Sudbina ovisi o jednom potezu.

Sudbina is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence.

• dictionary form: sudbina
• gender: feminine
• number: singular

In Croatian, the subject is usually in the nominative, just like in English we would say fate as the subject of depends.

Ovisi comes from the verb ovisiti (o), which means to depend (on).

Here, ovisi is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense

So it agrees with sudbina, which is singular:

• sudbina ovisi = fate depends

A useful pattern to remember is:

• ovisiti o + locative

For example:

• Sve ovisi o vremenu. = Everything depends on the weather.
• Uspjeh ovisi o radu. = Success depends on work.

Because the verb ovisiti normally goes with the preposition o when it means to depend on.

So the structure is:

• ovisiti o nečemu = to depend on something

This is just something you learn together with the verb, like a fixed pattern.

Examples:

• Ovisi o tebi. = It depends on you.
• Ovisi o vremenu. = It depends on the weather.
• Sudbina ovisi o jednom potezu.

So the o is required by the verb.

Because after o, Croatian normally uses the locative case.

So:

• jedan → jednom
• potez → potezu

Together:

• o jednom potezu = on one move / on a single move

This is a very common pattern:

• o + locative

For example:

• o čovjeku
• o gradu
• o jednoj stvari
• o jednom potezu

So the endings change because the preposition o requires the locative.

Because jedan potez would be the nominative form, but after o you need the locative.

Compare:

• Jedan potez je dovoljan.
  Here jedan potez is the subject, so it stays nominative.

• Sudbina ovisi o jednom potezu.
  Here it follows o, so it becomes locative.

Masculine singular pattern:

• nominative: jedan potez
• locative: o jednom potezu

The dictionary form is potez.

It is a masculine noun. In this sentence it appears in the locative singular as potezu because it follows o.

Typical forms:

• nominative: potez
• genitive: poteza
• dative: potezu
• accusative: potez
• locative: potezu
• instrumental: potezom

So potezu here is not a different word, just a different case form.

Often, yes. Potez can mean:

• a move in chess or another game
• a move / action / step in a broader figurative sense

In this sentence, it can sound quite dramatic and may suggest:

• one crucial move
• one decisive action
• one single step that changes everything

So even if the literal idea is move, it can also be understood metaphorically.

Croatian does not have articles like English the and a/an.

So nouns usually appear without an article:

• sudbina = fate / the fate
• potez = a move / the move

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

If Croatian wants to be more specific, it often uses other tools, such as:

• word order
• context
• demonstratives like taj (that), ovaj (this)
• numerals like jedan (one / a certain one)

In jednom potezu, jednom literally means one, but depending on context it may also feel like a single or one particular move.

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible.

The neutral, natural order here is:

• Sudbina ovisi o jednom potezu.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• O jednom potezu ovisi sudbina.
• O jednom potezu sudbina ovisi.

These alternatives may sound more dramatic or literary, because they emphasize o jednom potezu.

So the original sentence is the most straightforward and neutral version, while changed word order usually adds focus or style.

A careful pronunciation would be roughly:

• OH-vee-see oh YEH-dnom poh-TEH-zoo

A few points:

• v in ovisi is clearly pronounced
• j in jednom sounds like English y
• z in potezu is a normal z sound
• Croatian pronunciation is generally quite phonetic

When speaking naturally, ovisi o may flow together smoothly, but both o sounds are still there:

• ovisi o

You do not drop one of them.

No, but it is one of the standard and very common ways.

You may also come across zavisiti od, which also means to depend on.

Compare:

• ovisiti o nečemu
• zavisiti od nečega

Both are used, but they take different prepositions and therefore different cases:

• o + locative
• od + genitive

So you could see:

• Sudbina ovisi o jednom potezu.
• Sudbina zavisi od jednog poteza.

Both are understandable, though usage can vary by region, style, and preference.

It primarily comes from the number jedan = one, but in real usage it can carry slightly different shades:

• one
• a single
• one particular
• sometimes even a looser a certain, depending on context

In this sentence, jednom potezu most naturally suggests:

• one single move
• one decisive move

So it is not just counting; it also adds a sense of importance or uniqueness.

Yes, that is a very reasonable confusion, because o often means about in Croatian:

• govoriti o nečemu = to talk about something
• misliti o nečemu = to think about something

But prepositions do not have one fixed translation. Their meaning depends on the verb.

So:

• govoriti o = talk about
• misliti o = think about
• ovisiti o = depend on

That is why it is best to learn verbs together with the prepositions they require, rather than translating the preposition by itself.