Learn Hardcore Croatian: Možeš li, molim te, provjeriti je li moja narudžba već poslana? - Can you please check whether my order has already been sent?

Li is the standard Croatian question particle used for yes/no questions. In many polite request patterns, Croatian forms the question like:
Možeš li + infinitive…? = Can you + verb…?
So Možeš li provjeriti…? literally means Can you check…? (asked as a question, not a statement).

Could I also say Možeš provjeriti…? without li?

Yes, you can say Možeš provjeriti…? and it will often be understood as a question from intonation/context, but it’s less “textbook” and can sound more like a statement. Using li makes it clearly a yes/no question and typically sounds more neutral/polite.

What does molim te mean here, and why is it separated by commas?

Molim te means please (literally I’m asking you / I beg you). It’s inserted as a parenthetical phrase, so commas are used to mark it off:
Možeš li, molim te, provjeriti…
You can also place it elsewhere, e.g. Molim te, možeš li provjeriti…? or Možeš li provjeriti…, molim te?

Is molim te informal? What would be more formal?

Yes. Te is the accusative form of ti (you, singular informal). More formal/polite is molim Vas (addressing Vi):
Možete li, molim Vas, provjeriti je li moja narudžba već poslana?
(Notice Možete instead of Možeš to match Vi.)

Why does it say je li and not just li?

Je li is another common yes/no question marker, especially before a clause. Here it introduces an embedded question:
provjeriti je li moja narudžba već poslana = check whether my order has already been sent.
You’ll often see je li meaning whether/if inside a larger sentence.

Can je li be written as one word (jeli)?

In standard Croatian, je li is written as two words. Jeli (one word) is typically a different form (from the verb jesti, to eat) and can mean (they) ate or appear in some nonstandard writing. For this meaning (whether/if), write je li.

Could I use da li instead of je li?

You may hear da li in speech and in some regional usage, and it can also mean whether/if, but in standard Croatian je li (or sometimes just li in certain structures) is generally preferred.

Why is the verb provjeriti in the infinitive?

After moći (can / to be able), Croatian typically uses the infinitive:
možeš + provjeriti = you can check.
So Možeš li provjeriti…? is literally Can you to-check…? (Croatian structure), but it corresponds to Can you check…? in English.

What does već add? Is it the same as already?

Yes, već most often means already here:
već poslana = already sent.
Depending on context, već can also mean by now or as early as, but in order/shipping contexts it’s usually straightforwardly already.

Why is it poslana and not poslano or poslan?

Because poslana is a past passive participle that agrees in gender/number with narudžba.

narudžba is feminine singular, so: poslana (fem. sg.)
masculine singular would be poslan
neuter singular would be poslano
feminine plural would be poslane, etc.

Is this passive voice? What exactly is the structure je … poslana?

Yes—this is a common Croatian passive/resultative structure:
je poslana = has been sent / is sent (depending on context).
It uses biti (to be) + passive participle. In shipping/order contexts, it usually corresponds to English has been sent (a completed action relevant now).

Why is moja narudžba in the nominative? Shouldn’t it be an object?

Inside the embedded clause je li moja narudžba već poslana, moja narudžba is the grammatical subject (the thing that has been sent), so it’s in the nominative. You are asking to check whether the order is/has been sent, not to send the order.

Can the word order change, like je li već poslana moja narudžba?

Yes. Croatian word order is fairly flexible, and you can move već or the subject for emphasis or style:

je li moja narudžba već poslana (neutral)
je li već poslana moja narudžba (focus on already sent)
je li moja narudžba poslana već (less common; can sound marked)
The original order is very natural for everyday use.

What’s the difference between Možeš li…? and Možeš… as a permission/ability question?

Možeš li…? is a polite, general-purpose request pattern and doesn’t strongly distinguish ability vs willingness—context does that. If you want to sound more explicitly like a polite request, Možeš li… (often with molim te) is a safe choice.