Nakon ugradnje moramo uravnotežiti stroj.

Because nakon requires the genitive case in Croatian.

• base noun: ugradnja = installation / fitting
• genitive singular: ugradnje

So:

• nakon ugradnje = after the installation / after fitting

This is a very common pattern:

• nakon sastanka = after the meeting
• nakon popravka = after the repair
• nakon rada = after work

So the form ugradnje is there because of the preposition nakon.

It is a noun derived from a verb.

• verb: ugraditi = to install, fit in, build in
• noun: ugradnja = installation, fitting, the act of installing
• here: ugradnje = genitive singular of ugradnja

English often uses -ing forms or abstract nouns in similar places, while Croatian often uses these verbal nouns:

• ugradnja = installation
• popravak = repair
• montaža = assembly / mounting

So in this sentence, Croatian uses the noun ugradnja rather than a clause like nakon što ugradimo...

Moramo is the 1st person plural present tense of morati = must / have to.

So:

• moram = I must
• moraš = you must
• mora = he/she/it must
• moramo = we must
• morate = you must (plural/formal)
• moraju = they must

In this sentence, moramo already tells you the subject is we, so Croatian does not need a separate pronoun mi.

That is why the sentence does not normally say Mi moramo... unless the speaker wants extra emphasis.

Because after morati Croatian normally uses an infinitive.

So the pattern is:

• morati + infinitive

Examples:

• moramo čekati = we must wait
• moramo provjeriti = we must check
• moramo uravnotežiti stroj = we must balance the machine

This is similar to English must + base verb.

Uravnotežiti is the perfective verb, and that fits well here because the sentence is talking about completing a single action.

• uravnotežiti = to balance, to bring into balance, to complete the balancing
• uravnoteživati = to be balancing, to balance repeatedly / as a process

After moramo, Croatian often chooses:

• a perfective infinitive if the goal is to complete the action
• an imperfective infinitive if the emphasis is on duration, repetition, or ongoing activity

Here the idea is: after installation, we need to carry out the balancing and finish it. So uravnotežiti is natural.

Yes, stroj is the direct object, so it is in the accusative.
But for masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular is often the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: stroj
• accusative: stroj

That is why it looks unchanged.

Compare:

• Vidim stroj. = I see the machine.
• Stroj radi. = The machine is working.

Same form, different function.

If the noun were masculine animate, the accusative would usually look like the genitive instead.

No, Croatian word order is fairly flexible.

This sentence begins with the time expression Nakon ugradnje to set the context first: after installation.

You could also hear:

• Moramo uravnotežiti stroj nakon ugradnje.

That is also grammatical. The difference is mainly one of focus and style, not basic meaning.

The given order sounds natural because it introduces the timing first, then the required action.

Yes, in many contexts you could.

1. nakon + genitive

• Nakon ugradnje moramo uravnotežiti stroj.

This is concise and formal/neutral.

2. poslije + genitive

• Poslije ugradnje moramo uravnotežiti stroj.

Also possible, usually a bit more everyday in tone.

3. nakon što + clause

• Nakon što ugradimo stroj, moramo ga uravnotežiti.

This uses a full clause instead of a noun.

So the original sentence is compact and technical in style, which suits instructions or documentation.

Both can exist, but ugradnja is often more natural in Croatian when talking about fitting something into place, especially in technical or mechanical contexts.

Very roughly:

• ugradnja = fitting/installing something into something
• instalacija = installation, but sometimes more foreign-sounding or used in specific technical fields
• montaža = assembly / mounting

The best choice depends on context, but ugradnja is a very normal native Croatian term here.

No. Croatian usually omits subject pronouns when the verb already shows who the subject is.

Since moramo clearly means we must, adding mi is unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Compare:

• Moramo uravnotežiti stroj. = normal
• Mi moramo uravnotežiti stroj. = we must balance the machine (maybe not someone else)

So the version without mi is the default.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

NA-kon OO-grad-nye MO-ra-mo oo-ra-vo-no-TE-zhiti stroy

A few useful notes:

• j is pronounced like English y
• nj sounds like the ny in canyon
• ž sounds like the s in measure
• stroj has oj, sounding roughly like oy

So:

• ugradnje ≈ oo-GRAHD-nye
• uravnotežiti ≈ oo-rav-no-te-ZHI-ti
• stroj ≈ stroy

The exact stress can vary by region, but this will get you quite close.