Čekam tvoj odgovor.

Čekam means I am waiting or I wait, depending on context.

It is the 1st person singular present tense form of the verb čekati = to wait.

So:

• čekati = to wait
• čekam = I wait / I am waiting

In Croatian, the present tense often covers both the simple present and the present continuous in English.

Because Croatian usually doesn’t need the subject pronoun when it is already clear from the verb form.

The ending -am in čekam already tells you the subject is I.

So:

• Čekam tvoj odgovor. = I’m waiting for your answer.
• Ja čekam tvoj odgovor. = also possible, but ja adds emphasis, like I am waiting for your answer.

Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns unless they are needed for contrast or emphasis.

Because tvoj is a possessive adjective meaning your, and it has to agree with the noun it describes.

The noun odgovor is:

• masculine
• singular

So the possessive adjective must also be masculine singular:

• tvoj odgovor = your answer

Compare:

• tvoja knjiga = your book (knjiga is feminine)
• tvoje pismo = your letter (pismo is neuter)

So tvoj is used because odgovor is masculine singular.

Because odgovor is the direct object of čekam, so it is in the accusative case.

However, for many masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular looks exactly the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: odgovor
• accusative: odgovor

That is why the form does not visibly change here.

This is normal in Croatian.

Odgovor is inanimate.

That matters because in Croatian, masculine nouns behave differently in the accusative depending on whether they are animate or inanimate:

• masculine animate: accusative usually changes to look like the genitive
• masculine inanimate: accusative usually stays the same as the nominative

Example:

• Vidim čovjeka. = I see the man.
  (čovjek is animate, so accusative changes)
• Čekam odgovor. = I’m waiting for the answer.
  (odgovor is inanimate, so the form stays the same)

That is a very common learner question.

In Croatian, čekati can take a direct object without a preposition:

• Čekam autobus.
• Čekam prijatelja.
• Čekam tvoj odgovor.

So Čekam tvoj odgovor is completely natural.

You may also hear čekati na in some contexts:

• Čekam na odgovor.

That is also used, but čekam odgovor is very common and straightforward. For a learner, it is safest to remember that čekati often works directly with an object, without needing a preposition.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Croatian present tense often covers both meanings:

• I wait for your answer
• I am waiting for your answer

In most real situations, English would probably translate it as:

• I’m waiting for your answer.

The order here is very natural:

• Čekam = verb
• tvoj odgovor = object

So literally: [I am waiting] [your answer]

Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order, because case endings help show grammatical roles. That means other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Tvoj odgovor čekam.

This can sound more emphatic, like:

• It’s your answer that I’m waiting for.

But Čekam tvoj odgovor is the most neutral version.

Yes. Tvoj is the informal singular possessive, used when speaking to:

• one friend
• one child
• someone you address with ti

If you want the formal or plural version, you use vaš:

• Čekam vaš odgovor. = I’m waiting for your answer.

So:

• tvoj = your (informal singular)
• vaš = your (formal singular or plural)

A rough guide:

• Čekam ≈ CHEH-kam
• tvoj ≈ tvoy
• odgovor ≈ OD-go-vor

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• č sounds like ch in chocolate
• j sounds like English y in yes
• Croatian words are usually pronounced quite consistently, much more regularly than English spelling

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

CHEH-kam tvoy OD-go-vor

The dictionary forms are:

• čekam → čekati = to wait
• tvoj → tvoj = your
• odgovor → odgovor = answer, reply

So if you look them up in a dictionary, those are the forms you would usually search for.

Čekati is imperfective.

That makes sense because waiting is usually seen as an ongoing process.

So čekam tvoj odgovor presents the action as ongoing or in progress: I’m waiting for your answer.

A related perfective verb is dočekati, but it does not mean exactly the same thing in every context. It often means something more like:

• to wait until someone/something arrives
• to live to see
• to welcome on arrival

So for a simple sentence like I’m waiting for your answer, čekati is the normal verb.

Sometimes in context it can sound close to I expect your answer, but the basic meaning is still I’m waiting for your answer.

If you specifically want to express expectation in the sense of I expect an answer from you, Croatian might use other wording depending on the tone and situation.

So the safest direct understanding of Čekam tvoj odgovor is:

• I’m waiting for your answer.

Not necessarily:

• I demand an answer
• I expect an answer

Those stronger meanings would usually need context or a different phrasing.