I meni se sviđa ova ideja.

Here i means and or also/too, depending on context.

So I meni se sviđa ova ideja can mean something like:

• And I like this idea too
• I also like this idea

At the beginning of a sentence, i often connects it to what was said before. For example:

• Njoj se sviđa ova ideja. I meni se sviđa ova ideja. = She likes this idea. And I like this idea too.

So this i is not the English pronoun I. It is the Croatian conjunction/particle i.

Because the verb pattern with sviđati se does not work like English to like.

In English, you say:

• I like the idea

But in Croatian, the structure is more like:

• The idea is pleasing to me

That is why the person who experiences the liking goes in the dative case, not the nominative.

• ja = I (subject form)
• meni = to me (dative form)

So:

• Meni se sviđa ova ideja literally works like This idea is pleasing to me

That is the normal Croatian structure.

Se is part of the verb expression sviđati se, which means to be pleasing / to appeal / to be liked.

You usually learn it as a unit:

• sviđati se = to like / to be pleasing

So in this sentence, se is not optional if you want this meaning.

Examples:

• Sviđa mi se film. = I like the film.
• Ne sviđa mi se. = I don’t like it.

Many Croatian verbs use se, and learners often just need to memorize them together with the verb.

Because the verb agrees with what is liked, not with the person who likes it.

In this sentence, the thing being liked is:

• ova ideja = this idea

That noun phrase is:

• singular
• feminine

With sviđati se, the verb is typically in 3rd person singular if one thing is liked:

• Sviđa mi se ova ideja. = I like this idea.

If multiple things are liked, you use sviđaju:

• Sviđaju mi se ove ideje. = I like these ideas.

So sviđa matches ova ideja, not meni.

Because ova ideja is the grammatical subject of the sentence, so it stays in the nominative case.

Again, Croatian is not structuring this like English I like this idea. It is structuring it more like:

• This idea pleases me

So:

• ova ideja = nominative, because it is the thing that sviđa
• meni = dative, because it means to me

Compare:

• Ova ideja mi se sviđa. = I like this idea.

If you used ovu ideju, that would be accusative, which would fit different verb patterns, but not this one.

Yes, in many cases meni is not necessary, and Croatian often prefers the short clitic form mi.

Very common version:

• I mi se sviđa ova ideja.
• even more naturally: I meni se sviđa ova ideja if you want emphasis on me
• or: I ova ideja mi se sviđa, depending on focus

The difference is mostly about emphasis:

• mi = unstressed, neutral, very common
• meni = stressed, more emphatic, often contrasts with someone else

For example:

• Njemu se ne sviđa, ali meni se sviđa. = He doesn’t like it, but I do.

So meni often suggests contrast or emphasis: me too / as for me / I for one.

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible, but not completely free. Different orders change the focus or emphasis.

Some natural alternatives are:

• I meni se sviđa ova ideja.
• I ova ideja mi se sviđa.
• Sviđa mi se ova ideja.
• Meni se sviđa ova ideja.

These all can mean roughly the same basic thing, but with different emphasis:

• I meni se sviđa ova ideja = I like this idea too / me too
• Sviđa mi se ova ideja = neutral, very common
• Meni se sviđa ova ideja = emphasizes to me
• Ova ideja mi se sviđa = emphasizes this idea

Croatian often places short unstressed words like mi, se, je, ga, etc. in special positions, so learners usually need time to get used to clitic word order.

This is a very common learner question.

• sviđati se is usually imperfective
• svidjeti se is usually perfective

In simple terms:

• sviđati se often describes an ongoing state or repeated liking
• svidjeti se often describes the moment of coming to like something, or liking something as a completed reaction

Examples:

• Sviđa mi se ova ideja. = I like this idea.
• Svidjela mi se ta ideja. = I liked that idea / That idea appealed to me.

For your sentence, sviđa se is the normal choice for saying that you like something now.

Yes, it is natural, especially if you want to emphasize me too.

A very common neutral sentence would be:

• Sviđa mi se ova ideja.

But if the context is:

• someone else likes the idea
• and now you are saying that you do too

then:

• I meni se sviđa ova ideja.

sounds very natural.

If you want a slightly more everyday rhythm, native speakers might also say:

• I meni se ova ideja sviđa.
• I ja mislim da je ovo dobra ideja. (if the meaning is slightly broader)

So your sentence is correct and natural; the best version depends on what you want to emphasize.