Learn Hardcore Croatian: Ujutro uvijek pijemo čaj ili vodu. - In the morning we always drink tea or water.

It’s one word: ujutro = “in the morning.” Writing it as two words (u jutro) is not standard.
Variants you’ll see:
- ujutru (Serbian)
- jutrom (“in the mornings,” somewhat literary/regional)
- jutros = “this morning” (specific to today)

Where does uvijek go? Is the word order flexible?

Default and most natural: Ujutro uvijek pijemo… (time → frequency → verb)
Also fine: Uvijek ujutro pijemo…
You can move the time to the end for neutral emphasis: Uvijek pijemo čaj ili vodu ujutro.
In general, uvijek tends to sit close to the verb it modifies.

Do I have to say the pronoun mi (“we”)?

No. Croatian is a pro‑drop language; the verb ending in pijemo already shows the subject is “we.”
Use mi only for emphasis or contrast: Mi ujutro uvijek pijemo… (“We [as opposed to others]…”)

What tense/aspect is pijemo? Does it mean “we drink” or “we are drinking”?

Pijemo is present tense of the imperfective verb piti.
It covers both English readings: “we drink” (habit) and “we are drinking” (right now); context decides.
The perfective partner is popiti (“to drink up/finish”): e.g., Popijemo čaj = “We’ll drink (it) up” / “Let’s drink (it) up.”

How do you conjugate piti in the present?

Why is it čaj but vodu? Why do the endings differ?

Direct objects take the accusative case.
čaj is an inanimate masculine noun; its accusative is the same as the nominative: čaj.
voda is a feminine -a noun; accusative singular changes -a → -u: vodu.
- voda (Nom) → vodu (Acc) → vode (Gen) → vodi (Dat/Loc) → vodom (Instr)

Do I need articles (“a/the”) before čaj or vodu?

No. Croatian has no articles. čaj and vodu can mean “tea,” “a tea,” or “the tea,” depending on context.
If you need specificity, use demonstratives: taj čaj (“that tea”), ovu vodu (“this water”).

Can I say pijemo čaja to mean “we drink some tea”?

In everyday standard Croatian, after an affirmative verb you normally use the accusative: pijemo čaj.
To express “some,” add a quantifier: pijemo malo čaja / nešto čaja.
The bare genitive (čaja) without a quantifier is common with negation or certain quantities, but not as a neutral affirmative object.

Does ili mean exclusive “or” (one or the other), or can it be inclusive?

By default in everyday speech, ili tends to be exclusive (“tea or water, not both”).
To stress exclusivity, you can say ili… ili… (“either… or…”).
If you want to allow both, make it explicit: …čaj ili vodu, ili oboje (“…tea or water, or both”).
For “and,” use i.

How would I say “and water” instead of “or water”?

Replace ili with i: Ujutro uvijek pijemo čaj i vodu.
To emphasize both items, you can use the correlative: I čaj i vodu pijemo ujutro.

How should I pronounce the tricky letters?

Is the sentence still okay without uvijek? Does it still sound habitual?

How do I say “every morning” or “this morning”?

How do I negate it? For “We never drink tea or water in the morning.”

Ujutro nikad ne pijemo čaj ni vodu.
- Croatian uses negative concord (double negation): nikad
  - ne.
- In negatives, use ni (“nor”) instead of ili.

Is this Croatian or Serbian? What are the closest Serbian equivalents?

The sentence is in Croatian (note uvijek, ujutro).
Serbian equivalents: Ujutru uvek pijemo čaj ili vodu.
Vocabulary differences to recognize: Croatian kava vs. Serbian kafa (not used in this sentence, but useful to know).

Can I front the object for emphasis?

Yes, Croatian allows object fronting for focus:
- Čaj ili vodu ujutro uvijek pijemo. (puts focus on the choice “tea or water”)
Word order is flexible, but the neutral, most natural version remains: Ujutro uvijek pijemo čaj ili vodu.