Kad otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.

When we open the window, the room looks brighter.

Breakdown of Kad otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.

• kad: when
• prozor: window
• otvoriti: to open
• soba: room
• izgledati: to look
• svjetlije: brighter

Questions & Answers about Kad otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.

Why is kad used here, and how is it different from kada?

Kad and kada both mean when and are interchangeable in this sentence.

• kada is slightly more formal or careful speech/writing
• kad is the shorter, very common everyday form

You can say:

• Kad otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.
• Kada otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.

Both are correct and mean the same thing here.

Why is otvorimo in the present tense if we’re talking about a result in the future?

Croatian often uses the present tense in time clauses with kad/kada, even if the meaning is future or general:

• Kad otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.
  = Whenever/when we open the window, the room looks brighter.

If you want to make the future meaning explicit, you usually keep the kad‑clause in the present and put future only in the main clause:

• Kad otvorimo prozor, soba će izgledati svjetlije.
  = When we open the window, the room will look brighter.

Using future in the kad‑clause here (Kad ćemo otvoriti prozor, soba…) would be wrong or at least sound very odd in this kind of sentence.

Why is it otvorimo and not otvaramo?

This is a question of aspect:

• otvoriti (perfective) → otvorimo
  Focus on the completed act: the window becomes open.
• otvarati (imperfective) → otvaramo
  Focus on the ongoing process / repeated activity of opening.

In a sentence like this, we care about the result (the window ends up open), so the perfective otvorimo is natural:

• Kad otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.
  = Once the window gets opened, the room looks brighter.

Otvaramo would highlight the process:

• Kad otvaramo prozor, on jako škripi.
  = When we are opening the window, it squeaks a lot.

So here otvorimo fits better.

Where is the word for we? Why isn’t mi used?

The subject we is built into the verb ending ‑mo:

• otvorim = I open
• otvoriš = you (sg) open
• otvori = he/she/it opens
• otvorimo = we open
• otvorite = you (pl) open
• otvore = they open

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns, because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

You can say Kad mi otvorimo prozor…, but then mi adds emphasis, like when we (as opposed to someone else) open the window…

Why is it prozor and not something like prozoru?

Prozor is in the accusative case as the direct object of otvorimo:

• Verb: otvoriti (to open)
• What do we open? → prozor (window) → direct object → accusative

For masculine inanimate nouns like prozor, the nominative and accusative singular look the same:

• Nominative (subject):
  Prozor je zatvoren. = The window is closed.
• Accusative (object):
  Otvorimo prozor. = We open the window.

Prozoru is dative/locative and would appear after prepositions or with certain verbs, e.g.:

• Prišao je prozoru. = He approached the window.
• Na prozoru je cvijeće. = There are flowers on the window.

Why is there a comma before soba izgleda svjetlije? Can the word order change?

The sentence has:

• a subordinate time clause: Kad otvorimo prozor
• a main clause: soba izgleda svjetlije

When the kad‑clause comes first, you must use a comma:

• Kad otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.

You can also switch the order. Then the comma is usually omitted:

• Soba izgleda svjetlije kad otvorimo prozor.

Both orders are natural; the first slightly emphasizes the condition (the opening of the window), the second emphasizes the room’s appearance.

What exactly does izgleda mean here, and how is it different from gleda?

• izgledati = to look / to appear (how something seems visually)
• gledati = to look at / to watch

In your sentence:

• soba izgleda svjetlije = the room looks/appears brighter

Examples to contrast:

• On izgleda umorno. = He looks tired.
• Gledam kroz prozor. = I’m looking through the window.
• Gledamo film. = We are watching a movie.

So izgleda describes the appearance of the room, not the action of looking.

What form is svjetlije, and why isn’t it svjetlija?

The base adjective is svijetao / svjetao = bright, light (in colour).

Comparative forms:

• masculine: svjetliji
• feminine: svjetlija
• neuter: svjetlije

There is also an adverb svjetlije = more brightly.

In your sentence:

• soba izgleda svjetlije

Here svjetlije is used adverbially: it tells us how the room looks – it looks more brightly.

You could also say:

• soba izgleda svjetlija

Here svjetlija is an adjective (feminine, agreeing with soba) and focuses more on the property of the room: the room is brighter.

Both are used in real Croatian:

• izgleda svjetlije → more like “it looks more brightly lit” (adverb)
• izgleda svjetlija → more like “it looks brighter (as a quality)” (adjective)

For everyday speech, your original svjetlije is perfectly natural.

How would I say whenever we open the window or as soon as we open the window?

You can modify the kad‑clause:

1. Whenever we open the window:

   • Kad god otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.
     (kad god = whenever)

2. As soon as we open the window:

   • Čim otvorimo prozor, soba izgleda svjetlije.
     (čim = as soon as)

Both follow the same pattern: subordinating word (kad, kad god, čim) + present tense.

How do you pronounce svjetlije?

Break it into parts: svjet‑li‑je

• svj: say s
  • v
    • j together, like “sv‑ye”
      (similar to English “svy-” in “Svyatoslav” if you know it)
• tl: as in “atl‑as”, but inside the word: t
  • l
• ije: in standard Croatian pronounced like a long je ([jeː])

Rough approximation for English speakers: SVYET-lye-eh (smooth it into SVYET-lye).