Natjecanje počinje večeras.

In Croatian, the present tense is often used for a scheduled or expected future event, just like English can say The competition starts tonight.

So Natjecanje počinje večeras is completely natural and means that the event is set to begin tonight.

A more explicitly future version is also possible:

• Natjecanje će početi večeras = The competition will begin tonight

Both are correct, but the present tense version often sounds very natural for timetabled or planned events.

The basic dictionary form is početi, which means to begin / to start.

Počinje is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense

So it means:

• it begins
• it is beginning

In this sentence, the subject is natjecanje, so počinje agrees with it:

• Natjecanje počinje = The competition begins

Natjecanje is a neuter singular noun.

In this sentence, it is in the nominative case, because it is the subject of the sentence.

You can often recognize many neuter nouns in Croatian because they end in -e or -o, and -anje nouns are very common verbal nouns.

So here:

• natjecanje = subject
• therefore it appears as natjecanje in the nominative singular

Usually natjecanje is best translated as competition or contest.

Which English word sounds best depends on context:

• competition = the most general translation
• contest = often good too
• tournament = only in contexts where the event is specifically tournament-like

So natjecanje is a broad word for an organized event where people compete.

Večeras means tonight or this evening, depending on context.

In this sentence, tonight is usually the most natural English translation:

• Natjecanje počinje večeras = The competition starts tonight

It is an adverb of time, so it tells you when the action happens.

Compare:

• večer = evening
• večeras = tonight / this evening

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

The neutral order here is:

• Natjecanje počinje večeras

But you could also hear:

• Večeras počinje natjecanje

This version puts more focus on večeras.

In Croatian, changing the order often changes emphasis rather than the basic meaning.

Croatian does not have articles like a, an, or the.

So natjecanje can mean:

• a competition
• the competition

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English usually needs the:

• The competition starts tonight

But Croatian simply uses natjecanje without any article.

A rough guide for an English speaker:

• natjecanje ≈ na-tye-TSA-nye
• počinje ≈ po-CHEE-nye
• večeras ≈ ve-CHE-ras

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• č sounds like ch in church
• nj sounds like ny in canyon
• j is like English y
• c is pronounced ts

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• na-tye-TSA-nye po-CHEE-nye ve-CHE-ras

The verb pair is:

• počinjati / počinjati type forms are imperfective in some usage traditions
• početi is generally treated as perfective

In everyday learning, the important point is this: početi is the normal verb meaning to begin, and its present tense can be used for a future event:

• počinje večeras = starts tonight

This may seem surprising if you are expecting a strict English-style future form, but it is normal Croatian usage.

Normally, no, not in standard usage for this meaning.

You want:

• Natjecanje počinje večeras or
• Natjecanje će početi večeras

Počne is not the standard form used here as a normal present-tense statement. Learners should stick with počinje for this sentence.

Yes, depending on context, English may translate it as:

• The competition starts tonight
• The competition is starting tonight
• The competition begins tonight

Croatian počinje does not map to only one English tense. It is a present-tense form, but English may use either a simple present or a present progressive, depending on what sounds most natural.