Osjećam nelagodu: u lice mi kažeš da imam pogrešan dojam.

Because osjećati / osjećam takes a direct object: you feel something.
So:

• osjećam nelagodu = I feel discomfort / unease

The noun nelagoda is feminine, and here it appears in the accusative singular:

• nominative: nelagoda
• accusative: nelagodu

That is why it ends in -u.

Osjećam is the 1st person singular present tense of osjećati.

• osjećam = I feel
• infinitive: osjećati

In this sentence it expresses a current inner state: I feel unease / discomfort.

A learner should also notice that Croatian often uses a simple present here where English might choose several options depending on context, such as I feel uncomfortable, I feel uneasy, or I’m feeling uneasy.

The colon introduces an explanation or clarification of that feeling.

So the structure is roughly:

• Osjećam nelagodu: = I feel uneasy / uncomfortable:
• what follows explains why or in what way

In other words, the second part gives the reason for the discomfort: u lice mi kažeš da imam pogrešan dojam.

A dash could sometimes also be used in similar writing, but the colon works well here because the second clause explains the first.

Literally, u lice means into the face or in the face, but in this expression it means:

• to someone’s face
• directly
• bluntly

So u lice mi kažeš means you say it to my face.

This is an idiomatic expression. It does not mean physical movement toward a face; it means direct confrontation.

Mi is the dative clitic form of ja and here means to me.

So:

• mi kažeš = you say to me
• u lice mi kažeš = you say to my face

This is a very common Croatian clitic form. Compare:

• kažeš mi = you tell me
• dao mi je = he gave me
• objasnila mi je = she explained to me

In this sentence, mi is not emphasized. If you wanted to emphasize to me, you could use meni instead, but that would sound stronger:

• u lice meni kažeš — possible, but much more emphatic/marked.

Croatian word order is flexible, and different orders create different emphasis.

A more neutral order might be:

• kažeš mi u lice da imam pogrešan dojam

But u lice mi kažeš puts u lice earlier for emphasis. It highlights the directness or harshness of the action:

• you say it to my face

So this order feels more emotionally charged.

Also, mi is a clitic, and clitics tend to appear in specific positions in the sentence, often near the beginning of a clause or after the first stressed element.

Yes, but that is normal in Croatian.

Kažeš already tells you the subject is you (singular) because the verb ending marks the person:

• kažem = I say
• kažeš = you say
• kaže = he/she/it says

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

So:

• kažeš = you say
• ti kažeš = you say with extra emphasis, like you are the one saying it

Da introduces a subordinate clause, very often equivalent to English that.

So:

• kažeš da... = you say that...
• da imam pogrešan dojam = that I have the wrong impression

This is one of the most common uses of da in Croatian.

Here the full structure is:

• kažeš = you say
• da imam pogrešan dojam = that I have a wrong/mistaken impression

Imam is the 1st person singular present of imati:

• imam = I have

Inside the subordinate clause, the speaker is reporting what the other person says:

• kažeš da imam... = you say that I have...

The subject of imam is still I, the speaker.

Because it is the direct object of imam.

• imam što? = what do I have?
• pogrešan dojam

The noun dojam is masculine singular, and inanimate masculine nouns usually have the same form in nominative and accusative singular. So:

• nominative: pogrešan dojam
• accusative: pogrešan dojam

The adjective pogrešan agrees with dojam in gender, number, and case.

Dojam means something like:

• impression
• sense
• overall perception

So imam pogrešan dojam means I have the wrong impression.

That is a bit different from mišljenje, which usually means:

• opinion
• view
• belief

Compare:

• imam pogrešan dojam = I have the wrong impression
• imam pogrešno mišljenje = I have the wrong opinion

In many contexts they are not interchangeable. Dojam is often more about the impression someone forms from a situation.

It is a common expression pattern, yes.

You will often see:

• reći nekome u lice
• govoriti nekome u lice

These mean:

• to say something to someone’s face
• to tell someone directly

Examples:

• Rekao mi je to u lice. = He said it to my face.
• Ne usuđuje se to reći u lice. = He doesn’t dare say it to someone’s face.

So in your sentence, the phrase carries that same blunt, direct feeling.

Yes. Croatian allows several versions depending on style and emphasis.

For example:

• Osjećam nelagodu jer mi kažeš u lice da imam pogrešan dojam.
• Nelagodno mi je jer mi u lice kažeš da imam pogrešan dojam.
• Osjećam se neugodno kad mi u lice kažeš da imam pogrešan dojam.

These are not identical in tone, but they are close in meaning.

Your original sentence is quite expressive because:

• Osjećam nelagodu sounds formal/strong
• the colon adds dramatic explanation
• u lice mi kažeš emphasizes confrontation

They are related and sometimes overlap, but there can be a nuance:

• nelagoda = unease, discomfort, often internal or emotional
• neugoda = unpleasantness, awkwardness, discomfort, sometimes more situational

In many everyday contexts, both can be translated as discomfort or awkwardness.
In this sentence, nelagoda works well because it suggests an inner uneasy feeling.

Because Croatian has no articles.

So where English says:

• the wrong impression
• a wrong impression

Croatian simply says:

• pogrešan dojam

You understand definiteness from context, word order, tone, and situation rather than from a separate word like the or a.

It sounds somewhat literary, emotional, or carefully phrased, rather than very casual everyday speech.

Reasons:

• Osjećam nelagodu is a bit more formal than something like nelagodno mi je
• the colon gives it a rhetorical feel
• u lice mi kažeš sounds pointed and dramatic

So a native speaker would understand it easily, but in very casual speech they might choose a simpler version.