Learn Hardcore Croatian: Kad dostava stigne, dostavljač će mi dati potvrdu. - When the delivery arrives, the delivery person will give me a confirmation.

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.

Why is stigne in the present tense if the meaning is in the future?

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.

What’s the difference between dostava and dostavljač?

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.

What verb is stigne and what is its infinitive?

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.

Why is stići / stigne used instead of doći / dođe?

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”).

What tense is će mi dati and how is the future formed 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.

Why is će 3rd person singular?

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…

What does mi mean here, and why is it not mene?

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.

Why is the word order će mi dati, and can it be changed?

Croatian has flexible word order, but clitics (like će and mi) have strong placement rules. A very typical order is:

subject + će
- mi
  - verb

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).

Why is potvrdu in that form—what case is it?

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.

Does potvrda mean a “confirmation” or a “receipt” here?

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.

How would I pronounce dostava, dostavljač, and potvrdu (roughly)?

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.