Questions & Answers about Ne radim to namjerno.
In Croatian, subject pronouns (ja, ti, on, ona etc.) are usually dropped because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
- radim clearly tells you the subject is “I” (1st person singular).
- So Ne radim to namjerno. is understood as “I don’t do that on purpose.”
- If you really want to emphasize I, you can say Ja to ne radim namjerno., but that adds contrast, like “I don’t do that on purpose (but maybe someone else does).”
to is a neuter demonstrative pronoun that usually translates as “that” or “it”, referring to something already known from context.
- In Ne radim to namjerno., to = “that thing / that action we’re talking about.”
- You use to when you’re pointing to or referring back to something relatively general or just mentioned:
- Ne volim to. – I don’t like that/it.
- If the thing had already been clearly mentioned, you might sometimes use a object pronoun instead, e.g. ga, je, ih, but to is very common and neutral, especially when you’re talking about a whole action or situation.
Not in this meaning.
- Ne radim namjerno. on its own sounds incomplete or strange; it’s like saying “I don’t work on purpose.” (as if raditi = “to work (a job)”).
- You need an object to make it clear it’s “I don’t do that on purpose”:
- Ne radim to namjerno. – correct and natural.
- Without to (or some other object), raditi is usually understood as “to work (a job), to be working,” not “to do something.”
ne almost always stands immediately in front of the main verb.
- Radim to namjerno. → Ne radim to namjerno.
- If there is an auxiliary verb (for example in the past tense), ne attaches to the auxiliary:
- Radio sam to. → Nisam to radio. (I didn’t do that.)
- In this simple present-tense sentence, ne
- radim is the correct and only normal placement.
Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and different orders change emphasis more than basic meaning.
Some common variants:
- Ne radim to namjerno.
– Neutral, common; slight focus at the end on namjerno (“on purpose”). - To ne radim namjerno.
– Puts a bit more emphasis on to: “That, I don’t do on purpose (as opposed to something else).” - Ja to ne radim namjerno.
– Emphasizes ja: “I don’t do that on purpose (maybe others do).”
All are grammatically correct, but Ne radim to namjerno. is the most neutral and typical version.
All can relate to “doing,” but they have different shades of meaning and typical uses:
raditi
- Basic, very common verb, can mean “to do” or “to work.”
- In this sentence it’s used in the broad sense “to do (something).”
- Ne radim to namjerno. – Natural, everyday Croatian.
činiti
- More formal/literary; often shows up in set phrases and in writing.
- Ne činim to namjerno. – Correct, but sounds more formal or dramatic.
praviti / napraviti
- More like “to make” (create, produce), napraviti is perfective (a completed act).
- You would not usually say Ne pravim to namjerno in this exact sense; it tends to sound like “I don’t make that on purpose” (e.g. “I don’t make that kind of thing intentionally”).
For the general idea “I don’t do that on purpose,” Ne radim to namjerno. is the most neutral and idiomatic.
namjerno is an adverb meaning “intentionally, on purpose, deliberately.”
Typical placement:
- At the end of the sentence, which is very common and often slightly emphatic:
- Ne radim to namjerno.
- It can also appear inside the sentence, but that changes the rhythm and sometimes the focus:
- Ne radim namjerno to. – possible, but less neutral; can sound like you’re contrasting to with something else.
- Namjerno to ne radim. – emphasizes namjerno strongly: “I *certainly don’t do it on purpose.”*
There is also a related phrase s namjerom (“with intention”), but that sounds a bit more formal:
- Ne radim to s namjerom. – roughly the same meaning, but Ne radim to namjerno. is more natural in everyday speech.
Croatian present tense radim can cover both:
Right now / these days:
- Context: Someone complains about something you’re currently doing.
- Ne radim to namjerno. → I’m not doing this on purpose (right now).
Habit / general behavior:
- Context: You often do something that bothers people.
- Ne radim to namjerno. → I don’t do that on purpose (in general / as a rule).
The sentence on its own is ambiguous, just like English “I don’t do that on purpose.” Context decides.
radim can mean both “I do (something)” and “I work.” The meaning depends on whether there’s an object or other context:
With an object:
- Radim to. – I do that / I’m doing that.
- Ne radim to namjerno. – I don’t do that on purpose.
Without an object, in many contexts it means “I work”:
- Radim u školi. – I work in a school.
- Ne radim. – I’m not working / I don’t have a job.
So here, because of to, it clearly means “do,” not “work.”
Ne radim to namjerno. is neutral and polite in itself. Tone depends more on voice, context, and additional words than on basic word order.
Some variations in tone:
- Ne radim to namjerno. – calm, factual: I’m not doing this on purpose.
- Stvarno ne radim to namjerno. – adds reassurance: I really don’t do this on purpose.
- Ja to ne radim namjerno. – more emphatic, can sound defensive depending on how you say it.
Word order can shift emphasis, but politeness mainly comes from context and how you say it, not from the choice between these standard variants.