Learn Hardcore Croatian: Kad putujemo, često perem nekoliko majica ručno u kupaonici umjesto u perilici. - When we travel, I often wash a few T‑shirts by hand in the bathroom instead of in the washing machine.

In meaning, they are the same here: kad/kada putujemo = when we travel.
Kada sounds a bit more formal or careful; kad is what you’ll hear a lot in everyday speech.

You can freely say Kada putujemo, često perem… without changing the meaning.

Why is putujemo (we travel) but perem (I wash)? Shouldn’t both verbs match the same subject?

Croatian often changes the subject between clauses without repeating pronouns, if it’s clear from context.

Kad putujemo = When we travel (mi – we, implied by -mo ending)
često perem = I often wash (ja – I, implied by -em ending)

So the full “logical” version would be:

Kad mi putujemo, ja često perem…

The subject changes from we in the time clause to I in the main clause, and that’s perfectly normal in Croatian (and in English too: When we travel, I often wash…).

Why is there no ja (I) or mi (we) in the sentence?

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are usually omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

putujemo → mi (we)
perem → ja (I)

You only add ja, mi, ti, on, ona… when you want to emphasize or contrast:

Kad putujemo, ja često perem… (When we travel, *I (not someone else) often wash…*)

Why is the verb perem and not something like pram or peru?

The infinitive is prati (to wash), but it conjugates irregularly:

ja perem
ti pereš
on/ona/ono pere
mi peremo
vi perete
oni/one/ona peru

So for “I wash” you must use perem, not pratim or peru.

Also, pratim (from pratiti) is a different verb: it means to follow / to track.

What’s the difference between perem and operem?

Both come from the root prati (to wash), but they differ in aspect:

perem – imperfective, focuses on the process or a repeated/habitual action
- Here: a habit (I often wash shirts by hand when we travel.)
operem – perfective, focuses on a single completed action (I will wash / I’ll get it washed once)

In this sentence, because we’re talking about a habit (“often, when we travel”), perem is the natural choice.

Could the word order be Kad putujemo, često ručno perem nekoliko majica u kupaonici? Is it still correct?

Yes, that’s grammatically correct. Croatian word order is flexible.

All of these are fine, with slightly different emphasis:

Kad putujemo, često perem nekoliko majica ručno u kupaonici.
Kad putujemo, često ručno perem nekoliko majica u kupaonici.
Kad putujemo, nekoliko majica često perem ručno u kupaonici.

The original is very natural and neutral. Moving ručno earlier might slightly emphasize the way you wash them (by hand), but the meaning is basically the same.

Why is it nekoliko majica and not nekoliko majice?

In Croatian, nekoliko (“a few, several”) requires the genitive plural of the noun:

nekoliko majica (genitive plural of majica)
nekoliko knjiga (from knjiga)
nekoliko ljudi (irregular form, but still genitive)

So majica (nominative singular) becomes majica in the genitive plural too (same form, different function). That’s why you don’t say nekoliko majice.

What exactly is ručno? Why that form, and not something like ručnu?

Ručno is an adverb meaning by hand.

It’s formed from the adjective ručan / ručni (manual, hand-…) by using the neuter singular form as an adverb:

ručni rad – manual work (adjective)
radim ručno – I work by hand (adverb)

Adverbs of manner in Croatian often end in -o and do not change for gender or number:

brzo (quickly), polako (slowly), ručno (by hand)

Ručnu would be a feminine accusative adjective form and wouldn’t make sense here.

Why is it u kupaonici and not u kupaonicu?

The preposition u can take either:

Locative (where something is, static location)
Accusative (motion into something)

Here we’re talking about where the washing happens (location), so we use locative:

u kupaonici – in the bathroom (locative, where?)
u kupaonicu – into the bathroom (accusative, where to?)

So:

Perem majice u kupaonici. – I wash the shirts in the bathroom.
Idem u kupaonicu. – I’m going into the bathroom.

What’s the difference between kupaonica and kupatilo?

Both can mean bathroom, but:

kupaonica – preferred in standard Croatian, especially in Croatia
kupatilo – more common in some regions and in Serbian/Bosnian usage

In a Croatian learning context, kupaonica is the “textbook” standard word.

What does perilica refer to exactly? And why u perilici?

Perilica is short for perilica rublja – washing machine (for clothes). It’s feminine:

Nominative: perilica – the washing machine
Genitive: perilice
Locative: perilici

In the sentence, u perilici is locative (again, where the washing would take place):

u perilici – in the washing machine (locative)
u perilicu – into the washing machine (accusative, motion)

So umjesto u perilici = instead of (washing them) in the washing machine.

Why is it umjesto u perilici and not something like umjesto perilice or umjesto da koristim perilicu?

There are a few correct ways to express “instead of using the washing machine”:

The version in your sentence:
- …perem nekoliko majica ručno u kupaonici umjesto u perilici.
  This is elliptical: it really means
  …umjesto (da ih perem) u perilici.
  The repeated part (da ih perem) is just omitted to avoid repetition.
With a genitive noun:
- umjesto perilice – instead of the washing machine (as an option)
  This sounds more like you’re choosing a different device or method.
With a clause:
- umjesto da koristim perilicu – instead of using the washing machine
- umjesto da ih perem u perilici – instead of washing them in the washing machine

All are grammatical; the original is very natural and typical spoken style.

Why is there a comma after Kad putujemo?

Kad putujemo is a dependent (subordinate) clause expressing time: When we travel…

In Croatian punctuation, when a dependent clause comes before the main clause, it’s normally separated by a comma:

Kad putujemo, često perem…
Kad sam umorna, idem ranije spavati.

If the main clause comes first, you often don’t write a comma:

Često perem nekoliko majica ručno u kupaonici kad putujemo.