Learn Hardcore Croatian: Moram skuhati juhu prije sastanka. - I have to cook soup before the meeting.

Moram is the 1st person singular present form of morati (to have to / must).
So Moram skuhati... literally means (I) must cook....

Do I need to include the pronoun ja (I)?

Usually no. Croatian verb endings already show the subject, so Moram... is natural.
You’d add ja mainly for emphasis/contrast, e.g. Ja moram, a ti ne moraš. (I have to, and you don’t.)

Why is skuhati in the infinitive? Is that the normal construction after moram?

Yes. The common pattern is morati + infinitive:

Moram skuhati juhu. = I have to cook the soup.
Other examples: Moram ići. (I have to go.), Moram raditi. (I have to work.)

What’s the difference between skuhati and kuhati?

It’s mainly aspect:

skuhati (perfective) = cook to completion / “cook up”, finish the action
kuhati (imperfective) = be cooking / cook in general (process, habit, ongoing)

In this sentence, Moram skuhati... strongly suggests I need to get it done (before the meeting).

Why is it juhu and not juha?

Because juhu is accusative singular, used for a direct object (what you cook).
Dictionary form (nominative) is juha.
So:

Juha je gotova. (The soup is ready.) — subject (nominative)
Kuham juhu. (I’m cooking soup.) — object (accusative)

Why is it prije sastanka and not prije sastanak or prije sastanku?

The preposition prije (before) requires the genitive case.
So sastanak (meeting) becomes sastanka (genitive singular): prije sastanka.

How do I know the genitive form sastanka?

Sastanak is a masculine noun. Many masculine nouns form the genitive singular with -a:

sastanak → sastanka
You’ll see the same with lots of masculine nouns: posao → posla, telefon → telefona (patterns vary, but -a is very common).

Can I change the word order, e.g. put prije sastanka first?

Yes. Word order is flexible, and you can front the time phrase for emphasis:

Moram skuhati juhu prije sastanka. (neutral)
Prije sastanka moram skuhati juhu. (emphasizes “before the meeting”)

Does prije mean “before” in time only, or can it mean something else?

Mostly before in time: prije sastanka (before the meeting).
It can also be used more generally as earlier than / beforehand, depending on context, but the core idea is “prior to”.

Could I use trebam instead of moram?

Often yes, but the feeling changes:

moram = stronger obligation / “must”
trebam (from trebati) = “need to / should” (often softer, sometimes more like necessity than obligation)

So Trebam skuhati juhu... can sound a bit less forceful than Moram....

How is this sentence pronounced (roughly), especially juhu and prije?

Approximate pronunciation:

Moram ≈ MOH-rahm
skuhati ≈ skoo-HAH-tee
juhu ≈ YOO-hoo (the j is like English y)
prije ≈ PREE-yeh
sastanka ≈ sah-STAHN-kah

Could I drop skuhati and say something like “I have to soup before the meeting”?

No—Croatian needs a verb. You need something like skuhati (to cook) or another suitable verb.
If you changed the meaning slightly, you could use other verbs, e.g. Moram napraviti juhu... (I have to make soup...), but skuhati is the most precise for “cook (soup)”.