Learn Hardcore Croatian: Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu. - At the border we always have a passport and a ticket.

na is a preposition that usually means “on” or “at”, depending on context.
Here it means “at”: na granici = at the border (crossing).

In Croatian, na + locative is used for being at a place:

na granici – at the border
na kolodvoru – at the station
na aerodromu – at the airport

If you were talking about movement to the border, you would use na + accusative:

Idemo na granicu. – We’re going to the border.

What grammatical case is granici, and why that form?

Granici is in the locative singular.

The base form is granica (border), a feminine noun ending in -a.
With the preposition na meaning “on/at (location)”, you must use the locative case.
Feminine -a nouns in the locative singular often end in -i:
- škola → u školi (at school)
- plaža → na plaži (at the beach)
- granica → na granici (at the border)

So the combination is:
na (preposition) + granici (locative) = at the border.

Why is there no word for “the” in Na granici?

Croatian does not have articles (no “a/an” and “the”), so the noun granici covers:

“at a border”
“at the border”

Context decides whether it feels like “a” or “the” in English.
At border controls, it is naturally understood as “the (border) crossing” you are going through, so English translates it as “At the border…”

Where can uvijek go in the sentence, and does word order change the meaning?

In this sentence uvijek = always, an adverb of frequency. Common correct positions include:

Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu. (neutral)
Uvijek na granici imamo putovnicu i kartu.
Na granici imamo uvijek putovnicu i kartu.
Putovnicu i kartu uvijek imamo na granici.

All are grammatically correct. The core meaning (we always have a passport and a ticket at the border) stays the same, but the emphasis shifts:

Na granici uvijek imamo… – neutral, slight focus on “at the border”.
Uvijek na granici imamo… – emphasizes “always (when we’re) at the border”.
Putovnicu i kartu uvijek imamo… – emphasizes what you always have.

For learners, the original word order is a good, natural default.

Why is it imamo and not something like nosimo?

imamo = we have (from imati)
nosimo = we carry / we are carrying (from nositi)

Imamo here expresses a habitual state:
Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu.
→ We always have a passport and a ticket with us at the border.

You could say:

Na granici uvijek nosimo putovnicu i kartu. – We always carry a passport and a ticket at the border.

But imamo is more neutral and idiomatic for “have with us / have on us” in many contexts, similar to English:

Imam novčanik. – I have my wallet (with me).

Why are putovnicu and kartu in that form, not putovnica and karta?

Because they are direct objects of the verb imamo, so they must be in the accusative case.

Base (nominative) forms:

putovnica – passport (feminine)
karta – ticket / map (feminine)

Accusative singular for feminine -a nouns ends in -u:

putovnica → putovnicu
karta → kartu

So:

Imamo putovnicu. – We have a passport.
Imamo kartu. – We have a ticket.
Imamo putovnicu i kartu. – We have a passport and a ticket.

That’s why the sentence uses putovnicu and kartu.

How do I know that putovnicu i kartu are both direct objects of imamo?

Several clues:

Position in the sentence
They come right after the verb imamo, where direct objects normally go:
- imamo putovnicu i kartu
Case
Both are in the accusative singular (putovnicu, kartu), which is the typical case for direct objects.
Coordination
They are joined with i (and), so they form a pair of objects:
- imamo [putovnicu] i [kartu]
  → “we have [passport] and [ticket]”

So the structure is:
[Na granici] [uvijek] [imamo] [putovnicu i kartu].
= At the border, we always have a passport and a ticket.

What’s the difference between putovnica and pasoš?

Both mean “passport”, but:

putovnica – standard Croatian word.
pasoš – used in Serbian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin; also understood by Croats but not standard in Croatia.

If you’re specifically learning Croatian, you should use:

putovnica = passport

Example:

Gdje je tvoja putovnica? – Where is your passport?

Does karta mean “ticket” or “map” here, and how can I be more specific?

The word karta can mean ticket or map. Context decides.

At a border, kartu will almost always be understood as “ticket” (train, bus, plane).

To be more explicit:

karta = ticket
- avionska karta – plane ticket
- vozna karta – (rail) travel ticket
- autobusna karta – bus ticket
karta = map
- karta grada – city map
- zemljopisna karta – geographic map

So your sentence most naturally means: Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu.
→ We always have a passport and a (travel) ticket at the border.

Can I make it plural or add “our”, like Na granici uvijek imamo naše putovnice i karte?

Yes, that’s possible, but the meaning changes slightly:

Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu.
→ We always have a passport and a ticket (each person has one passport and one ticket; or speaking generally).
Na granici uvijek imamo naše putovnice i karte.
→ We always have our passports and tickets (plural; maybe a group/family).

Grammar notes:

naše – possessive adjective, plural feminine
putovnice, karte – accusative plural (same form as nominative plural for feminine -a nouns)

So yes, the structure is correct:

uvijek imamo naše putovnice i karte – we always have our passports and tickets.

Why is there no “we” (mi) in Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu?

Croatian is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns (like ja, ti, mi) are usually omitted when the verb ending already shows the person.

imamo ends in -mo, which clearly marks “we” (mi).
So imamo by itself already means “we have”.

You would add mi only for emphasis or contrast:

Mi imamo putovnicu i kartu, ali oni nemaju.
– We have a passport and a ticket, but they don’t.

In neutral statements, leaving out mi is more natural:

Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu.

Can I also say Uvijek na granici imamo putovnicu i kartu or Putovnicu i kartu uvijek imamo na granici?

Yes, both are grammatically correct. Croatian word order is flexible, especially for adverbs and known information.

Possible variants:

Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu. (original)
Uvijek na granici imamo putovnicu i kartu.
Na granici imamo uvijek putovnicu i kartu.
Putovnicu i kartu uvijek imamo na granici.

All mean essentially the same, but:

Starting with Na granici sets the place as the topic.
Starting with Uvijek highlights the frequency.
Starting with Putovnicu i kartu emphasizes what you always have.

For everyday use, stick with the original version; it’s neutral and very natural.

How do I pronounce the sentence naturally?

Segment by segment:

Na – like nah
granici – gra (as in grah), ni (like nee), ci (like tsi) → GRA-nee-tsee
uvijek – u (oo), vijek (vyek) → OO-vyek
imamo – EE-mah-moh
putovnicu – poo-TOV-nee-tsoo (stress typically on -tov-)
i – ee
kartu – KAR-too (rolled r)

Slowly: Na GRA-ni-ci U-vjek I-ma-mo pu-TOV-ni-cu i KAR-tu.

Natural speech will flow more: Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu.

What’s the difference between uvijek, stalno, and svaki put?

All can translate to “always” or similar, but with nuances:

uvijek – neutral always (in all cases, every time)
- Na granici uvijek imamo putovnicu i kartu.
stalno – more like constantly / all the time, sometimes with a slightly negative or complaining tone, depending on context
- Stalno čekamo na granici. – We’re constantly waiting at the border.
svaki put – literally “every time”, emphasizing each separate occasion
- Svaki put na granici imamo putovnicu i kartu. – Every time at the border we have a passport and a ticket.

In your original sentence, uvijek is the most natural and standard choice.