Learn Croatian: Ovo je poklon od brata iz Njemačke. - This is a gift from the brother from Germany.

When introducing something with the phrase "This is", Croatian uses the fixed neuter pronoun ovo no matter what gender the following noun has. You would only use the masculine ovaj if it were directly attached to the noun, like in the phrase ovaj poklon.

Why do we use both od and iz in this sentence if they both translate to the English word "from"?

In Croatian, the preposition you use changes based on the source. You use od when something comes from a person, like od brata. You use iz when something comes from a geographic location or from inside a place, like iz Njemačke.

Why do the dictionary words brat and Njemačka change to brata and Njemačke here?

The prepositions od and iz both force the noun that follows them into the Genitive case to show origin. To form the Genitive case, masculine nouns ending in a consonant like brat add an -a, and feminine nouns like Njemačka change their -a ending to an -e.

Could od brata also be translated to show possession, like saying it is the brother's gift?