Learn Hardcore Croatian: Večeras kuham juhu na štednjaku. - Tonight I am cooking soup on the stove.

(Ja) kuham = I cook / I am cooking
You could say Ja večeras kuham juhu na štednjaku, but it’s only used:
for emphasis (Ja, a ne ti, kuham…)
or in contrasts.
In normal, neutral speech, you omit ja.

Is kuham present tense or future tense? How can it mean “I’m going to cook” tonight?

Grammatically, kuham is present tense of kuhati (to cook).
But in Croatian (as in English “I’m cooking tonight”), present tense + a future time expression often refers to the near future.

Večeras kuham juhu.
= This evening I’m cooking soup / I’m going to cook soup this evening.

If you want a more clearly future form, especially for a one‑time completed action, you’d normally use a perfective verb:

Večeras ću skuhati juhu.
= I will cook (and finish cooking) soup this evening.

Summary:

kuham (imperfective): focuses on the ongoing activity (I’ll be cooking).
ću skuhati (future + perfective): focuses on the result/completion (the soup will get cooked).

What is the infinitive of kuham, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is kuhati (to cook). Present tense:

ja kuham – I cook / I am cooking
ti kuhaš – you (sg., informal) cook
on/ona/ono kuha – he/she/it cooks
mi kuhamo – we cook
vi kuhate – you (pl. or formal) cook
oni/one/ona kuhaju – they cook

In this sentence we use kuham (1st person singular).

Why is it juhu and not juha? What case is that?

The base form is juha (soup), a feminine noun ending in -a.

In Večeras kuham juhu na štednjaku, juhu is the direct object of kuham (“I’m cooking what?” → soup), so it’s in the accusative singular.

For most feminine -a nouns:

Nominative (subject): juha – The soup is hot. (Juha je vruća.)
Accusative (object): juhu – I’m cooking soup. (Kuham juhu.)

So the change -a → -u marks the accusative (object) form.

What case is štednjaku and why does it end in -u?

The noun is štednjak (stove), a masculine noun.
In na štednjaku, it is in the locative singular.

Masculine nouns often have -u (or -e) in the locative:

Nominative: štednjak – The stove is new. (Štednjak je nov.)
Locative (with “on/at the stove”): na štednjaku

Typical pattern:

Nominative: stol (table), grad (city), štednjak (stove)
Locative: na stolu (on the table), u gradu (in the city), na štednjaku (on the stove)

So štednjaku = “on/at the stove” because na + static location → locative case.

Why is it na štednjaku and not na štednjak?

The preposition na can take locative or accusative, depending on meaning:

na + locative = location, no movement (where?)
- na štednjaku – on the stove (already there, not moving)
na + accusative = motion towards, direction (to where?)
- Stavljam lonac na štednjak. – I’m putting the pot onto the stove.

In Večeras kuham juhu na štednjaku, there is no movement implied; you’re just stating where you cook – on the stove – so locative (štednjaku) is used.

Why do we say na štednjaku and not u štednjaku?

The choice of na vs u is mostly about how speakers conceptualize the location:

na = on a surface / on top of something:
- na stolu – on the table
- na šalteru – at the counter
- na štednjaku – on the stove (on its cooking surface)
u = inside something / in an enclosed space:
- u loncu – in the pot
- u pećnici – in the oven
- u kući – in the house

Cooking on a stove is seen as doing it on the surface, so Croatian uses na štednjaku, not u štednjaku.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move večeras, juhu, or na štednjaku around?

Croatian word order is relatively flexible; you can move parts for emphasis or style.
All of these are grammatically possible:

Večeras kuham juhu na štednjaku. – neutral, time first.
Kuham večeras juhu na štednjaku. – slight emphasis on I’m cooking (not doing something else) tonight.
Večeras na štednjaku kuham juhu. – a bit more dramatic / stylized; focusing on tonight and on the stove.
Juhu večeras kuham na štednjaku. – strong emphasis on the soup (contrast or correction).

The default, most natural neutral order for “Tonight I’m cooking soup on the stove” is what you have: Večeras kuham juhu na štednjaku.

What is the difference between večeras and other words like noćas or večer?

večeras = this evening / tonight (refers specifically to this coming evening)
- Večeras idem u kino. – I’m going to the cinema tonight.
večer = evening (the noun itself)
- Volim mirnu večer. – I like a quiet evening.
noćas = tonight, but usually with a focus on the night-time, often later, after you’d normally go to bed
- Noćas nisam spavao. – I didn’t sleep last night / tonight.

For “Tonight I’m cooking soup” → Večeras kuham juhu is the usual choice.

Is juha the only word for “soup”? I’ve also seen supa.

In standard Croatian, juha is the normal word for soup.

juha od povrća – vegetable soup
pileća juha – chicken soup

The word supa is:

common in Serbian, Bosnian, and some Croatian dialects
understood by Croatian speakers, but in standard Croatian it sounds regional/colloquial or non‑standard.

If you’re aiming for standard Croatian, use juha, not supa.

How do I pronounce večeras kuham juhu na štednjaku? Any tricky sounds for English speakers?

Key points:

č = like ch in church
- večeras – veh-CHER-as
š = like sh in shoe
- štednjaku – SHTED-nyah-koo
j = like y in yes
- juhu – YOO-hoo
- štednjaku – the sequence nj is like ny in canyon: SHTED-nyah-koo
kh/ḥ-like h: h is a bit stronger than English h, closer to the German “Bach” sound, especially in kuham.

Approximate whole sentence:

Večeras kuham juhu na štednjaku.
→ veh-CHER-as KOO-ham YOO-hoo nah SHTED-nyah-koo