On zna ispričati dobar vic, ali općenito više volim miran razgovor.

He knows how to tell a good joke, but in general I prefer a calm conversation.

Breakdown of On zna ispričati dobar vic, ali općenito više volim miran razgovor.

• on: he
• dobar: good
• ali: but
• voljeti: to like
• znati: to know
• više: more
• miran: calm
• razgovor: conversation
• ispričati: to tell
• vic: joke
• općenito: in general

Questions & Answers about On zna ispričati dobar vic, ali općenito više volim miran razgovor.

What does the structure "zna ispričati" mean, and how is it different from just "ispriča" or "priča"?

"Zna ispričati" literally means "knows how to tell" or "is able to tell" (a joke). It expresses ability/skill.

• zna ispričati dobar vic
  = he knows how to tell a good joke / he can tell a good joke (well)

Compare:

• ispriča vic – he tells a joke (a single, completed act; perfective aspect)
• priča viceve – he tells jokes / he is telling jokes (ongoing, habitual; imperfective aspect)
• zna pričati viceve – he knows how to tell jokes (in general)

So:

• zna + infinitive (zna ispričati / zna pričati) → stresses knowledge/ability
• ispriča / priča → just describes the action, without explicitly emphasizing ability

Why is it "dobar vic" and not something like "dobra šala"? What is the difference between vic and šala?

Both vic and šala relate to humor, but they’re not fully interchangeable.

• vic = a joke in the sense of a structured, retellable joke with a punchline

  • e.g. a joke you hear in a bar or read in a joke book
  • masculine: taj vic, dobar vic

• šala = a joke in a broader sense: anything said or done in a joking way

  • could be wordplay, teasing, a humorous remark, “just kidding”
  • feminine: ta šala, dobra šala

In this sentence, “ispričati dobar vic” fits very naturally, because ispričati means to tell/narrate, which strongly collocates with vic (a retellable joke).
You can say ispričati šalu, but ispričati vic is more idiomatic for “tell a joke” of the classic, set-up-and-punchline type.

Why is there a comma before "ali"? Is that always required?

Yes. In Croatian, you must put a comma before ali when it introduces a clause, just like in English before but.

• On zna ispričati dobar vic, ali općenito više volim miran razgovor.
  = He knows how to tell a good joke, but in general I prefer a quiet conversation.

If ali is joining two clauses (each with its own verb), you use a comma:

• Volim viceve, ali ne znam ih dobro ispričati.

If it’s joining short words/phrases without a full clause, a comma often isn’t used:

• On je pametan ali povučen. – He is smart but reserved.

But in the kind of sentence you gave (two full clauses), the comma before ali is standard and expected.

What does "općenito" mean exactly, and where can it go in the sentence?

Općenito means “generally, in general, overall”. It comments on the general tendency, not on a single occasion.

In your sentence:

• ali općenito više volim miran razgovor
  = but in general I prefer a quiet conversation.

Possible positions:

1. ali općenito više volim miran razgovor – very natural, neutral.
2. ali više općenito volim miran razgovor – sounds odd; not typical.
3. ali ja općenito više volim miran razgovor – OK, with an explicit ja for emphasis: but I, in general, prefer...

You can also put općenito at the start of a sentence:

• Općenito više volim miran razgovor.
  = Generally, I prefer quiet conversation.

It behaves similarly to English adverbs like generally or overall in terms of meaning and placement, though it’s a bit less flexible in the middle of the sentence.

How does "više volim" express “I prefer”? Is there a verb “to prefer” in Croatian?

Više volim literally means “I like (it) more”, and this is a very common, natural way to say “I prefer” in everyday Croatian.

• više volim miran razgovor
  = I like a quiet conversation more → I prefer a quiet conversation.

Structure:

• voljeti = to love / to like
  
  • volim – I love / I like
• više = more

So the pattern is:

• Više volim X (nego Y).
  = I prefer X (to Y).

There is a more direct verb:

• preferirati = to prefer
  
  • više volim miran razgovor (very natural)
  • preferiram miran razgovor (correct, but sounds slightly more formal/learned)

In everyday speech, više volim is more frequent than preferiram.

Why is it "miran razgovor" and not something like "mirni razgovor" or "mirnog razgovora"?

It’s about case and agreement.

Here, miran razgovor is the direct object of volim → it must be in the accusative case, singular, masculine.

For a hard masculine noun like razgovor:

• nominative sg.: razgovor
• accusative sg.: razgovor (same form for inanimate nouns)

The adjective miran must match:

• gender: masculine
• number: singular
• case: accusative (same as nominative here)

So:

• (ja) volim miran razgovor – I like a quiet conversation.

Other forms you might see:

• mirni razgovor – nominative plural (quiet conversations), OR vocative sg. in some styles
• mirnog razgovora – genitive sg. (of a quiet conversation)

But for the direct object after volim in this sentence, miran razgovor is the correct and expected form.

Why is it "On zna ispričati dobar vic" with "On" at the beginning? Can the pronoun "On" be dropped?

Croatian is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns (ja, ti, on, ona, mi, vi, oni...) are often omitted because the verb ending shows the person.

• On zna ispričati dobar vic.
• Zna ispričati dobar vic.

Both are grammatically correct.

Differences:

• On zna ispričati... – slightly more emphasis on “He”, as opposed to someone else.
• Zna ispričati... – more neutral; who “he” is usually clear from context.

So yes, the pronoun on can be dropped unless you want to:

• contrast him with others, or
• introduce/clarify who you’re talking about.

What tense is used in "On zna ispričati dobar vic, ali općenito više volim miran razgovor", and what kind of time does it refer to?

The verbs are in the present tense, but used in a general/habitual sense:

• zna – 3rd person sg. present of znati (to know)
• volim – 1st person sg. present of voljeti (to love/like)

They don’t refer to what is happening right now, but to general facts / regular tendencies:

• On zna ispričati dobar vic
  = He knows how to tell a good joke (in general; this is a skill he has).
• općenito više volim miran razgovor
  = I generally prefer a quiet conversation (as a stable preference).

This matches the use of the simple present in English for general truths and habits.

Can the order of the two parts be reversed, like: "Općenito više volim miran razgovor, ali on zna ispričati dobar vic"? Would that sound natural?

Yes, that order is grammatically correct and can be natural:

• Općenito više volim miran razgovor, ali on zna ispričati dobar vic.
  = In general I prefer a quiet conversation, but he can tell a good joke.

The difference is information structure and emphasis:

1. Original:

   • On zna ispričati dobar vic, ali općenito više volim miran razgovor.
     → First emphasizes his ability to tell a good joke, then contrasts it with your general preference.

2. Reversed:

   • Općenito više volim miran razgovor, ali on zna ispričati dobar vic.
     → First states your preference, then adds the contrasting fact about him.

Both are fine; choose based on what you want to highlight first.

Is there any difference between "ispričati vic" and "pričati vic"?

Yes, the difference is mainly aspect:

• pričati – imperfective: focuses on the ongoing / repeated action

  • priča vic – he is telling a joke / he tells a joke (habitually)

• ispričati – perfective: focuses on the completion of the action, the whole act of telling from start to finish

  • ispriča vic – he tells (and finishes telling) a joke.

In "zna ispričati dobar vic", the perfective ispričati suggests he can deliver a complete, well-told joke. It hints at the quality of the performance, not just the ability to be in the process of talking.

You can say zna pričati viceve (he knows how to tell jokes in general, ongoingly), but zna ispričati dobar vic makes it sound more like he can successfully land a good joke.

Why is it "razgovor" and not "konverzacija" if it means “conversation”? Are they different?

Both razgovor and konverzacija can translate to “conversation”, but:

• razgovor is the normal, everyday word:

  • miran razgovor – a quiet conversation
  • imati razgovor – to have a talk / conversation

• konverzacija is more formal, bookish, or used in specific contexts:

  • konverzacijski tečaj engleskog – English conversation course
  • formalna konverzacija – formal conversation

In your sentence, miran razgovor sounds much more natural and idiomatic than miran konverzacija (which is also grammatically wrong: konverzacija is feminine, so it would need mirna konverzacija, and even then it would sound overly formal here).