Learn Hardcore Croatian: Kad idem u poštu, uvijek provjerim imam li novčanik u torbi. - When I go to the post office, I always check whether I have my wallet in the bag.

Habitual/repeated actions
- Kad idem u poštu, uvijek provjerim…
  = Whenever I go to the post office, I always check…
General truths / routines

Here it clearly expresses a habit: every time you go to the post office, you do this.

You could also hear Kada odlazim u poštu…, but idem is more neutral and common for simple “go” in everyday speech.

Why is it u poštu and not u pošti? Aren’t they both “in the post office”?

The difference comes from case and direction vs. location:

u poštu – to the post office (direction, movement towards something)
- poštu = accusative singular (feminine) → used with u to show movement
u pošti – in the post office (location, being at/in a place)
- pošti = locative singular (feminine) → used with u to show static location

Compare:

Idem u poštu. – I’m going to the post office.
Jesam li u pošti? – Am I in the post office?

So here, because you’re going somewhere, you must use u poštu (accusative).

Why is there a comma after Kad idem u poštu?

In Croatian, you normally put a comma between a subordinate clause and the main clause.

Kad idem u poštu, → subordinate time clause (introduced by kad)
uvijek provjerim imam li novčanik u torbi. → main clause

So the comma is required:

Kad idem u poštu, uvijek provjerim…

If the main clause came first, the comma would usually still be there:

Uvijek provjerim, kad idem u poštu, imam li novčanik u torbi. (here the commas mark an inserted clause)

In practice, the most natural version is the one you have: subordinate clause first, then comma, then main clause.

Why is it uvijek provjerim and not uvijek provjeravam? What’s the difference?

Both are grammatically possible, but they differ in aspect and nuance.

provjerim – perfective aspect (a single, completed check)
provjeravam – imperfective aspect (ongoing, repeated, or “in progress” checking)

In a habitual sentence, you’ll often hear the perfective:

Kad idem u poštu, uvijek provjerim imam li novčanik u torbi.
→ Each time you go, there is a single, complete checking event.

With provjeravam, you push the focus slightly more to the process or routine itself, but here it would also be acceptable:

Kad idem u poštu, uvijek provjeravam imam li novčanik u torbi.

Native speakers tend to prefer provjerim in this exact pattern.

What exactly does imam li mean, and why is the word order verb + li + object?

Imam li corresponds to English “if I have / whether I have / do I have” depending on context.

imam = I have
li = a clitic used to form yes–no questions or indirect yes–no clauses

In Croatian, li must come immediately after the verb. So for a clause like “whether I have a wallet”, you say:

imam li novčanik → literally “have-do I wallet”

This structure is used after verbs like pitati (to ask), znati (to know), provjeriti (to check), etc.:

Provjerim imam li novčanik. – I check whether I have a wallet.

So the order is: verb + li + the rest of the clause.

Could I say da li imam novčanik instead of imam li novčanik?

You can hear and see da li in Croatian, but there are some points to keep in mind:

imam li novčanik is shorter and considered more standard / stylistically cleaner, especially in writing.
da li imam novčanik is very common in informal speech and in some dialects.

In a sentence like yours, the most natural and standard option is:

… uvijek provjerim imam li novčanik u torbi.

You could hear people say:

… uvijek provjerim da li imam novčanik u torbi.

but if you’re aiming for clean, textbook Croatian, use imam li.

Why is there no word for “whether” or “if” before imam li?

In English, you say:

I check *whether I have a wallet in my bag.*

In Croatian, the function of “whether” is built into the li structure itself. You don’t need an extra word like “if/whether”:

provjerim imam li novčanik
= literally “I check have-do I a wallet”
= “I check whether I have a wallet”

So li replaces the English “do” in a question and also covers the “if/whether” function in indirect questions.

Why is novčanik in that form? Is it accusative because of imam?

Yes. Imati (to have) takes a direct object in the accusative case.

novčanik is a masculine, inanimate noun.
For masculine inanimate nouns, nominative singular and accusative singular are the same form: novčanik.

So in:

Imam li novčanik? – Do I have a wallet?

novčanik is actually accusative, but it looks just like the nominative. That’s why it doesn’t visibly change.

Why is it u torbi and not u torbu?

Again, this is the direction vs. location distinction with u:

u torbu – into the bag (movement into something) → accusative case
u torbi – in the bag (being inside something) → locative case

In your sentence, you’re not putting the wallet into the bag; you’re checking its location:

… imam li novčanik u torbi.
= whether my wallet is in the bag.

So you must use u torbi (locative singular).

Could I say u mojoj torbi instead of u torbi?

Yes, you can add the possessive to be more explicit:

… imam li novčanik u mojoj torbi. – whether I have a wallet in my bag.

Grammatically:

moja torba – nominative (my bag)
u mojoj torbi – locative (in my bag), so the adjective and noun both change:
- moja → mojoj
- torba → torbi

In many contexts, u torbi is understood as in my bag if you’re talking about yourself, so the possessive is often omitted.

Can I change the word order, for example Uvijek provjerim, kad idem u poštu, imam li novčanik u torbi?

Croatian word order is flexible, but not all options are equally natural.

Most natural and neutral:

Kad idem u poštu, uvijek provjerim imam li novčanik u torbi.

Other possibilities:

Uvijek provjerim imam li novčanik u torbi kad idem u poštu.
→ still acceptable; the “when I go to the post office” comes at the end.

Your version with commas on both sides of kad idem u poštu:

Uvijek provjerim, kad idem u poštu, imam li novčanik u torbi.

is grammatically possible, but sounds more heavy and less natural in everyday speech. It also slightly changes the rhythm and emphasis. For learners, it’s best to stick to the original order.

How should I understand the overall tense meaning? It’s all present tense, but it feels like “every time I go…”

Exactly. Croatian uses the present tense for:

current actions:
- Sad idem u poštu. – I’m going to the post office now.
habitual or repeated actions:
- Kad idem u poštu, uvijek provjerim… – Whenever I go to the post office, I always check…

So the sentence describes a general habit, not just something happening once right now. The present tense here corresponds to the English “every time/whenever I go… I always check…”.