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Moj brat radije jede jogurt s jabukom nego pahuljice.

Moj brat radije jede jogurt s jabukom nego pahuljice.
My brother prefers to eat yogurt with an apple rather than cereal flakes.
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Questions & Answers about Moj brat radije jede jogurt s jabukom nego pahuljice.

Why is it moj brat and not moga brata?

Because moj brat is the subject of the sentence, so it’s in the nominative case.

  • Nominative: moj brat = my brother (as the doer)
  • moga brata would be genitive/accusative in other contexts (e.g., Vidim moga brata = I see my brother).
What part of speech is radije, and what exactly does it do here?

Radije is an adverb meaning rather / preferably. It modifies the verb jede (eats) and expresses preference.
Croatian often uses radije + verb to mean “would rather do X (than Y).”

Why is the verb jede (present tense) used to talk about a general preference?

Croatian uses the present tense for general habits and preferences, like English does with the simple present.
So radije jede = (he) prefers to eat / he usually chooses to eat.

Why is it jogurt (not jogurta)?

Because jogurt is the direct object of jede, so it’s in the accusative case. For many masculine inanimate nouns, accusative = nominative:

  • nominative: jogurt
  • accusative: (jede) jogurt
    You’d see jogurta in genitive, often meaning “some yogurt / (quantity of) yogurt” in certain contexts (e.g., čaša jogurta = a glass of yogurt).
Why do we say s jabukom and not something like “apple yogurt” as one phrase?

Croatian commonly expresses “X with Y” using s + instrumental. So jogurt s jabukom literally means yogurt with (an) apple (or apple flavor/pieces, depending on context).
You can also see compound-style descriptions, but s + instrumental is very natural here.

Why is it jabukom and not jabuka?

Because the preposition s (meaning with) takes the instrumental case.

  • nominative: jabuka (apple)
  • instrumental: jabukom (with an apple)
When is it s and when is it sa?

Both mean with. Sa is used mainly for pronunciation ease, typically:

  • before words starting with s, š, z, ž (e.g., sa sestrom)
  • often before certain consonant clusters (varies by speaker)
    Here s jabukom is easy to pronounce, so s is normal.
Why is it nego and not od for “than”?

Croatian often uses nego when comparing actions/choices (especially with radije), and od more often with adjective/adverb comparisons.

  • Radije jede X nego Y = He’d rather eat X than Y (choice/contrast)
  • veći od… = bigger than… (comparison of degree)
Why are pahuljice in that form—what case is it?

Pahuljice is also a direct object (the alternative thing he could eat), so it’s in the accusative. For many feminine plurals, accusative plural = nominative plural, so the form looks the same:

  • nominative plural: pahuljice
  • accusative plural: (jede) pahuljice
Is pahuljice specifically “cereal,” or could it mean other flakes too?
On its own, pahuljice often means (breakfast) cereal / flakes, especially in everyday speech. In other contexts it can mean flakes more generally (e.g., zobene pahuljice = oat flakes). Context decides.
What’s the normal word order here, and can it change?

The neutral order is: subject + adverb + verb + object + details + comparison:
Moj brat radije jede jogurt s jabukom nego pahuljice.
You can rearrange for emphasis (Croatian word order is flexible), e.g. Jogurt s jabukom moj brat radije jede nego pahuljice, but the given version is the most straightforward.

Why are there no words for “a/the” (articles) in Croatian?

Croatian doesn’t have articles like English a/an/the. Definiteness is usually understood from context, or expressed with demonstratives if needed:

  • jogurt = yogurt / the yogurt (depending on context)
  • taj jogurt = that yogurt
  • ovaj jogurt = this yogurt