Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ne želim zakasniti na ispit. - I don’t want to be late for the exam.

željeti = to want, to wish (more neutral/polite)
- (ja) želim = I want → ne želim = I don’t want
htjeti = to want, will (often used for future: I will / I won’t)
- neću is a fused form of ne + ću (I will not).

So:

Ne želim zakasniti na ispit. = I don’t want to be late for the exam. (focus on desire)
Neću zakasniti na ispit. = I won’t be late for the exam. (a promise/statement about the future).

They’re both correct, but the nuance is different.

What verb form is zakasniti, and why is it used here instead of zakasnim?

zakasniti is the infinitive form of the verb zakasniti (to be late).

In Croatian, verbs like željeti, htjeti, morati, trebati are typically followed by the infinitive:

Želim jesti. – I want to eat.
Moram učiti. – I have to study.
Ne želim zakasniti. – I don’t want to be late.

Zakasnim is the 1st person singular present tense (that I am late), used in sentences like:

Ne želim da zakasnim. – I don’t want (it) that I am late.

Both Ne želim zakasniti and Ne želim da zakasnim are grammatically correct, but Ne želim zakasniti is shorter and more natural here.

Why is the preposition na used with ispit? Could it be za ispit or u ispit instead?

Here, na ispit means to / for the exam in the sense of arriving in time for an event.

In Croatian:

na is used with many events/activities:
- na ispit – to the exam
- na koncert – to the concert
- na sastanak – to the meeting

So zakasniti na ispit = to be late for the exam (as an event).

Other prepositions change the meaning:

za ispit – usually for the exam in the sense of purpose or preparation:
- Učim za ispit. – I study for the exam.
u ispit – is normally not used in this meaning; it would sound wrong in this sentence.

So for being late to an event, na is the natural preposition.

Why is it na ispit and not na ispita? What case is ispit in here?

After the preposition na with the meaning to / onto (movement toward something), Croatian uses the accusative case.

ispit is a masculine noun:

Nominative singular: ispit
Accusative singular: ispit (same form as nominative for most masculine inanimate nouns)

So na ispit is na + accusative.
ispita would be genitive singular, which is not required by na in this meaning.

Why doesn’t Croatian use an article like the before ispit?

Croatian has no articles (no direct equivalent of a/an or the).

So:

Ne želim zakasniti na ispit. can mean:
- I don’t want to be late for the exam.
- I don’t want to be late for an exam.

Context tells you whether it’s the or an in English. You never add an extra word just to mark definiteness.

What is the difference between zakasniti and kasniti?

This is a difference in verb aspect:

kasniti – imperfective, to be late / to be running late (ongoing or repeated)
zakasniti – perfective, to end up late / to (finally) be late (a single completed event)

In this sentence, you are talking about the result of a one-time action (being late to one exam), so perfective zakasniti is natural:

Ne želim zakasniti na ispit. – I don’t want to (end up) being late for the exam.

If you said:

Ne želim kasniti na ispite. – I don’t want to be late to exams (in general / habitually).

That would sound more like a repeated or ongoing behavior.

Can I change the word order, for example: Ne želim na ispit zakasniti?

Yes, Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and Ne želim na ispit zakasniti is grammatically correct.

However, the most neutral and natural order here is:

Ne želim zakasniti na ispit.

Other possible (still correct) orders:

Na ispit ne želim zakasniti. – puts more emphasis on na ispit (to this exam specifically).

Moving words around often changes emphasis or style rather than basic meaning.

How is željeti conjugated, and is želim irregular?

Željeti (to want, to wish) is slightly irregular because of the consonant change -lj- → -l- in some forms. Present tense:

(ja) želim – I want
(ti) želiš – you want (singular)
(on/ona/ono) želi – he/she/it wants
(mi) želimo – we want
(vi) želite – you want (plural / polite)
(oni/one/ona) žele – they want

In the sentence, želim is 1st person singular present, so Ne želim… = I don’t want…

Could I say Ne želim da zakasnim na ispit instead? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

Ne želim da zakasnim na ispit.

Both are correct:

Ne želim zakasniti na ispit. – infinitive construction
Ne želim da zakasnim na ispit. – da + present tense clause

The meaning is very close: I don’t want to be late for the exam.

Subtle differences:

Ne želim zakasniti… is shorter, more neutral, often preferred in spoken language.
Ne želim da zakasnim… can sound a bit more explicit or emphatic in stating the whole situation as a clause.

For everyday speech, the original sentence with the infinitive is totally natural.

How would I say I don’t want to miss the exam (not attend it at all) instead of just be late?

To express miss (not attend) rather than arrive late, you’d use propustiti or izostati s/iz:

Ne želim propustiti ispit. – I don’t want to miss the exam.
Ne želim izostati s ispita. – I don’t want to be absent from the exam.

Compare:

Ne želim zakasniti na ispit. – you will go, but you’re worried about being late.
Ne želim propustiti ispit. – you’re worried about not taking it at all.

Is na ispit singular or plural? How would it look in plural?

na ispit is singular: to the exam (one exam).

Plural of ispit (nominative): ispiti.
Accusative plural: ispite → na ispite.

Examples:

Ne želim zakasniti na ispit. – I don’t want to be late for the exam.
Ne želim kasniti na ispite. – I don’t want to be late for exams (in general / multiple exams).

How would I change the sentence to future tense, like I won’t be late for the exam?

For simple future (I won’t be late for the exam), you’d normally use htjeti in the future:

Neću zakasniti na ispit. – I won’t be late for the exam.

Structure:

neću = ne + ću (I will not)
followed by infinitive zakasniti

This is a statement/promise about the future, not about your desire.

How is the sentence stressed and pronounced? Any tricky sounds?

Approximate stress and pronunciation (in a broad, non-IPA way):

Ne – short, unstressed or lightly stressed: neh
želim – stress usually on že: ŽE-lim
zakasniti – stress typically on kas: za-KAS-ni-ti
na – short: nah
ispit – stress on i: I-spit

Tricky points for English speakers:

ž = like s in measure or vision.
r (not in this sentence, but in many Croatian words) is rolled; here you avoid that issue.
Every vowel is pronounced clearly: a, e, i, o, u are always the same sounds.

Spoken smoothly:
Ne ŽE-lim za-KAS-ni-ti na I-spit.