Sviđa mi se ovaj plan.

Because Croatian expresses this idea differently from English.

The verb sviđati se works more like:

• to be pleasing to someone
• literally: This plan pleases me

So in Sviđa mi se ovaj plan:

• ovaj plan = the thing that is pleasing
• mi = to me

That is why Croatian does not structure it like I like this plan with I as the grammatical subject.

Mi means to me.

It is the unstressed dative form of ja.

So:

• ja = I
• meni = to me / me
• mi = to me (short unstressed form)

In this sentence, mi shows who likes the plan:

• Sviđa mi se ovaj plan = This plan is pleasing to me

Se is part of the verb sviđati se.

You should learn this verb as a whole unit:

• sviđati se = to be pleasing / to appeal

So se is not optional here. You normally do not say sviđam mi ovaj plan or anything like that.

Many Croatian verbs include se, and it is often best to memorize them together with it.

Because the verb agrees with ovaj plan, not with I.

In English, we say I like this plan, so the verb seems to go with I.

In Croatian, the structure is closer to:

• This plan pleases me

So ovaj plan is the grammatical subject, and it is:

• singular
• masculine

That is why the verb is 3rd person singular:

• sviđa

If the thing liked were plural, you would say:

• Sviđaju mi se ovi planovi = I like these plans

Ovaj plan is in the nominative case.

That may feel strange to an English speaker, because in English this plan looks like the object of like. But in Croatian, with sviđati se, the thing liked is actually the subject of the sentence.

So:

• ovaj plan = nominative singular
• mi = dative singular

A useful pattern is:

• [thing in nominative] + [person in dative] + sviđati se

Yes. That is very natural.

Croatian word order is more flexible than English, especially with short pronouns like mi and se.

All of these are possible, depending on emphasis and style:

• Sviđa mi se ovaj plan
• Ovaj plan mi se sviđa

The second version puts more focus on ovaj plan.

However, the short forms mi and se usually stay near the beginning of the sentence, in the normal clitic position.

Yes, but the meaning and emphasis change.

• mi = normal short unstressed form
• meni = full stressed form

Most of the time, Croatian prefers the short form:

• Sviđa mi se ovaj plan

You use meni when you want emphasis or contrast:

• Meni se sviđa ovaj plan, ali njemu ne.
• I like this plan, but he doesn’t.

So mi is the usual neutral choice here.

Add ne before the verb:

• Ne sviđa mi se ovaj plan.

That means I don’t like this plan.

The rest of the structure stays the same:

• ne sviđa = does not please
• mi = to me
• se = part of the verb
• ovaj plan = this plan

The verb changes to agree with the thing that is pleasing.

Examples:

• Sviđa mi se ova ideja. = I like this idea.
• Sviđa mi se ova knjiga. = I like this book.
• Sviđaju mi se ovi planovi. = I like these plans.
• Sviđaju mi se te cipele. = I like those shoes.

So:

• singular thing -> sviđa
• plural thing -> sviđaju

You keep the same basic structure and change the dative pronoun.

Examples:

• Sviđa mi se ovaj plan. = I like this plan.
• Sviđa ti se ovaj plan. = You like this plan.
• Sviđa mu se ovaj plan. = He likes this plan.
• Sviđa joj se ovaj plan. = She likes this plan.
• Sviđa nam se ovaj plan. = We like this plan.
• Sviđa vam se ovaj plan. = You all / you formal like this plan.
• Sviđa im se ovaj plan. = They like this plan.

The verb still agrees with ovaj plan, so it stays sviđa.

Not exactly.

Both can sometimes translate as to like, but they are used differently.

• sviđati se is often used for finding something appealing, pleasing, attractive
• voljeti is broader and often stronger; it can mean to love or to like doing something

Examples:

• Sviđa mi se ovaj plan. = I like this plan.
• Volim ovaj grad. = I love / like this city.
• Volim čitati. = I like reading.

For a sentence like this one, sviđati se is the natural choice.

Usually no, not if you want to keep the meaning I like.

Mi carries the idea of to me. Without it, the sentence would be incomplete or would no longer clearly say who finds the plan pleasing.

Croatian often drops subject pronouns like ja, but here mi is not a subject pronoun. It is an important part of the structure.

So:

• natural: Sviđa mi se ovaj plan
• not natural for the same meaning: leaving out mi

A rough guide is:

• svi-đa

The letter đ sounds somewhat like the j in judge, but softer.

A very rough English approximation would be something like:

• SVEE-ja

But that is only approximate. The Croatian đ is its own sound, so it is best to listen to native audio if you can.

Also remember that Croatian stress is not usually marked in normal writing, so pronunciation is something you gradually pick up through exposure.