice:

• Use s before most consonants and vowels.
• Use sa when s would be hard to pronounce or unclear, especially before s, š, z, ž and some consonant clusters:
  
  • sa sestrom (rather than s sestrom)
  • sa školom

With njim, you can say s njim or sa njim. Many speakers slightly prefer s njim, but sa njim is very common and fully correct.

Why is it njim and not on?

On is the nominative form (used for the subject he).

In s njim, the pronoun is in the instrumental case, which is required after the preposition s/sa when it means with:

• Nominative (subject): on – he
• Instrumental (with): s njim – with him

Same pattern with other pronouns:

• ja → sa mnom – with me
• ti → s tobom – with you
• ona → s njom – with her

Which case is used in s njim, and why?

S njim uses the instrumental case.

• The preposition s/sa meaning with (someone) always takes the instrumental:
  
  • s prijateljem – with a friend
  • s bratom – with (my) brother
  • s njim – with him

So the structure is:
razgovarati + s/sa + (instrumental) = to talk with someone.

Why is it u parku, not u park?

Croatian uses different cases to show location vs movement:

• u + locative = location (in/at a place):

  • u parku – in the park (where?)
  • u školi – at school
  • u kući – in the house

• u + accusative = movement into (direction):

  • Idem u park. – I’m going to the park (into it)
  • Ulazim u kuću. – I’m entering the house

In Želim razgovarati s njim u parku, you’re talking about where you want to talk, not where you’re going, so locative (u parku) is used.

Could I say na parku instead of u parku?

Normally, no. For park, the natural preposition for being inside/at the park is u:

• u parku – in the park

Na parku would sound wrong in standard usage.

Compare:

• u školi – in/at school
• na plaži – on/at the beach
• na trgu – on the square
• u parku – in the park

So stay with u parku here.

Does the word order have to be exactly Želim razgovarati s njim u parku?

No, Croatian word order is relatively flexible. You can change the order to emphasize different parts, as long as it stays grammatical.

All of these are possible, with slightly different emphasis:

• Želim razgovarati s njim u parku. – neutral.
• Želim s njim razgovarati u parku. – light emphasis on with him.
• S njim želim razgovarati u parku. – stronger emphasis on with him.
• U parku želim razgovarati s njim. – emphasis on in the park (not somewhere else).

The original sentence is the most neutral and common word order.

How would I say “I would like to talk to him in the park” (more polite / softer)?

In Croatian, a common polite/soft form uses the conditional:

• If you’re male:
  Htio bih razgovarati s njim u parku.
• If you’re female:
  Htjela bih razgovarati s njim u parku.

You can also use želio/željela bih:

• Male: Želio bih razgovarati s njim u parku.
• Female: Željela bih razgovarati s njim u parku.

These are more polite and less direct than simple Želim razgovarati s njim u parku.

What tense is želim, and can it refer to the future?

Želim is present tense, 1st person singular of željeti (to want).

Even though it’s grammatically present, just like in English I want to talk to him tomorrow, the structure želim + infinitive often implies a future action or intention:

• Želim razgovarati s njim sutra. – I want to talk to him tomorrow.

So, želim states a present wish/intention, but the action expressed by the infinitive can be in the present or future, depending on context.