Learn Hardcore Croatian: Prije večere peremo tanjure i čaše, a poslije večere peremo noževe i vilice. - Before dinner we wash plates and glasses, and after dinner we wash knives and forks.

The prepositions prije (before) and poslije (after) always take the genitive case, so večera changes to večere (genitive singular):

Nominative: večera – dinner (as the subject)
Genitive: večere – of (the) dinner

So:

prije večere = before (the) dinner
poslije večere = after (the) dinner

You almost never say prije večera or poslije večera; that would be wrong in this context.

What exactly do prije and poslije mean, and how are they used?

In this sentence, prije and poslije are prepositions meaning:

prije = before
poslije = after

They normally require the genitive:

prije posla – before work
poslije škole – after school
prije večere – before dinner
poslije večere – after dinner

They can also be used more adverbially, on their own, when the context is clear:

Dođi prije. – Come earlier / before that.
Vidimo se poslije. – See you later / afterwards.

But when they’re followed by a noun, that noun is in the genitive case.

Why is the verb peremo the same in both parts of the sentence? What form is it?

Peremo is:

the present tense
1st person plural (we)
of the verb prati (to wash).

Conjugation of prati in the present:

(ja) perem – I wash
(ti) pereš – you wash (sg.)
(on/ona/ono) pere – he/she/it washes
(mi) peremo – we wash
(vi) perete – you wash (pl./formal)
(oni/one/ona) peru – they wash

In Croatian, the subject pronoun (mi = we) is usually omitted because the verb ending already tells you the subject. So:

Peremo tanjure = We wash plates.

The sentence repeats peremo:

Prije večere peremo tanjure i čaše, a poslije večere peremo noževe i vilice.

Repeating the verb is grammatically fine and quite natural, especially in a simple, clear sentence like this.

Could the verb peremo be omitted in the second part, like in English “Before dinner we wash plates and glasses, and after dinner knives and forks”?

Yes. This is also possible in Croatian:

Prije večere peremo tanjure i čaše, a poslije večere noževe i vilice.

Here peremo is understood in the second part and does not need to be repeated. Both versions are correct:

With repetition:
- … a poslije večere peremo noževe i vilice. (more explicit)
Without repetition:
- … a poslije večere noževe i vilice. (more compact, slightly more “literary” feeling)

Beginners usually find it easier to keep the verb in both parts.

Why is it tanjure and not tanjuri? What case are tanjure, čaše, noževe, and vilice?

These words are all direct objects of the verb peremo, so they’re in the accusative plural.

Singular → plural (nominative → accusative plural):

tanjur (plate)
- Nominative plural: tanjuri – plates (as subject)
- Accusative plural: tanjure – plates (as object)
čaša (glass)
- Nominative plural: čaše
- Accusative plural: čaše (same form)
nož (knife)
- Nominative plural: noževi
- Accusative plural: noževe
vilica (fork)
- Nominative plural: vilice
- Accusative plural: vilice (same form)

So:

Peremo tanjure i čaše. – We wash plates and glasses.
Peremo noževe i vilice. – We wash knives and forks.

The critical point: masculine animate/inanimate nouns like tanjur and nož often have -e in the accusative plural (tanjure, noževe) instead of the nominative -i (tanjuri, noževi).

What is the difference between a and i? Why does the sentence use a instead of i?

Both a and i are usually translated as and, but they are used a bit differently:

i = and (neutral addition, simply joining things)
a = and / while / whereas (often shows contrast or difference)

In the sentence:

… peremo tanjure i čaše, a poslije večere peremo noževe i vilice.

we have a contrast:

before dinner we wash one group of things
after dinner we wash a different group of things

Using a emphasizes that contrast between before and after.

If you said … čaše, i poslije večere…, it would sound a bit flatter, less contrastive, and not as natural in this context. So a is the more idiomatic choice here.

Can I change the word order, for example: Peremo tanjure i čaše prije večere?

Yes. Croatian word order is fairly flexible. All of these are grammatical, with slightly different emphasis:

Prije večere peremo tanjure i čaše.
(Time is at the beginning; emphasizes when.)
Peremo tanjure i čaše prije večere.
(Emphasis more on what we wash; time comes later.)
Full sentence variants:
- Prije večere peremo tanjure i čaše, a poslije večere peremo noževe i vilice.
- Peremo tanjure i čaše prije večere, a noževe i vilice poslije večere.

The meaning stays the same. The difference is mostly in rhythm and focus, not grammar.

Why isn’t there a word for we in the sentence? How do I know it means “we wash”?

Croatian usually omits subject pronouns (I, you, we, etc.) because the verb ending tells you who the subject is.

The pronoun mi means we, but you normally say:

Peremo tanjure. – We wash plates.

You would only add the pronoun for emphasis or contrast:

Mi peremo tanjure, a oni peru noževe.
– We wash the plates, and they wash the knives.

In your sentence, peremo clearly indicates 1st person plural (we), so mi is left out.

Could I omit the second večere and just say a poslije peremo noževe i vilice?

Yes, that’s also correct:

Prije večere peremo tanjure i čaše, a poslije peremo noževe i vilice.

Here:

prije still clearly refers to večere,
poslije also clearly refers to večere from the context.

So you can drop the second večere.

You could even say, more compactly:

Prije večere peremo tanjure i čaše, a poslije noževe i vilice.

Both večere and peremo are then understood in the second part. This kind of omission is common in everyday Croatian if the meaning is clear.

Is there any difference between peremo and operemo? Could I use operemo here?

Peremo and operemo are different aspects of the same basic action:

prati – to wash (imperfective, ongoing/repeated activity)
oprati – to wash (perfective, a single completed action)

Present tense forms:

peremo = we are washing / we wash (regularly, in progress)
operemo is future-like in meaning (we will finish washing), so in the straight present it is used only in specific contexts (plans, conditions, etc.):
- Kad operemo tanjure, idemo gledati film. – When we finish washing the plates, we’ll go watch a movie.

In a general-habit sentence like yours, you should use peremo, not operemo:

Prije večere peremo… a poslije večere peremo… ✅
Prije večere operemo… ❌ (sounds wrong for a general habit)

Are there more general words for “dishes” instead of listing tanjure, čaše, noževe i vilice?

Yes. The general word for “dishes / washing up” is suđe:

Prije večere peremo suđe. – Before dinner we wash the dishes.
Poslije večere peremo suđe. – After dinner we wash the dishes.

However, suđe is singular in form and takes neuter singular agreement:

Suđe je prljavo. – The dishes are dirty. (literally: The dishes is dirty.)

In your original sentence, the speaker simply gives more detail by listing the specific items.

How do I pronounce č in čaše and veče– / večere?

The letter č in Croatian:

is always pronounced like “ch” in English chair or church
it is always the same sound, regardless of position or word.

So:

čaše – CHA-she
večere – VE-che-re (roughly)

There is also a different letter ć in Croatian, but in this sentence you only have č.