Learn Croatian: Zar ipak hoćeš odustati? - Will you give up after all?

Using the full form hoćeš makes the future tense emphatic. Instead of just a neutral "will you," it adds a strong sense of "will you really" or "are you actually going to." It puts a heavy emphasis on the person's choice to give up.

What exactly does the word zar do at the beginning of this question?

Zar is a question particle used to show surprise, shock, or disbelief. If you just asked Hoćeš li ipak odustati?, it would be a relatively neutral question. Starting with Zar changes the tone to: "Are you really going to give up?!"

Can hoćeš odustati also mean "do you want to give up"?

Yes! The verb htjeti is used both to form the future tense (will) and as a regular verb to express desire (to want). Because this sentence uses the emphatic full form hoćeš, native speakers often interpret it as a mix of both: "Will you give up?" and "Do you actually want to give up?"

If I used the short form ćeš instead, how would the word order change?

The short form ćeš is an enclitic (a "weak" word), which means it strictly belongs in the second position of the sentence. If you used it, it would have to jump to the spot right after the first word, making the sentence: Zar ćeš ipak odustati? Because hoćeš is a "strong" full word, it has the freedom to sit later in the sentence.