Uredbu smo dobili davno.

Because it is the direct object of the verb dobiti (to receive / to get), so it must be in the accusative case.

• nominative: uredba = regulation / decree as the subject
• accusative: uredbu = regulation / decree as the object

So:

• Uredba je stigla. = The regulation arrived.
• Dobili smo uredbu. = We received the regulation.

For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the accusative singular ends in -u.

This is the past tense in Croatian.

It is made with:

• the auxiliary biti (to be) in the present tense
• plus the past participle

Here:

• smo = we are (auxiliary form used to build the past tense)
• dobili = past participle of dobiti (to get / receive)

So smo dobili means we got / we received.

This is the normal Croatian way to form the past tense:

• sam dobio/dobila = I got
• si dobio/dobila = you got
• je dobio/dobila = he/she got
• smo dobili/dobile = we got

The past participle agrees with the subject, not with uredbu.

The subject here is an understood we. For we, the participle can be:

• dobili = masculine plural, or mixed group, or default plural
• dobile = all-female group

So:

• Uredbu smo dobili davno. = said by men, a mixed group, or in the default plural form
• Uredbu smo dobile davno. = said by a group of women only

English does not show this kind of agreement, so this often stands out to learners.

It is omitted, because Croatian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb.

Here, smo already tells you the subject is we.

So Croatian does not need mi unless you want emphasis or contrast:

• Uredbu smo dobili davno. = normal
• Mi smo uredbu dobili davno. = we got the regulation long ago (emphatic)

This is very common in Croatian.

Because smo is a clitic. Croatian clitics usually go in the second position in the sentence or clause.

In Uredbu smo dobili davno, the first unit is Uredbu, so the clitic smo comes right after it.

That is why you get:

• Uredbu smo dobili davno.

and not normally:

• Uredbu dobili smo davno.

This second-position rule is one of the most important word-order patterns in Croatian.

Croatian word order is much more flexible than English word order.

Starting with Uredbu gives that word special prominence. It can sound like:

• As for the regulation, we got it long ago
• or The regulation, we received it long ago

So the object is moved to the front for topic or emphasis.

A more neutral order could be:

• Dobili smo uredbu davno.
• Davno smo dobili uredbu.

All are grammatical, but they do not highlight exactly the same part of the message.

Yes, aspect matters a lot in Croatian.

Dobiti is perfective, meaning a completed event: the regulation was received at some point in the past.

That fits davno (long ago) very well, because the sentence refers to a completed action.

If you used an imperfective verb such as dobivati, it would usually suggest something repeated, ongoing, or habitual, which does not fit this sentence as well.

So dobili is the natural choice for:

• one completed act of receiving something

Davno means long ago.

It is an adverb, so it describes the time of the action.

In this sentence:

• Uredbu smo dobili davno. = We received the regulation long ago.

Unlike English, Croatian does not need a separate word like ago here. The single word davno already carries that meaning.

You may also see:

• vrlo davno = very long ago
• već davno = already long ago / long ago already

Yes, absolutely. That is also grammatical.

The difference is mostly one of focus:

• Uredbu smo dobili davno. → highlights the regulation
• Davno smo dobili uredbu. → highlights how long ago
• Dobili smo uredbu davno. → possible, though often less natural than the other two in many contexts

Croatian often moves words around to match what is already known and what is being emphasized.

Because Croatian has no articles like English a or the.

So uredbu can mean:

• a regulation
• the regulation

The exact meaning depends on context.

Croatian usually expresses definiteness through:

• context
• word order
• stress/emphasis
• sometimes other words such as demonstratives

For example:

• ovu uredbu = this regulation
• tu uredbu = that regulation

But in the basic sentence, no article is needed.