Breakdown of Kad dostava stigne, dostavljač će mi dati potvrdu.
Questions & Answers about Kad dostava stigne, dostavljač će mi dati potvrdu.
Because kad introduces a subordinate time clause (when…). In Croatian, a subordinate clause placed before the main clause is normally separated by a comma:
- Kad dostava stigne, (subordinate clause)
- dostavljač će mi dati potvrdu. (main clause)
If you reverse the order, the comma usually stays:
- Dostavljač će mi dati potvrdu kad dostava stigne.
After time conjunctions like kad (when), Croatian typically uses the present tense to refer to the future, especially with perfective verbs:
- Kad dostava stigne… = When the delivery arrives… (in the future)
English tends to do the same in time clauses (When it arrives…), so this is a close match.
They are different nouns from the same root:
- dostava = delivery (the service / the shipment / the act of delivering, depending on context)
- dostavljač = delivery person / courier (the person who delivers)
So the sentence contrasts the delivery arriving with the delivery person giving something.
stigne is (most commonly) from the verb stići (to arrive / to make it / to manage to get somewhere).
Infinitive: stići
Present (3rd singular): stigne
This is a very common verb for “arrive” in the sense of reaching a destination or arriving on time.
Both can often translate as “arrive/come,” but the nuance differs:
- stići emphasizes reaching a destination / making it (often about timing/logistics).
- doći is a more general come.
For deliveries, stići is extremely natural because it implies the shipment has reached you (and often “finally got here”).
This is the Croatian future I tense:
- će (future auxiliary, 3rd person singular) + dati (infinitive)
So:
- dostavljač će dati = the delivery person will give
Croatian forms the future either with ću/ćeš/će… + infinitive, or sometimes by attaching the auxiliary to the infinitive (more common with certain verbs), but here the separate form is used.
Because the subject is dostavljač (the delivery person), which is 3rd person singular.
Future auxiliaries:
- ja ću, ti ćeš, on/ona/ono će
- mi ćemo, vi ćete, oni/one/ona će
So dostavljač će… matches on će…
mi is the dative clitic meaning to me (indirect object). It marks the recipient:
- dostavljač će mi dati potvrdu = will give me a confirmation/receipt
mene is the accusative/genitive form and would be used for direct object (“see me,” “call me,” etc.) or after certain prepositions. With dati (to give), the recipient is in the dative: mi/te/mu/joj/nam/vam/im.
Croatian has flexible word order, but clitics (like će and mi) have strong placement rules. A very typical order is:
- subject + će
- mi
- verb
- mi
You can move other parts for emphasis:
- Potvrdu će mi dati dostavljač. (emphasizes potvrdu)
- Dostavljač će mi potvrdu dati. (possible, but less neutral)
What usually stays “early” in the clause are the clitics (će, mi).
potvrdu is accusative singular (direct object) of potvrda (confirmation/receipt).
The verb dati (to give) takes:
- direct object in accusative: potvrdu
- recipient in dative: mi
So it matches the pattern: dati (što?) potvrdu (komu?) mi.
Both are possible depending on context:
- potvrda = confirmation (proof that something happened / a confirmation document)
- In delivery contexts, it can mean receipt / proof of delivery / acknowledgment slip
If you specifically mean a store receipt, račun is common; for proof you received the package, potvrda is very natural.
Approximate guidance for an English speaker:
- dostava: dos-TA-va (short, clear vowels)
- dostavljač: roughly do-STA-vlyaach (the lj is like a soft “ly” sound)
- potvrdu: pot-VR-doo (rolled/flapped r; u like “oo”)
Croatian spelling is very consistent: each letter (or digraph like lj) maps to a stable sound.