Learn Hardcore Croatian: On rijetko doručkuje u restoranu, ali njegova majka uvijek tamo večera. - He rarely has breakfast in the restaurant, but his mother always has dinner there.

Yes. Croatian usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person. You can say: Rijetko doručkuje u restoranu, ali njegova majka uvijek tamo večera. Keeping On adds emphasis or contrast.

Why are doručkuje and večera verbs? Could I say ima doručak or jede večeru?

Croatian prefers dedicated verbs for meals: doručkovati (breakfast), ručati (lunch), večerati (dinner). Here you see 3rd singular: doručkuje, večera.

jede doručak/večeru is understandable (“eats breakfast/dinner”) but less idiomatic.
ima doručak/večeru occurs, but for the act of eating, natives favor doručkovati/večerati.
Note: večera is both the noun “dinner” and the verb “(he/she) has dinner.” Context tells them apart.

Where do adverbs like rijetko, uvijek, and tamo go?

Neutral placement is before the verb: rijetko doručkuje, uvijek večera. The place adverb tamo can go before or after the verb:

... uvijek tamo večera (slight focus on place)
... uvijek večera tamo (neutral) You can front elements for emphasis: U restoranu on rijetko doručkuje.

Why is it u restoranu and not u restoran?

With location (“in/at”), u takes locative: u restoranu. With motion into a place, u takes accusative: u restoran.

Location: Doručkuje u restoranu.
Motion: Ide u restoran.

Why njegova majka and not njegov majka?

Agreement. Majka is feminine singular nominative, so the possessive is feminine: njegova (“his”). Masculine would be njegov (e.g., njegov brat). For “her mother,” Croatian uses njezina majka (also common: njena majka).

Could I use a instead of ali?

Yes. A contrasts two parallel topics and feels milder: On rijetko doručkuje u restoranu, a njegova majka uvijek tamo večera. Ali is a stronger “but/however.” Both work here.

What exactly does tamo refer to? Could I leave it out?

Tamo means “there,” pointing back to the mentioned place (the restaurant). It avoids repeating u restoranu. You can omit it and repeat the phrase: ... ali njegova majka uvijek večera u restoranu.

Is the comma before ali required?

Yes. When ali joins two independent clauses, Croatian puts a comma before it: ..., ali ....

How do I pronounce tricky bits like nj and ije?

nj in njegova = “ny” in “canyon.”
ije in rijetko/uvijek ≈ “ye”: ri-jet-ko, u-vy-ek.
č in večera = “ch” in “church.”

Does Croatian mark “a/the restaurant”? Why “the” in English?

Croatian has no articles. U restoranu can mean “in a restaurant” or “in the restaurant.” Context (here reinforced by tamo) guides the English choice.

Could I say na restoranu or must it be u restoranu?

Use u for being in/at a restaurant: u restoranu. Na is used with certain institutions or surfaces (na fakultetu, na stolu), but not with restoran in this meaning.

Can I switch the word order more radically?

Yes, for emphasis:

Place focus: U restoranu on rijetko doručkuje.
Habit focus: Njegova majka tamo uvijek večera. The original word order is the most neutral.

What tense/aspect is this? Why no progressive form?

Simple present with a habitual meaning. Croatian doesn’t have a separate progressive (“is eating”); adverbs like rijetko and uvijek convey frequency.

Could I use ondje or tu instead of tamo?

tamo = there (not near the speaker; very common).
ondje = there (more formal/literary; fine here).
tu = here/near the speaker. Use tamo if the place isn’t near you.

Does rijetko require a negative verb?

No. Rijetko already means “rarely,” so the verb stays affirmative: rijetko doručkuje. For “never,” use nikad with a negated verb: Nikad ne doručkuje u restoranu.