Learn Hardcore Croatian: Kad se pojavi veći konflikt, tražimo kompromis tako da svaka strana nešto dobije. - When a bigger conflict appears, we look for a compromise so that each side gets something.

You cannot simply say kad pojavi veći konflikt – that is incorrect. In Croatian, many verbs are normally used with se, and pojaviti se is one of them. Think of se here as part of the dictionary form of the verb, not as something optional you can drop.

Why is it pojavi (se) and not pojavljuje se?

This is about aspect.

pojaviti se (perfective) – focuses on the moment of appearance (a single event: when a bigger conflict appears).
pojavljuje se (imperfective) – focuses on the process or repeated action (is appearing / keeps appearing / appears repeatedly).

In Kad se pojavi veći konflikt…, the speaker is talking about the conflict coming up as a distinct event, and then what we do in that situation. That’s why the perfective pojavi se is more natural.

You could say Kad se pojavljuje veći konflikt…, but it would sound like you’re describing a continuous or regularly repeating process, and is less idiomatic here.

What case is veći konflikt in, and why is veći before konflikt?

veći konflikt is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of the verb pojavi se:

Što se pojavi? – veći konflikt (subject)

veći is the comparative form of velik (big → bigger), and in Croatian, adjectives almost always come before the noun they modify:

veći konflikt = a bigger conflict
veliki konflikt = a big conflict

So veći must match konflikt in gender, number and case:

veći – masculine, singular, nominative
konflikt – masculine, singular, nominative

Could I say Kad se pojavi veći sukob instead of veći konflikt? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can. Both are correct:

konflikt – slightly more international/technical sounding (like English conflict).
sukob – more native Slavic word, very common; also means clash, confrontation.

In everyday speech, sukob might even sound more natural:

Kad se pojavi veći sukob, tražimo kompromis…

The overall meaning of the sentence does not change.

Why is there a comma after konflikt?

The comma separates a subordinate clause from the main clause.

Structure:

Subordinate clause: Kad se pojavi veći konflikt,
Main clause: tražimo kompromis tako da svaka strana nešto dobije.

In Croatian, you normally put a comma:

between a kad/kada-clause and the main clause,
especially when the subordinate clause comes first (as here).

What tense is tražimo, and what does it express here?

tražimo is present tense, 1st person plural of tražiti (to look for, to seek).

Here, the present tense expresses a general, habitual action:

Kad se pojavi veći konflikt, tražimo kompromis…
= Whenever a bigger conflict appears, our usual practice is that we look for a compromise.

So it’s not about right now only, but about what we generally do in that kind of situation.

What case is kompromis in, and why doesn’t it change form?

kompromis here is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of tražimo:

Što tražimo? – kompromis.

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

Nominative: kompromis
Accusative: kompromis

So even though the case has changed, the form of the word doesn’t.

What exactly does tako da mean here, and how is it different from just da?

In this sentence, tako da means so that / in such a way that and introduces the result/goal of looking for a compromise:

tražimo kompromis tako da svaka strana nešto dobije
= we look for a compromise so that each side gets something.

Compare:

da alone can introduce many kinds of subordinate clauses (purpose, content, wish, etc.):
- Želim da svaka strana nešto dobije. – I want each side to get something.

Here, tako da explicitly connects the result to the previous action (we look for a compromise → the result is that each side gets something). It makes the causal/result relationship clearer than da alone would.

Why is it dobije and not dobiva here?

This is again about aspect and the da/tako da clause.

dobiti (perfective) – dobije in the present
- focuses on the completed act of getting something (at least once, as a result).
dobivati (imperfective) – dobiva in the present
- focuses on ongoing or repeated getting (keeps getting / is receiving).

In a tako da clause expressing a result or ideal outcome, Croatian very often uses the perfective verb:

tako da svaka strana nešto dobije
= so that each side does get something (at least a bit; the result occurs).

dobiva would suggest a more ongoing or repeated process, and would sound less natural in this specific result-focused structure.

What person and number is dobije, and why is it singular when there are two sides?

dobije is 3rd person singular of dobiti.

The subject of dobije is svaka strana:

svaka = each, every (singular)
strana = side (singular)

So grammatically it is one side (each side, taken individually), not “two sides”:

Svaka strana nešto dobije.
→ Each side (singular) gets something.
→ Therefore: ona dobije (she/it gets) → 3rd singular.

Could I say svaka strana dobije nešto instead of svaka strana nešto dobije? Does the word order change the meaning?

Yes, you can say both:

svaka strana nešto dobije
svaka strana dobije nešto

The basic meaning is the same. The difference is in information structure / emphasis:

svaka strana nešto dobije – slightly more neutral or with a tiny bit more focus on nešto as new information in the middle.
svaka strana dobije nešto – can put a bit more weight at the end; nešto may feel slightly more emphasized.

In everyday speech, both orders are perfectly natural and interchangeable here.

Why is nešto used here? Could we say išta or što instead?

nešto means something (in a positive or neutral statement):

svaka strana nešto dobije – each side gets something.

Alternatives:

išta = anything, but usually in negative or question contexts:
- Ne dobije baš išta. – It doesn’t really get anything.
- Dobije li išta? – Does it get anything? Using išta here (svaka strana išta dobije) would sound unnatural or imply doubt.
što can also mean something in some contexts, but here it would be unusual; nešto is the normal indefinite pronoun in a positive statement.

So nešto is the correct and idiomatic choice.

Can the position of se change, for example Kad veći konflikt se pojavi or Kad se veći konflikt pojavi?

se is a clitic, and Croatian clitics have strict word-order rules.

Correct options here:

Kad se pojavi veći konflikt… ✔
Kad se veći konflikt pojavi… ✔ (also correct, slightly different emphasis)

Incorrect or very unnatural:

Kad veći konflikt se pojavi… ✘

In general, clitics like se want to be in the second position in the clause (after the first stressed element), or in a certain clitic cluster; you cannot just move them freely like a normal word.

Could we replace kad with ako in this sentence? What would change?

Yes, you can say:

Ako se pojavi veći konflikt, tražimo kompromis…

The difference:

kad / kada – usually means when / whenever; it sounds more like something that does happen or is expected (a general rule: when this situation arises, we do X).
ako – means if; it is more hypothetical or conditional (if this happens, then we do X).

In many real-life contexts, both could be used and the difference is subtle:

Kad se pojavi veći konflikt… – assumes this is a typical, recurring situation.
Ako se pojavi veći konflikt… – emphasizes the condition more: in case a bigger conflict appears…