Learn Hardcore Croatian: Zimi stavljam šal u džep jakne. - In winter I put a scarf in the jacket pocket.

So zimi already means “in winter”, and you normally don’t add a preposition like u in front of it.
U zimi is grammatically possible in some very specific, literary or technical contexts, but for everyday “in winter”, you say zimi.

What tense and aspect is stavljam, and does it mean “I put” or “I am putting”?

Stavljam is:

Present tense
1st person singular
Imperfective aspect of the verb stavljati (“to put, to place (repeatedly / as a process)”).

In this sentence it expresses a habitual action:

Zimi stavljam šal u džep jakne.
→ In winter I (normally / habitually) put my scarf in my jacket pocket.

It can correspond to both:

English “I put (usually)” – habitual
English “I am putting” – if you add context that it’s happening right now, but the more neutral reading here is habitual or general truth about what you do in winter.

If you wanted a single, one‑off act, you’d typically use a perfective verb like staviti in a different tense, e.g.:

Stavit ću šal u džep jakne. – I will put the scarf in the jacket pocket (one time).

Why is stavljam used instead of stavim?

The difference is aspect:

stavljam – present tense of stavljati, imperfective
- Focus on ongoing or repeated action.
- Great for habits: what you usually do in winter.
stavim – present tense of staviti, perfective
- In practice, this form often has a kind of future / conditional nuance (“when/if I put”) rather than simple present.
- It sounds more like a single event in a sequence or in instructions:
  - Kad stavim šal u džep jakne, bit će mi toplije.
    When I put the scarf in the jacket pocket, I’ll be warmer.

For a general statement about your routine, stavljam is the natural choice.

Which cases are used for šal, džep, and jakne in this sentence, and why?

In Zimi stavljam šal u džep jakne. we have:

šal – accusative singular (masculine)
- Direct object of stavljam (“I put” what? → the scarf)
- For many masculine nouns, nominative and accusative are the same form in the singular, so it looks like nominative but functions as accusative.
džep – accusative singular (masculine)
- Object of the preposition u with motion (“into the pocket” → direction).
- Preposition u uses accusative when there is movement into something.
jakne – genitive singular (feminine)
- Depends on džep to show possession / belonging: “pocket of the jacket”.
- This “X of Y” relationship in Croatian is usually shown with Y in the genitive:
  - džep jakne – the pocket of the jacket
  - vrata kuće – the door of the house
  - stranice knjige – the pages of the book

Why is u followed by the accusative here and not by the locative?

The preposition u (in, into) can take either:

Accusative – when there is movement/direction into something
Locative – when expressing location in something (no movement)

Compare:

Stavljam šal u džep.
I’m putting the scarf into the pocket.
→ Motion → u + accusative (džep)
Šal je u džepu.
The scarf is in the pocket.
→ Location → u + locative (džepu)

In the sentence Zimi stavljam šal u džep jakne., there is motion (you’re putting the scarf into the pocket), so u takes the accusative (džep).

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in this Croatian sentence?

Croatian has no articles like English “the” or “a/an”. Definite vs. indefinite meaning is inferred from:

Context
Word order
Possessives / demonstratives (e.g. taj šal, moj šal)
General world knowledge

So:

Zimi stavljam šal u džep jakne.
Depending on context, can be:
- In winter I put *a scarf in a jacket pocket.*
- In winter I put *the scarf in the jacket pocket.*
- More naturally: In winter I put *my scarf in my jacket pocket.*

If you really want to stress “this particular scarf”, you might say:

Zimi stavljam taj šal u džep jakne. – In winter I put that scarf in the jacket pocket.

Could we say u džep od jakne instead of u džep jakne? Is there a difference?

Yes, u džep od jakne is also possible and common in speech.

u džep jakne
- More compact, slightly more formal / standard.
- Uses pure genitive for possession.
u džep od jakne
- Very frequent in colloquial language.
- Literally “into the pocket from the jacket”.
- Sometimes feels more explicit or emphasized.

Meaning-wise they are practically the same:

Zimi stavljam šal u džep jakne.
Zimi stavljam šal u džep od jakne.

Both: In winter I put the scarf in the jacket pocket.

Can I change the word order, like Šal zimi stavljam u džep jakne? Does it sound natural?

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible. Each change slightly shifts what is emphasized.

Some possible orders and their feel (all grammatically correct):

Zimi stavljam šal u džep jakne.
- Neutral, common: focus on time first (“In winter, I put…”).
Šal zimi stavljam u džep jakne.
- Slight focus on šal (the scarf):
  “The scarf, in winter I put it in the jacket pocket.”
U džep jakne zimi stavljam šal.
- Strongly foregrounds location:
  “Into the jacket pocket, in winter, I put the scarf.”
Šal stavljam u džep jakne zimi.
- Puts zimi at the end for emphasis on time:
  “…in winter (as opposed to some other time).”

All are possible, but the original order is the most neutral and textbook-style.

How would I say explicitly “In winter I put my scarf in my jacket pocket”?

You’d add possessive pronouns, and the most idiomatic is to use svoj (“one’s own”) when the owner is the subject:

Zimi stavljam svoj šal u džep svoje jakne.

Breakdown:

svoj šal – my own scarf (refers back to the subject ja)
u džep svoje jakne – into the pocket of my own jacket

You can also hear:

Zimi stavljam moj šal u džep moje jakne.

This is understandable, but in standard grammar svoj is preferred when the owner is the subject, because it avoids ambiguity (“my own” vs simply “my”).

Is šal always masculine? What are some of its forms?

Yes, šal (scarf) is a masculine noun. Basic singular forms:

Nominative: (t)aj šal – that scarf
Genitive: bez šala – without the scarf
Dative: k šalu – to the scarf (rare in practice)
Accusative: vidim šal – I see the scarf
Locative: o šalu – about the scarf
Instrumental: sa šalom – with the scarf

In the sentence Zimi stavljam šal u džep jakne., šal is in the accusative singular, as the direct object of stavljam.