Drugačije smo planirali povratak.

to be

Breakdown of Drugačije smo planirali povratak.

• planirati: to plan
• povratak: the return
• drugačije: differently

Questions & Answers about Drugačije smo planirali povratak.

What does drugačije mean here, and what part of speech is it?

Drugačije is an adverb, and here it means differently or in a different way.

It modifies planirali — so it tells us how the planning was done.

• drugačiji = different
• drugačije = differently

A very common variant is drukčije, which means the same thing.

Why is smo in second position?

Because smo is a clitic — an unstressed short form that normally goes in second position in the clause.

So in:

Drugačije smo planirali povratak.

the first element is drugačije, and the clitic smo comes right after it.

This is a very normal Serbian pattern. Clitics do not simply stay next to the verb the way English auxiliaries usually do.

Where is the word we?

It is understood, not stated.

Serbian often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear. Here smo tells you it is we.

So:

• (Mi) smo planirali = We planned

You can add mi if you want emphasis or contrast:

• = /