Learn Hardcore Croatian: Večeras kuham juhu od mrkve i krumpira. - Tonight I’m cooking a soup with carrots and potatoes.

Croatian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending usually makes the subject clear. Kuham already means I cook / I am cooking, so ja is optional and is mainly used for emphasis or contrast (for example: Ja kuham, a ti pereš suđe).

What tense is kuham and does it mean present or future?

Kuham is present tense. In Croatian, present tense can cover:

something happening now: (Right now) I’m cooking
a planned/near-future action, especially with a time word like večeras: I’m cooking tonight
So the time adverb večeras makes it clearly about tonight, even though the verb is present.

What verb is this and how is kuham formed?

The infinitive is kuhati (to cook). The form kuham is 1st person singular present:

kuham = I cook / I’m cooking
Other forms (same verb) are: kuhaš (you), kuha (he/she/it), kuhamo (we), kuhate (you plural), kuhaju (they).

Why is it juhu and not juha?

Juha is feminine and here it’s the direct object of the verb kuhati, so it takes the accusative case:

nominative: juha (the soup, as a subject)
accusative: juhu (the soup, as the thing being cooked)

What does od mean here, and why do mrkve and krumpira change form?

Od commonly means from / of and it requires the genitive case. So the ingredients are in genitive:

mrkva → mrkve (genitive singular)
krumpir → krumpira (genitive singular)
So juha od mrkve i krumpira is literally soup of carrot and potato, i.e. carrot and potato soup.

Is juha od mrkve i krumpira the most natural way to say this, or are there alternatives?

It’s very natural. Common alternatives include:

juha od mrkve i krumpira (standard, clear)
juha od mrkve i od krumpira (repeating od for emphasis/clarity)
mrkvina juha (carrot soup, when carrot is the main idea; sounds more like one main ingredient)

Why is krumpira ending in -a if krumpir is masculine?

Many masculine inanimate nouns have genitive singular ending -a. For krumpir, the genitive singular is krumpira. This is normal and doesn’t mean it became feminine; it’s just the genitive form.

Does i affect the case of the nouns?

No. I means and and simply joins two items. The case is determined by the preposition od, so both nouns stay in genitive: od mrkve i krumpira.

What exactly does večeras mean, and where does it usually go in the sentence?

Večeras means tonight / this evening (the evening of today). It commonly goes at the beginning for emphasis on time: Večeras kuham..., but it can also appear later:

Kuham juhu večeras.
Večeras kuham juhu.
All are grammatical; the difference is mostly emphasis.

How would I make this sound more like ongoing cooking right now?

Croatian often uses the same present tense, but you can add context words:

Baš sada kuham juhu od mrkve i krumpira. (right now)
Upravo kuham... (just now / at the moment)
You can also specify the stage: Kuham juhu, već se krčka.

What’s the difference between kuhati and skuhati here?

Kuhati is imperfective (focus on the process/habit/ongoing action). Skuhati is perfective (focus on completion/result).

Večeras kuham juhu... = I’ll be cooking / I’m making soup tonight (process)
Večeras ću skuhati juhu... = I will cook (and finish) the soup tonight (completion)
Both can be correct; the perfective version highlights finishing it.

How do I pronounce tricky parts like večeras, mrkve, and krumpira?

A few practical tips:

č in večeras is like the ch in chess
c (not in this sentence, but common) would be like ts
mrkve has a consonant cluster mrk-; it’s normal in Croatian. Say it smoothly: mrk-ve (two syllables).
r in krumpira is rolled/tapped (Spanish-style), but learners can start with a light tap; you’ll still be understood.