A1 Verb Conjugation 1 min read मध्यम

Irregular Present Tense Verbs (e.g., ići, htjeti)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Some Croatian verbs don't follow the standard -am, -iš, -i rules; you must memorize the unique stems for 'ići' and 'htjeti'.

  • The verb 'ići' (to go) changes its stem to 'ide-' in the present tense: 'ja idem'.
  • The verb 'htjeti' (to want) has a short form 'hoću' and a long form 'želim' for specific contexts.
  • Irregular verbs often change their root vowel or consonant entirely compared to the infinitive form.
Infinitive ➔ Irregular Stem + Personal Ending

Conjugation of 'ići' (to go)

Person Singular Plural
1st (Ja/Mi)
idem
idemo
2nd (Ti/Vi)
ideš
idete
3rd (On/Oni)
ide
idu

Conjugation of 'htjeti' (to want)

Person Affirmative Negative
1st (Ja)
hoću
neću
2nd (Ti)
hoćeš
nećeš
3rd (On)
hoće
neće

Meanings

Irregular verbs are those that do not follow the predictable conjugation patterns of the three main Croatian verb classes (-am, -im, -em). They require individual memorization of their present tense stems.

1

Movement (ići)

To move from one place to another.

“Ja idem kući.”

“Oni idu u kino.”

2

Desire (htjeti)

To want or wish for something.

“Ja hoću kavu.”

“Što hoćeš raditi?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Irregular Present Tense Verbs (e.g., ići, htjeti)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + Verb
Ja idem
Negative
Ne + Verb
Ja ne idem
Question
Verb + li
Ideš li?
Wanting
Hoću + Verb
Hoću raditi
Refusal
Neću + Verb
Neću raditi
Future
Hoću + Infinitive
Hoću ići

औपचारिकता का स्तर

औपचारिक
Želim ići.

Želim ići. (Expressing desire.)

तटस्थ
Hoću ići.

Hoću ići. (Expressing desire.)

अनौपचारिक
Oću ić.

Oću ić. (Expressing desire.)

बोलचाल
Oću ić.

Oću ić. (Expressing desire.)

Irregular Verb Map

Irregular Verbs

Movement

  • ići to go

Desire

  • htjeti to want
पूरी व्याख्या पढ़ने के लिए मुफ़्त साइन अप करें

स्तर के अनुसार उदाहरण

1

Ja idem u školu.

I am going to school.

2

Što hoćeš?

What do you want?

3

Mi idemo kući.

We are going home.

4

Oni ne idu tamo.

They are not going there.

1

Neću ići u kino.

I don't want to go to the cinema.

2

Ideš li s nama?

Are you going with us?

3

Ona hoće novu knjigu.

She wants a new book.

4

Vi idete prebrzo.

You are going too fast.

1

Htio bih znati više.

I would like to know more.

2

Idemo li sutra na izlet?

Are we going on a trip tomorrow?

3

Nećeš vjerovati što se dogodilo.

You won't believe what happened.

4

Oni idu u posjet prijateljima.

They are going to visit friends.

1

Nisam htio da se to dogodi.

I didn't want that to happen.

2

Kamo god ideš, ponesi kišobran.

Wherever you go, take an umbrella.

3

Hoćemo li se dogovoriti?

Shall we reach an agreement?

4

Neće biti lako, ali idemo dalje.

It won't be easy, but we are moving on.

1

Htijenje je prvi korak ka uspjehu.

Wanting is the first step toward success.

2

Ide mi se na more.

I feel like going to the seaside.

3

Ne htjedoše priznati pogrešku.

They did not want to admit the mistake.

4

Gdje god išli, budite oprezni.

Wherever you may go, be careful.

1

Ne htjedne li doći, mi ćemo krenuti.

Should he not want to come, we will leave.

2

Ideš li ili ne, odluka je tvoja.

Whether you go or not, the decision is yours.

3

Htijenjem se postiže nemoguće.

Through will, the impossible is achieved.

4

Idemo li u susret novim izazovima?

Are we going to meet new challenges?

आसानी से भ्रमित होने वाले

Irregular Present Tense Verbs (e.g., ići, htjeti) बनाम htjeti vs. željeti

Both mean 'to want', but 'htjeti' is more common and used for future tense.

Irregular Present Tense Verbs (e.g., ići, htjeti) बनाम ići vs. hodati

Both can mean 'to walk', but 'ići' is for destination, 'hodati' is for the act of walking.

Irregular Present Tense Verbs (e.g., ići, htjeti) बनाम hoću vs. želim

Learners think they are interchangeable.

सामान्य गलतियाँ

✗

Ja ićam

✓

Ja idem

Applying regular -am ending to an irregular stem.
✗

Ne hoću

✓

Neću

Failure to use the contracted negative form.
✗

Oni idu

✓

Oni idu

Correct, but sometimes learners write 'iduju'.
✗

Ti iđeš

✓

Ti ideš

Phonetic spelling error.
✗

Hoćemo ići

✓

Hoćemo ići

Grammatically correct but often misused for future tense.
✗

Ne idem htjeti

✓

Neću ići

Incorrect word order.
✗

Vi idete

✓

Vi idete

Often confused with 'idu'.
✗

Htio sam ići

✓

Htio sam ići

Correct, but learners often forget the gender agreement.
✗

Oni htjednu

✓

Oni hoće

Using non-existent forms.
✗

Idem u kino da gledam

✓

Idem u kino gledati

Overusing 'da' clauses.
✗

Htijenje je htjeti

✓

Htijenje je volja

Semantic confusion.
✗

Ne htjedoše

✓

Nisu htjeli

Using archaic forms in modern speech.
✗

Idem k tebi

✓

Idem tebi

Preposition usage.

वाक्य संरचनाएँ

Ja ___ u ___.

Ja ___ ___.

Neću ___ ___.

Ideš li ___ ___?

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Ideš di?

Ordering food very common

Hoću pizzu.

Job interview common

Želim napredovati.

Travel very common

Kamo ide ovaj vlak?

Social media common

Idem na more!

Food delivery app common

Neću dostavu.

सभी उदाहरण देखने के लिए मुफ़्त साइन अप करें
💡

Memorize as blocks

Don't break down 'idem' into 'id' + 'em'. Learn the whole word.
⚠️

Watch the negative

Always use 'neću' instead of 'ne hoću'.
🎯

Use in context

Practice these verbs while walking or shopping.
💬

Regional variations

Be aware that in some regions, people drop the final 'i' in infinitives.

Smart Tips

Always check the present tense stem first.

Ja ićam. → Ja idem.

Use the contracted 'neću'.

Ne hoću ići. → Neću ići.

Use 'idemo' for 'let's go'.

Idemo mi. → Idemo!

Use 'hoćeš li' for a direct question.

Ti hoćeš kavu? → Hoćeš li kavu?

उच्चारण

/xɔ̂t͡ɕu/

Vowel length

The 'o' in 'hoću' is short.

Question

Ideš li? ↗

Rising intonation for yes/no questions.

याद करें

स्मृति सहायक

I go with 'ići' (I-d-e-m), I want with 'hoću' (H-o-ć-u).

दृश्य संबंध

Imagine a person walking (ići) with a thought bubble showing a heart (htjeti/want).

Rhyme

Kad idem, ja se krećem, kad hoću, ja se neću.

Story

Marko wants (hoće) a coffee. He goes (ide) to the cafe. He doesn't want (neće) tea. He goes (ide) home.

Word Web

ićiidemidešhtjetihoćunećuidemo

चैलेंज

Write 5 sentences about your day using 'idem' and 'hoću' in 5 minutes.

सांस्कृतिक नोट्स

In Dalmatia, the 'i' at the end of infinitive is often dropped.

Standard usage is common, but 'hoću' is often replaced by 'želim' in polite company.

Very similar to standard, but with a slightly slower cadence.

These verbs are of Proto-Slavic origin, where irregular stems were common due to high frequency.

बातचीत की शुरुआत

“

Ideš li danas u grad?

“

Što hoćeš za ručak?

“

Kamo ideš na odmor?

“

Bi li htio promijeniti posao?

डायरी विषय

Write about where you go every day.
Describe what you want to do this weekend.
Explain why you want to learn Croatian.
Reflect on a place you went to last year.

सामान्य गलतियाँ

Incorrect

सही

Incorrect

सही

Incorrect

सही

Incorrect

सही

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Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form of 'ići'.

Ja ___ u školu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: idem
1st person singular is 'idem'.
Choose the correct negative form. बहुविकल्पी

Ja ___ ići.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: neću
The negative of 'hoću' is 'neću'.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ti ićam u grad.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti ideš u grad
2nd person singular is 'ideš'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja idem u školu
Standard SVO order.
Conjugate 'ići' for 'Mi'. Conjugation Drill

Mi ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: idemo
1st person plural is 'idemo'.
Match the form to the person. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: idem, ideš, idemo
Correct mapping.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Ideš li u kino? B: ___, ne idem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne
Logical response to a question.
Build a sentence with 'hoću'. Sentence Building

hoću / kavu / piti

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hoću piti kavu
Verb + infinitive structure.

Score: /8

अभ्यास प्रश्न

8 exercises
Fill in the correct form of 'ići'.

Ja ___ u školu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: idem
1st person singular is 'idem'.
Choose the correct negative form. बहुविकल्पी

Ja ___ ići.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: neću
The negative of 'hoću' is 'neću'.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ti ićam u grad.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ti ideš u grad
2nd person singular is 'ideš'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

u / idem / školu / ja

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ja idem u školu
Standard SVO order.
Conjugate 'ići' for 'Mi'. Conjugation Drill

Mi ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: idemo
1st person plural is 'idemo'.
Match the form to the person. Match Pairs

Match: Ja, Ti, Mi

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: idem, ideš, idemo
Correct mapping.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Ideš li u kino? B: ___, ne idem.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne
Logical response to a question.
Build a sentence with 'hoću'. Sentence Building

hoću / kavu / piti

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hoću piti kavu
Verb + infinitive structure.

Score: /8

अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (8)

They are high-frequency words that have evolved to be shorter over centuries.

Yes, 'želim' is more polite and formal.

Yes, the 'ne' and 'hoću' merged into one word.

If it doesn't fit the -am, -im, -em patterns, it's likely irregular.

It's a regional variation common in coastal areas.

Yes, you can say 'idem autom' (I go by car).

Trying to conjugate them like regular verbs.

Yes, like 'moći' (to be able to) and 'znati' (to know).

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

अभ्यास करने के लिए मुफ़्त साइन अप करें

In Other Languages

German moderate

gehen / wollen

Croatian has more complex person-based conjugation.

French moderate

aller / vouloir

French uses auxiliary verbs for future, while Croatian uses 'htjeti'.

Spanish moderate

ir / querer

Spanish 'querer' is used for both 'want' and 'love'.

Japanese low

iku / hoshii

Croatian conjugates for person; Japanese does not.

Arabic low

dhahaba / arada

Arabic is root-based; Croatian is suffix-based.

Chinese none

qù / xiǎng

Chinese verbs are invariant.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Conjugation Group 3: Verbs ending in -ovati, -ivati (e.g., kupovati)
Next
Using Present Tense for Habits and General Truths

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Conjugation Group 1: Verbs ending in -ati (e.g., čitati)
A1

Full Conjugation of 'Biti' (To Be)
A1

Present Tense Endings: -am, -em, -jem
A1

Conjugation Group 2: Verbs ending in -iti, -jeti (e.g., raditi)
A1

Conjugation Group 3: Verbs ending in -ovati, -ivati (e.g., kupovati)
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