S klijenticom dogovaram sastanak za petak, ali joj ovaj termin ne odgovara.

Because the preposition s meaning with requires the instrumental case.

• klijentica = nominative singular, female client
• s klijenticom = with the client

So:

• s prijateljem = with a male friend
• s prijateljicom = with a female friend
• s klijenticom = with a female client

This is a very common pattern in Croatian.

Here dogovaram means I am arranging, I am agreeing on, or I am setting up.

The verb comes from dogovarati (se), which is the imperfective verb. In this sentence, it suggests an ongoing process:

• S klijenticom dogovaram sastanak = I’m arranging a meeting with the client

It sounds natural when you are in the middle of scheduling something, discussing options, or handling the arrangement right now.

In Croatian, dogovoriti / dogovarati sastanak is a standard way to say to arrange a meeting.

So:

• dogovarati sastanak = to be arranging a meeting
• dogovoriti sastanak = to arrange / finalize a meeting

The noun sastanak is in the accusative, but since it is an inanimate masculine noun, it looks the same as the nominative:

• nominative: sastanak
• accusative: sastanak

Za + accusative is often used when talking about something scheduled for a certain day or time.

So:

• za petak = for Friday
• za sutra = for tomorrow
• za idući tjedan = for next week

Here it means the meeting is being arranged for Friday.

This is different from some other time expressions:

• u petak = on Friday
• za petak = for Friday, scheduled for Friday

In practice, both can relate to Friday, but za petak strongly emphasizes the planned appointment date.

Joj is the dative singular form of the pronoun ona (she/her), and here it means to her.

So:

• joj = to her

In the sentence:

• ali joj ovaj termin ne odgovara
• but this appointment/time doesn’t suit her

The verb odgovarati often takes a person in the dative:

• To mi odgovara = That suits me
• To ti ne odgovara = That doesn’t suit you
• To joj ne odgovara = That doesn’t suit her

Croatian has a special rule for short unstressed pronouns like mi, ti, mu, joj, nam, vam, im. These are clitics, and they usually appear near the second position in the clause.

So after ali (but), the clitic joj comes very early:

• ali joj ovaj termin ne odgovara

This is much more natural than placing joj later.

A full stressed form is also possible in special contexts:

• ali njoj ovaj termin ne odgovara

That version gives extra emphasis, something like but this time doesn’t suit her.

Not exactly.

• sastanak = meeting
• termin = time slot, appointment time, scheduled time

In this sentence:

• dogovaram sastanak = I’m arranging a meeting
• ovaj termin ne odgovara = this time slot doesn’t suit her

So the speaker is arranging a meeting, but the problem is with the proposed time.

Good question. Odgovarati has more than one meaning.

It can mean:

1. to answer

   • Odgovaram na pitanje. = I am answering the question.

2. to suit / be convenient for

   • Ovaj termin mi odgovara. = This time works for me.

In your sentence, it clearly means to suit / to be convenient for, because it is used with a person in the dative:

• joj odgovara = suits her

Because ovaj means this, and it must agree with termin in gender, number, and case.

• termin is masculine singular
• so the correct form is ovaj

Examples:

• ovaj termin = this time slot
• ovaj sastanak = this meeting
• ova klijentica = this female client
• ovo vrijeme = this time/weather

Here ovaj termin is the subject of ne odgovara, so it is in the nominative.

Because odgovara is the present tense of the imperfective verb odgovarati.

Here the sentence describes a current situation:

• this time doesn’t suit her

The imperfective verb is natural because it describes a state or ongoing relevance, not a single completed action.

Compare:

• odgovarati = to suit, to be suitable; to be answering
• odgovoriti = to answer once, to give an answer

For to suit, Croatian normally uses odgovarati, not odgovoriti.

Yes. Klijentica specifically means a female client.

Compare:

• klijent = male client, or sometimes client in a general sense
• klijentica = female client

It matters because other words in the sentence refer back to her:

• s klijenticom = with the female client
• joj = to her

So the sentence is clearly about a female client.

Normally, s klijenticom is the standard form here.

Croatian uses sa instead of s mainly when pronunciation is easier that way, especially before certain consonant clusters, for example:

• sa mnom = with me
• sa sobom = with oneself
• sa psom is also often heard

Before k, s klijenticom is the normal choice.

Formally, it is present tense. But in Croatian, present tense is often used for something happening right now or as part of a current process.

So here:

• S klijenticom dogovaram sastanak za petak

means something like:

• I’m arranging a meeting with the client for Friday
• I’m in the process of setting up a Friday meeting

It does not mean the meeting itself is happening now; it means the arrangement is happening now.