Learn Hardcore Croatian: Za doručak često jedem jaje s medom i kruhom. - For breakfast I often eat an egg with honey and bread.

You might also see na doručku (with na + locative), which is more like at breakfast (talking about the event or situation rather than what you typically eat).

So:

Za doručak često jedem... – For breakfast I often eat... (typical choice of food)
Na doručku smo dugo razgovarali. – We talked for a long time at breakfast.

Why is često (often) placed between za doručak and jedem? Can it go elsewhere?

Yes, često can move around a bit without changing the basic meaning. Croatian word order is more flexible than English.

Common options:

Za doručak često jedem jaje... (your sentence – very natural)
Često za doručak jedem jaje...
Za doručak jedem često jaje... (possible, but less common and can sound a bit marked)

General tendencies:

često usually comes before the verb (često jedem).
It can also appear at the very beginning of the sentence for emphasis:
Često za doručak jedem jaje... (emphasis on often).

Why is it jedem and not the infinitive jesti? And do I need ja (I)?

Jesti is the infinitive (to eat).
Jedem is 1st person singular present tense (I eat).

In Croatian:

You normally use the conjugated verb form, not the infinitive, in a full sentence.
The subject ja (I) is usually dropped, because jedem already tells you it’s I who is eating.

So:

(Ja) jedem – I eat / I am eating
You would only add ja for emphasis or contrast:
Ja jedem jaje, a on jede sir. – I eat an egg, and he eats cheese.

Why is it jaje (singular) and not jaja (plural) if I usually eat more than one egg?

Jaje is one egg (nominative singular), jaja is eggs (nominative plural).

Your sentence literally says:

jajem – I eat an egg (one egg).

If you actually mean multiple eggs, you would say:

Za doručak često jedem jaja s medom i kruhom. – For breakfast I often eat eggs with honey and bread.

So:

jaje – egg (1)
jaja – eggs (2+)

The form in your sentence is grammatically correct; whether it’s realistic depends on how much you really eat.

What case is jaje in, and why doesn’t it change form as an object?

Jaje is in the accusative singular as the direct object of jedem.

For neuter nouns that end in -o or -e:

Nominative singular = Accusative singular (same form)

Example with jaje:

Nominative (subject):
Jaje je na stolu. – The egg is on the table.
Accusative (object):
Jedem jaje. – I am eating (an) egg.

So, the form doesn’t change, but the function in the sentence is different.

What does s medom i kruhom literally mean, and what case is that?

S medom i kruhom literally means with honey and bread.

s = with
medom = honey in the instrumental singular
kruhom = bread in the instrumental singular

In Croatian, after s / sa meaning with, you use the instrumental case:

s kim? čime? – with whom? with what?
- s medom – with honey
- s kruhom – with bread
- s prijateljem – with a friend

So medom and kruhom are the instrumental forms of med and kruh.

Why is it s and not sa before medom i kruhom?

Both s and sa mean with here; the difference is mainly phonetic (for easier pronunciation):

Use sa:
- before words beginning with s, š, z, ž (to avoid tongue-twisters):
  - sa sestrom – with (my) sister
  - sa psom – with a dog
- sometimes also before certain consonant clusters.
s medom i kruhom sounds smooth and easy to pronounce, so s is perfectly natural here. Sa medom i kruhom is possible but less common and sounds a bit heavier.

So the sentence uses the shorter, more natural s.

Why is it medom instead of just med or medu?

Base form:

med – honey (nominative singular)

Cases:

medom – instrumental singular (with honey)
medu – locative or dative singular (in honey / to honey, rarely used in practice)

After s/sa (with), you must use the instrumental:

s medom – with honey (correct)

Just med by itself would be the nominative and doesn’t fit after s:

s med – incorrect
s medom – correct (instrumental)

Why is it kruhom and not kruh or kruha?

Base form:

kruh – bread (nominative singular)

Relevant cases:

kruh – nominative (subject):
Kruh je na stolu. – The bread is on the table.
kruha – usually genitive (of bread) or partitive:
Komad kruha. – A piece of bread.
kruhom – instrumental (with bread):
S kruhom. – With bread.

Since your sentence uses s = with, you need the instrumental:

s kruhom – with bread (correct)

Is the word order Za doručak često jedem jaje... fixed, or can it be changed?

It’s not fixed. Croatian allows flexible word order, especially for adverbs and phrases like za doručak.

All of these are acceptable:

Za doručak često jedem jaje s medom i kruhom.
Često za doručak jedem jaje s medom i kruhom.
Često jedem jaje s medom i kruhom za doručak. (still fine, though less common)

Nuances:

Putting često at the start slightly emphasizes how often.
Keeping za doručak at the start emphasizes when (for breakfast).

Your version is very natural and typical.

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” (articles) before jaje, medom, and kruhom?

Croatian does not have articles like a/an or the.

jaje can mean an egg or the egg depending on context.
s medom i kruhom can be with honey and bread / with the honey and the bread, again depending on context.

Definiteness and indefiniteness (a vs. the) are usually understood from the context, word order, and sometimes intonation, not from separate words like in English.

Why is the present tense (jedem) used, not something like “I am eating” vs. “I eat”? Does it mean now or usually?

In Croatian, the present tense covers both:

habitual actions (I often eat...) and
actions happening now (I am eating...).

So jedem can mean:

I eat (in general / regularly)
I am eating (right now)

Your sentence includes često (often), which clearly shows a habitual meaning:

Za doručak često jedem jaje... – For breakfast I often eat an egg...

Croatian doesn’t distinguish between I eat and I am eating with two separate present tenses like English does. Context tells you which one is meant.