Impersonal Use of 'Činiti se' (It seems)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'Čini se' to express how things appear or to share your opinion softly without sounding too bossy.
- Always use the 3rd person singular: 'Čini se' (It seems).
- Add a Dative pronoun to say who it seems to: 'Čini MI se' (It seems to ME).
- Connect to the next thought using 'da' (that): 'Čini se da pada kiša'.
Impersonal Forms of 'Činiti se'
| Tense | Form | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
|
Present
|
Čini se
|
It seems
|
|
Past
|
Činilo se
|
It seemed
|
|
Future
|
Činit će se
|
It will seem
|
|
Conditional
|
Činilo bi se
|
It would seem
|
|
Present Negative
|
Ne čini se
|
It doesn't seem
|
|
Past Negative
|
Nije se činilo
|
It didn't seem
|
Dative Clitic Placement
| Person | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
1st Sing (I)
|
Čini mi se
|
Čini mi se da znam.
|
|
2nd Sing (You)
|
Čini ti se
|
Čini ti se da čuješ nešto.
|
|
3rd Sing (He/She)
|
Čini mu/joj se
|
Čini joj se da je kasno.
|
|
1st Plur (We)
|
Čini nam se
|
Čini nam se da smo stigli.
|
|
2nd Plur (You all)
|
Čini vam se
|
Čini vam se da je skupo.
|
|
3rd Plur (They)
|
Čini im se
|
Čini im se da je gotovo.
|
Meanings
The verb 'činiti se' is used impersonally to express a subjective impression, an observation, or a softened opinion about a situation.
Subjective Opinion
Expressing what you think is happening based on your feelings or limited info.
“Čini mi se da on laže.”
“Čini nam se da je ovo pogrešan put.”
Objective Appearance
Describing how a situation looks to anyone observing it.
“Čini se da će sutra biti sunčano.”
“Čini se da nema nikoga kod kuće.”
Polite Correction/Suggestion
Using the impersonal form to avoid sounding confrontational.
“Čini mi se da ste zaboravili ključeve.”
“Čini se da postoji mali problem u ugovoru.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Čini se + da + clause
|
Čini se da će padati snijeg.
|
|
With Person
|
Čini + [Dative] + se + da
|
Čini mi se da si u pravu.
|
|
Negative
|
Ne čini se + da
|
Ne čini se da je on ovdje.
|
|
Question
|
Čini li se + da
|
Čini li se da je ovo pokvareno?
|
|
Past
|
Činilo se + da
|
Činilo se da je sve u redu.
|
|
Past Negative
|
Nije se činilo + da
|
Nije se činilo da su sretni.
|
|
Short Answer
|
Čini se. / Ne čini se.
|
A: Je li teško? B: Čini se.
|
|
Emphatic
|
Meni se čini da...
|
Meni se čini da to nije fer.
|
Spectre de formalité
Čini se da je došlo do određenih poteškoća. (Work/Social)
Čini se da imamo problem. (Work/Social)
Čini se da smo u banani. (Work/Social)
Čini se da smo sje*ali. (Work/Social)
The World of 'Činiti se'
Feelings
- Čini mi se I feel like/It seems to me
Observations
- Čini se da It appears that
Politeness
- Ne čini li vam se Doesn't it seem to you (soft correction)
Činiti se vs. Izgledati
Is it 'Čini se' or 'Činim se'?
Are you talking about a general impression?
Are you saying 'I seem' to someone else?
Common Dative Partners
Pronouns
- • mi
- • ti
- • mu/joj
- • nam
- • vam
- • im
Adverbs
- • uvijek
- • često
- • ponekad
- • nikad
Conjunctions
- • da
- • kao da
- • kako
Exemples par niveau
Čini mi se dobro.
It seems good to me.
Čini se lako.
It seems easy.
Meni se čini u redu.
To me, it seems okay.
Čini li ti se toplo?
Does it seem warm to you?
Čini se da on dolazi.
It seems that he is coming.
Ne čini mi se da je skupo.
It doesn't seem expensive to me.
Čini se da nema kruha.
It seems there is no bread.
Što ti se čini?
What does it seem like to you? / What do you think?
Činilo mi se da si me zvao.
It seemed to me that you called me.
Čini nam se da je ovo bolja opcija.
It seems to us that this is a better option.
Činit će se čudno ako ne dođeš.
It will seem strange if you don't come.
Zar ti se ne čini da je prekasno?
Doesn't it seem to you that it's too late?
Čini se da su pregovori zapeli u slijepu ulicu.
It seems that the negotiations have reached a dead end.
Činilo bi se nepristojnim odbiti poziv.
It would seem impolite to refuse the invitation.
Sve mi se više čini da si bio u pravu.
It seems to me more and more that you were right.
Čini se da sustav ne prepoznaje vašu lozinku.
It seems the system doesn't recognize your password.
Čini se, doduše, da su njezine namjere bile plemenite.
It seems, admittedly, that her intentions were noble.
Ponekad se čini nemogućim uskladiti sve obveze.
Sometimes it seems impossible to balance all obligations.
Čini se da je došlo do zasićenja na tržištu nekretnina.
It seems that market saturation has occurred in real estate.
Kako vam se čini novi prijedlog zakona?
How does the new bill seem to you?
Čini se da je autor hotimično ostavio kraj nedorečenim.
It seems the author intentionally left the ending unfinished.
U retrospektivi, sve se to čini posve beznačajnim.
In retrospect, all of that seems entirely insignificant.
Čini se da su geopolitičke tenzije dosegnule vrhunac.
It seems geopolitical tensions have reached a peak.
Nije li se činilo da je cijela situacija bila orkestrirana?
Didn't it seem like the whole situation was orchestrated?
Facile à confondre
Both mean 'to seem/look', but 'izgledati' is visual while 'činiti se' is an impression.
'Misliti' is a direct opinion; 'činiti se' is a softer perception.
Learners try to conjugate 'činiti' for 'I' or 'You'.
Erreurs courantes
Ja činim se sretan.
Činim se sretnim. / Čini mi se da sam sretan.
Čini dobro.
Čini se dobro.
Meni čini se.
Čini mi se. / Meni se čini.
Čini se da kiša.
Čini se da pada kiša.
Čini se da on je umoran.
Čini se da je on umoran.
Što ti čini se?
Što ti se čini?
Čini se da sutra sunce.
Čini se da će sutra biti sunčano.
Činio se da je hladno.
Činilo se da je hladno.
Ne čini se mi da...
Ne čini mi se da...
Čini mi se za tebe.
Čini mi se da si...
Čini se da bi on mogao doći.
Čini se da bi on mogao doći.
Structures de phrases
Čini mi se da ___.
Zar ti se ne čini da ___?
Činilo se kao da ___.
Sve se čini ___.
Real World Usage
Čini se da je novi trend stigao i kod nas!
Čini mi se da bi moje iskustvo bilo korisno za vašu tvrtku.
Čini mi se da ću zakasniti 5 minuta.
Čini mi se da me grlo manje boli danas.
Čini mi se da ste zaboravili donijeti salatu.
Čini se da smo skrenuli u krivu ulicu.
The 'Da' Shortcut
The 'Se' Trap
Softening Blows
Past Tense Neuter
Smart Tips
Start your sentence with 'Čini mi se da...'. It makes the disagreement about your perception, not their failure.
Always check if you used the '-lo' ending. 'Činilo se' is your safe bet for 99% of situations.
In a standard statement, 'mi' (the person) usually comes before 'se'.
Try using 'Pare mi se' instead of 'Čini mi se'.
Prononciation
The 'Č' sound
Make sure to pronounce 'Č' sharply, like 'ch' in 'chair'.
Clitic Stress
The words 'mi', 'ti', and 'se' are clitics, meaning they have no stress of their own. They lean on 'Čini'.
Doubtful Intonation
Čini se...?
Rising intonation at the end expresses skepticism.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Remember: 'Čini se' is like a mirror. It reflects ('se') an image ('čini') to someone ('mi/ti').
Association visuelle
Imagine a foggy window. You can't see clearly, so you say 'Čini se...' (It seems...). The fog represents the uncertainty of the verb.
Rhyme
Kad ne znaš što je prava stvar, 'čini se' je tvoj najbolji dar.
Story
Marko saw a dark cloud. He didn't say 'It will rain' because he wasn't a weather god. He said 'Čini mi se da će kiša' to stay safe. Then it didn't rain, and nobody blamed him because he only said it *seemed* that way.
Word Web
Défi
Go to a Croatian news site. Find three headlines and rewrite them starting with 'Čini se da...'.
Notes culturelles
Croatians use 'Čini mi se' frequently to avoid being 'preizravan' (too direct). It's a sign of social intelligence.
In Dalmatia, you might hear 'Pare mi se' instead of 'Čini mi se', influenced by Italian 'pare'.
Younger people often replace 'Čini mi se' with 'Brijem' (I'm hallucinating/thinking), though 'Čini se' remains the standard for clarity.
From the Proto-Slavic *činiti (to do/make). The reflexive 'se' added the sense of 'making itself appear'.
Amorces de conversation
Čini li ti se da se klima mijenja?
Što ti se čini o novom restoranu u gradu?
Čini li vam se da su ljudi danas previše na mobitelima?
Čini se da će sutra biti gužva u prometu, što misliš?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
___ da je on u pravu.
Čini ___ da će sutra padati kiša.
Find and fix the mistake:
Činio se da je sve u redu.
Mislim da kasnimo.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
A: Jesi li vidio ključeve? B: Ne, ali ___ da su na stolu.
Select the odd one out.
You can use 'činiti se' to describe someone's physical appearance (like their clothes).
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercises___ da je on u pravu.
Čini ___ da će sutra padati kiša.
Find and fix the mistake:
Činio se da je sve u redu.
Mislim da kasnimo.
1. Čini mi se, 2. Čini ti se, 3. Čini nam se
A: Jesi li vidio ključeve? B: Ne, ali ___ da su na stolu.
Select the odd one out.
You can use 'činiti se' to describe someone's physical appearance (like their clothes).
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Yes! 'Meni se čini' is more emphatic, like saying 'As for ME, it seems...'. 'Čini mi se' is the neutral, more common version.
Because it's impersonal. In Croatian, impersonal past tenses always use the neuter singular ending '-lo'. It's like saying 'It seemed'.
It's both! It's perfectly neutral. However, it's very useful in formal situations to sound more polite and less direct.
They are often interchangeable, but 'Izgleda' is slightly more visual. 'Čini se' is more about a mental conclusion.
Yes, e.g., 'Čini se nemoguće' (It seems impossible). This is common in both speech and writing.
If you are following with a full sentence (subject + verb), yes. If you just use an adjective or adverb, no.
Use 'Nije mi se činilo'. Notice the 'se' moves after the 'mi' in this negative past construction.
Yes, though some regions might prefer 'izgledati' or dialectal variants like 'parati se' (in Dalmatia).
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Me parece que...
Croatian requires the reflexive particle 'se', while Spanish 'parecer' is not reflexive in this context.
Il me semble que...
Croatian is pro-drop, so there is no equivalent to the French 'Il'.
Es scheint mir, dass...
German word order in the 'dass' clause is much stricter than in the Croatian 'da' clause.
...yō da / ...rashii
Japanese focuses on the source of information (hearsay vs. observation), which 'činiti se' blends together.
Yabdu anna...
Arabic doesn't have a reflexive particle like 'se' for this meaning.
Hǎoxiàng (好像)
Croatian 'činiti se' is a full verb with tense and case requirements; 'hǎoxiàng' is much more flexible.
