Learn Croatian: Unatoč snažnom vjetru, naš novi smjer je jugozapad. - Despite the strong wind, our new direction is the southwest.

The preposition unatoč (despite) requires the dative case. This is a great rule to memorize because unatoč is one of the very few prepositions in Croatian that take the dative, alongside usprkos (despite), prema (toward), and k or ka (to/toward).

Why does the enclitic verb je come after the entire phrase naš novi smjer instead of right after the first word, naš?

Enclitics generally take the second position in a clause. Here, the words naš novi smjer act together as a single, inseparable noun phrase occupying the first logical position. Placing je immediately after naš would awkwardly split this core phrase apart.

Why is the adjective novi used here instead of the short, indefinite form nov?

The -i ending marks it as a definite adjective. Because it follows the possessive pronoun naš (our), the specific identity of the noun is already established, which requires you to use the definite adjective form.

How is the word jugozapad constructed?