Learn Hardcore Croatian: Večeras ću pojesti sendvič i salatu. - Tonight I will eat a sandwich and a salad.

večeras = tonight / this evening (an adverb, says when something happens)
- Večeras ću ostati doma. – I’ll stay at home tonight.
večer = evening (a noun)
- Večer je bila hladna. – The evening was cold.
večera = dinner / supper (a noun)
- Imamo večeru u osam. – We have dinner at eight.

In your sentence, Večeras answers the question “When?” – Tonight.

Why isn’t ja (“I”) used in the sentence?

Croatian normally drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

(Ja) ću pojesti… – ću is 1st person singular, so it already means I will.

You can say Ja ću večeras pojesti sendvič i salatu if you want to emphasize I (as opposed to someone else), but in neutral sentences ja is usually omitted.

What does ću mean, and how is the future tense formed here?

ću is the 1st person singular future auxiliary, originally from the verb htjeti (to want). In modern Croatian it mostly just marks the future tense and is usually translated as “I will”.

Future I in Croatian is often:
(subject) + ću / ćeš / će… + infinitive

So:

Večeras ću pojesti… = Tonight I will eat…
Sutra ćeš raditi. = Tomorrow you will work.
Oni će putovati. = They will travel.

Why does ću come after Večeras and before pojesti? Can I move it?

ću is a clitic (an unstressed short word) and Croatian likes clitics in “second position” in the clause – after the first stressed word or phrase.

That’s why we say:

Večeras ću pojesti sendvič i salatu.
Ja ću večeras pojesti sendvič i salatu.
Sendvič i salatu ću pojesti večeras.

But you normally cannot start with ću (✗ C̆u večeras pojesti… is wrong in standard Croatian), and you don’t place it randomly later in the sentence.

What is the difference between pojesti and jesti?

Croatian has aspect: pairs of verbs for completed vs ongoing actions.

jesti – imperfective: to eat (focus on the activity or habit)
pojesti – perfective: to eat up, to finish eating (focus on the completed action)

So:

Večeras ću pojesti sendvič i salatu.
→ I will eat (and finish) a sandwich and a salad tonight.
Večeras ću jesti sendvič i salatu.
→ I will be eating / I will eat (activity, less focus on completion).

In everyday speech both can often translate as “I’ll eat”, but pojesti makes it clearer that you’ll eat the whole thing.

Is Večeras ću jesti sendvič i salatu also correct?

Yes, it is grammatically correct.

The nuance:

ću pojesti – one completed act, often more specific: “I’m going to eat it (all).”
ću jesti – focuses on the action of eating; can sound more like you’re describing what you’ll have as food or what you’ll be eating in general.

In many everyday contexts, the difference is small, and both sentences are acceptable.

Why is it salatu and not salata?

Because salata is the direct object of the verb “to eat”, so it must be in the accusative case.

Nominative (dictionary form): salata (salad)
Accusative singular (what you eat/see/etc.): salatu

Pattern for many feminine nouns ending in -a:

kava → pijem kavu (I drink coffee)
knjiga → čitamo knjigu (we read a book)
salata → pojesti salatu (to eat salad)

So sendvič i salatu are both in the accusative as things being eaten.

But sendvič doesn’t change. Why not?

sendvič is a masculine inanimate noun ending in a consonant. For these nouns, the accusative singular is the same as the nominative singular.

Nominative: sendvič je na stolu. – The sandwich is on the table.
Accusative: pojesti sendvič. – to eat a sandwich.

Compare with a masculine animate noun, which does change:

Nominative: brat je tamo. – Brother is there.
Accusative: vidim brata. – I see (my) brother.

So sendvič stays sendvič in your sentence.

Why is there no word for “a” before sendvič and salatu?

Croatian simply does not have articles (no “a”, “an”, or “the”).

Whether you mean a sandwich or the sandwich is understood from context, not from a separate word. Your sentence can mean:

Tonight I will eat a sandwich and a salad, or
Tonight I will eat the sandwich and salad

depending on what has been mentioned or is known in the situation. If you really need to stress “one”, you can say:

Večeras ću pojesti jedan sendvič i jednu salatu. – Tonight I’ll eat one sandwich and one salad.

Can I change the word order in this sentence?

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible, but the clitic ću must respect the “second position” rule. Some natural variants:

Večeras ću pojesti sendvič i salatu. (neutral, time first)
Sendvič i salatu ću pojesti večeras. (focus on what you’ll eat)
Ja ću večeras pojesti sendvič i salatu. (emphasis on I)
Pojest ću večeras sendvič i salatu. (focus on the act of eating)

Meaning stays almost the same; the change is in emphasis and style.

Is it correct to say Večeras pojest ću sendvič i salatu or Pojest ću večeras sendvič i salatu?

Pojest ću večeras sendvič i salatu. – Correct.
Here Pojest (short infinitive of pojesti) is the first stressed word, and ću is in second position.
Večeras pojest ću sendvič i salatu. – Not standard / sounds wrong.
The first stressed word is Večeras, so the clitic ću should come right after it:
Večeras ću pojesti / pojest sendvič i salatu.

So you can use pojest ću (short infinitive + ću), but keep ću right after the first stressed word or phrase of the clause.